From Bruno Mars to Madonna, iHeart and TikTok are turning album releases into a show
Since January, iHeartMedia and TikTok have pioneered a new format: the album launch party, streamed live on TikTok LIVE and simultaneously on several radio stations across the iHeart network in the United States. On 11 November, it will be U2’s turn.
Madison Beer, the first
On 15 January, the day before the release of her album ‘locket’, Madison Beer kicked off the series at iHeartMedia’s headquarters in New York. The programme included a first listen to the album followed by a Q&A with fans. It was the first time an iHeartRadio Album Preview had been streamed live on TikTok. The live stream was also broadcast on iHeart’s CHR radio stations.
Bruno Mars and his Romantic Radio
On 26 February, Bruno Mars raised the bar. For an hour, he played all the radio favourites on his ‘Romantic Radio’ show. Listeners had been sending in their love stories via the Talkback feature on the iHeartRadio app, first on the Love Songs Radio station in the weeks leading up to the show, and then on TikTok LIVE during the broadcast. In return, Bruno Mars acted as a love counsellor and dedicated his songs to them.
Between signing autographs for anonymous fans, stars such as Rosé, Victoria Monét, Anderson .Paak and Lady Gaga, as well as Bruno Mars, were invited to listen to the nine tracks on *The Romantic* ahead of its release. The programme was broadcast on more than 145 iHeart radio stations, and over 270 stations promoted it for several weeks. According to iHeartMedia, the campaign generated more than 3 billion impressions and the live stream received 36 million likes in one hour. The album then debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
Zara Larsson, live from the iHeart Theatre
On 30 April, Zara Larsson presented her remix album ‘Midnight Sun: Girls Trip’ live from the iHeartRadio Theatre in Los Angeles, alongside presenter EJ. She played tracks from the album, answered questions and performed several songs.
Madonna, the record
The biggest event involved Madonna. On 2 July, the day before the release of ‘Confessions II’, iHeartRadio and TikTok broadcast her launch party in London for an hour. Madonna was seen chatting with Bob The Drag Queen, flanked by her producer Stuart Price and Lola Leon. It was the fifth album launched by iHeart and TikTok using this format.
According to TikTok, this was the biggest artist livestream in the platform’s history: over 2.1 million unique viewers, 5.75 million likes and more than 139,000 comments. The show was also broadcast on over 200 iHeartRadio stations.
An event that can only be experienced live
For both iHeart and TikTok, these events represent a new model. The aim is to “combine radio, social media and streaming into a single, unified experience”, and to offer artists, record labels and brands a platform for their upcoming releases. Tom Poleman, Head of Programming at iHeartMedia, sees this as a way of turning a release into an event. Radio fans will appreciate this: these programmes are broadcast live. There is no full video replay, only clips and, occasionally, an audio replay on the iHeartRadio LIVE podcast . To enjoy the preview, you need to be in the venue or online during the broadcast.
