AMAZON GETS BEHIND EMERGING ARTISTS

Amazon Music has created Breakthrough, a program to champion emerging artists through global marketing support, custom merch stores on Amazon.com, and increased visibility across Amazon Music’s playlists and programming. Gabby Barrett is among the first six artists to be included.

Amazon Music has posted a new global playlist titled. Breakthrough that will serve as a new home for the best rising artists from around the world. Amazon Music will work with each Breakthrough artist to create new Amazon Original tracks, and extensive out-of-home advertising in major cities.

Drawn from the U.S., U.K., and Germany, Amazon Music’s first selection of Breakthrough artists are Warner Nashville’s Barrett, Republic’s R&B singer Kiana Ledé; U.K. rapper Jay1; alt R&B singer Arlo Parks; Warner Music Germany’s folk-pop group Provinz; and German pop singer Malik Harris.

“Amazon Music is uniquely positioned to support developing artists,” said Kirdis Postelle, Global Head of Artist Marketing for Amazon Music. “Breakthrough campaigns will be true collaborations between the artist and Amazon Music, with each campaign centered around the artist’s brand and vision.”

Breakthrough will include mini-documentaries on Jay1’s rise in the Coventry U.K. rap scene, Ledé’s jump to music from acting, and Provinz’s place in the German music scene.

“Building a career as a developing artist is a marathon, not a sprint; that’s why we wanted to create a program like Breakthrough that makes a long-term commitment to the artists we work with,” said David Stuart, creator of Breakthrough. “We wanted artists to be able to pick up the phone and discuss how Amazon Music can help make an idea they have a reality, and with Breakthrough, we’ll be able to do this while supporting the artists’ needs and goals.”