Pepsi has revealed a new Pepsi Music Lab, an annual academy aimed to nurture and promote a new generation of musicians.
The new academy is part of the brand’s commitment to music and showing up in culture. “Music is something that's always associated with the brand,” Todd Kaplan, chief marketing officer of Pepsi told Brand Innovators in June. The brand uses music as a way to stay part of the culture and cultivate relationships with consumers around their passion for music.
Pepsi Music Lab will support emerging artists with performance opportunities, mentorship, radio promotion, as well as workshops on how to build their personal brands. Working with UnitedMasters, a technology platform that helps artists monetize their music on streaming platforms and connect to sync and brand deals, while retaining publishing on their masters, Pepsi identified a group of artists to support for its Class of ’22-’23.
The company revealed a pilot version of the program last December ahead of its last Super Bowl halftime show featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige, among other hip hop icons. While the brand pulled out of sponsoring the 2023 halftime show after 10 years of naming rights to the iconic event due to the reported $50 million price tag the league was asking, the brand has continued their dedication to this music program.
Pepsi Music Lab growing the pilot execution into a “full scale, multi-service platform.” Artists on the roster for this year include: AKINYEMI; Amira; Brian V.; Cain Lofton; GODBY; Kbthesinger; Lexie Hayden; Lynnea M; NOHEMY; Oompa; SERGIO; and Tarik. Five of these featured artists are “Becoming A Popstar,” contestants co-produced by Pepsi, MTV and TikTok. Samy Hawk, the winner of “Becoming A Popstar,” will also participate in the Pepsi Music Lab.
Pepsi will kick off this year’s academy with the Pepsi Music Lab bootcamp in New York October 25 – 27, where the featured artists will have the opportunity to meet with on stage coaches, brand building coaches, as well as photographers and filmmakers, who will take their promo photos and shoot video.
Additionally, the brand will use this event as a way to connect with consumers at home. Pepsi will host a two-day virtual summit with music industry experts so that fans can connect online.
