Press Play for Coldplay

Have you watched Coldplay’s new album?

Whether or not they are your taste in music, you may be interested in how they have introduced their latest sonic gift to the world.

“Ghost Stories” is currently being streamed on iTunes, enabling audiences to listen prior to purchase. That’s become a common practice for many artists. Some are using media platforms, such as radio and news sites to reach new audiences.

What’s new about Coldplay’s work is that it has been branded as a “visual album” with the entire 40 minutes of music accompanied by video.

That’s interesting because for many people their first experience of the album will be one of watching and listening. For some it’ll be on their phone or tablet, others on a computer or television using Apple TV.

This a step on from the music video which promoted a song and drew audiences to an album. The creative here constructs a world designed to reinforce that all the songs are part of one unified piece.

This approach has replaced the visuals once associated with a record or (less successfully) CD cover. People used to sit and listen to a new piece of music with the cover on their lap, reading the lyrics or linear notes or admiring the cool graphics.

Now they have a video, of the entire work, to watch… and share.