Mastercard debuts music album with songs carrying 'brand sound'

Mastercard has rolled out its inaugural music album titled "Priceless" featuring 10 songs by 10 different artists from around the world. Made available first on Spotify, each song in the album incorporates the melody of Mastercard's brand sound. Additionally, the music will be introduced at a launch party with Spotify, Mastercard’s exclusive launch partner and audio platform. 

The brand teamed up with music creator platform Beatclub to enhance its commitment to music fans and emerging talent. As part of the partnership, Mastercard will purchase and provide one-year memberships to the Beatclub platform to hundreds of up-and-coming creators from disenfranchised communities. The Beatclub music creators were mentored by producer Timbaland as they remixed two standout tracks, inspired by the original songs developed for Mastercard's "Priceless" album. 

Mastercard also collaborated with executive producer Niclas Molinder to find artists who span a variety of cultures, languages and genres – a core element of the album’s identity, the brand said. Each artist was then tasked with incorporating the brand's melody into their song, seeking to demonstrate how audio branding can be used innovatively. The full "Priceless" album features tracks from up-and-coming artists including Michael Rice, Shiraz, Good Harvest, Alma Lake, Raees, Tejas, Nadine Randle, Tania, Elle B. and Amaya. 

“Our first-ever music album featuring the inspiring, original work of 10 rising artists takes our innovative sonic branding approach to an even higher, unmatched level,” said Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard chief marketing and communications officer and president, Healthcare. He added that from Algeria to Australia and Slovenia to Sweden, each of the artists integrated the brand's melody into their songs and created something that it  is proud of. 

Timbaland explained that this partnership was a natural fit given Mastercard and Beatclub’s mutual goal of supporting artists and the industry. “Together we’re elevating emerging artists through the power of music and mentorship. Providing platforms, tools, and connections for creators to pursue their passions opens doors for countless artists to break into an industry that is often impenetrable," he said.  

According to Mastercard, it has a longstanding relationship with the music industry, through it marketing platform Priceless, and works with artists such as Jennifer Hudson, SZA, among others. Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA, a co-founder of Sessions, a platform empowering music creators and a Beatclub partner said: “Mastercard’s one-of-a-kind album and Beatclub partnership shines a light on supporting emerging artists and creators, which will help these talented performers become recognized on a global scale.” 

Separately, on the marketing front, Mastercard launched two fragrances under Priceless in October 2021. The fragrances, Priceless passion and Priceless optimism, were in red and yellow, and sought to embody Mastercard's iconic brand colours. Rajamannar said then Science has shown that fragrance has the ability to evoke powerful emotional connections and with Priceless, and thus the brand hoped to provide an uplifting, immersive and unforgettable experience to consumers. 

The fragances were previewed at Fashion Group International’s Night of Stars celebration in New York. In light of this, Rajamannar also added that the Night of Stars celebration was the perfect place to introduce the newest signature of Mastercard's multisensory brand as it featured some of the most talented innovators in the fashion and beauty industries. 

Photo courtesy: Shutterstock 

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