I need to meet the people behind this innovative album launch campaign because I love it.  Oasis has a new album coming out in early October (Dig Out Your Soul), but for some early launch buzz and excitement they've unleashed a very cool campaign leveraging street performers in NYC as well as youtube contest.  You can read more about it on the official news release and check out the campaign website too.   

Here's what's happening on the street front:

• The band connected with NYC & Company (NYC's marketing group) to connect with the city's "Music Under New York" program that supports hundreds of street performers like jazz ensembels, opera singers, guitar players, string quartets and more that make commuting around NYC like no other place in the world. 
  
• Thirty street performers were selected for something extremely special, the chance to not only hear but learn how to play, directly from the band, four not-yet-released tracks from the new Oasis album at an incredible session in NYC last week.  Then they hit the streets, entertaining New Yorkers with the new songs, a very cool way to hear it before you can buy it element.
• Smartly (is that a word) NYC&C is filming a documentary capturing the magic as it happens, which will be make its debut before the album launch.
• The NYC&C website also profiles all of the participating artists who I'm sure are loving this unique opportunity

And the YouTube competition is equally amazing:

• On the Oasis site you can enter a YouTube competition where you upload a video on YouTube performing one of the four tracks from the album that the street performers learned and are now performing in NYC
• After registering you can download the sheet music from the site, and then start practicing
• When you are ready, upload the video to the YouTube channel, the band will pick the grand prize winner who will be flown to an Oasis concert anywhere in the world.  Second place gets local Oasis concert tickets too.

This is an incredible campaign that ticks multiple boxes - leverages music knowing the power it has to engage consumers; makes it easy for any musician to enter by providing the sheet music; spreads the new songs in an incredible way, almost getting the songs in your head before you hear it on the radio; leveraegs YouTube where most of the world plays these days; has a solid prize for the competition; and most importantly, stays authentic and true to the overall Oasis brand, image and personality.

Love it!  Now go and make more campaigns like this please.