Mitski is back in the Top 10 with My Love Mine All Mine for a third non-consecutive week.
My Love Mine All Mine has 265 million global streams on Spotify alone.
The single, which is on 163,338 UK sales (Official Charts Company), is taken from the Top 5 album The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We, released by Dead Oceans in September.
The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We (16,682 sales) follows last year’s Top 10 album Laurel Hell (30,258 sales).
The US singer and songwriter went viral on TikTok, where My Love Mine All Mine has been used in more than 3.8 million creations. The lyrics have been used to soundtrack memories, while many have also used the sound to highlight the emotional impact of the song and to share their adoration of Mitski.
Mitski is broadcasting on BBC 6 Music this week (9pm, Monday to Thursday), for the continuing Artist In Residence series.
Here, Secretly Group’s Ali Murphy, international marketing director, and Emily Puterbaugh, director of streaming & digital sales, celebrate their first Top 10 with insights on the campaign…
Is this the first Top 10 single for Dead Oceans and Secretly? How did you achieve that chart breakthrough?
Ali Murphy: “It is! It was important to Mitski to not completely front-load this release, so we worked on a timeline that focused on a short burst of exciting pre-release single activity followed by a run of album-focused events. Once the album came out, our attention turned to the full album and the focus track My Love Mine All Mine, and from there it took off. The song really resonated with her fanbase, we made sure our digital marketing supported the growth in all pockets of the globe. We monitored the data closely, as it has been changing daily. We made sure to connect the dots and use that data to support where/how we were advertising and how we shared that info, to further the support at radio, social platforms and DSPs. It must be said though, that the most prominent part of the breakthrough came from the fanbase’s immediate connection to the track.”
Mitski continues to make a UK top 10 impact, how are you maintaining that consumption?
AM: “Similarly to what I mentioned already, it’s constant data monitoring and using our finds to tweak digital ad strategy, feeding that back to teams in order to further make gains at radio and increase impressions. It’s going to get tougher to maintain the position this week, our consumption is up week-on-week but the Christmas tracks are coming!”
How is the track performing globally, what are the key markets?
Emily Puterbaugh: “My Love Mine All Mine is continuing to experience daily growth in the markets where Mitski has historically performed well. The US, UK and territories across mainland Europe remain key markets for the track.
“What separates My Love Mine All Mine from the rest of the catalogue is the massive growth Mitski is experiencing in territories where she’s previously seen less engagement. The track first started to gain traction in Asia, specifically over-indexing in the Philippines and then Indonesia. Simultaneously, it was gaining momentum in Australia and New Zealand, with some of the first moments of TikTok virality coming from fans in New Zealand. We’re currently starting to see Latin America catch up in streaming volume, as well as Scandinavia, the Middle East, Africa and beyond with no signs of slowing down.”
Why do you think it’s connected so strongly?
AM: “There’s a universal experience that lives in between the crevices of Mitski's art. I think it’s extremely rare for a song to be able to hold so many truths, yet be so deeply unique – My Love Mine All Mine belongs to each person who listens to it. Mitski prioritised putting that connection first throughout the release of this album.”
EP: “I think the nature of the song has allowed fans to connect with it in the profound way that they have. It’s raw and heartfelt but also existential and open for interpretation. It’s relatable in all of the ways people need it to be to share their own experiences.”
What we’re seeing now is a massive discovery moment
Ali Murphy
Can you outline the impact of My Love Mine All Mine on TikTok and the different iterations there. How have you encouraged that TikTok vitality and also helped translate that into audio streams?
AM: “For the first time, Mitski is on-platform. The account is management-run, but all the content on there has obviously been made by Mitski. She wanted to meet the fans where they were and she's been extremely generous with her ‘behind the song’ explainers and creating touchpoints that have helped bring fans into the world of the album. As previously mentioned, our marketing team worked hard on monitoring this organic momentum, and then identifying ways to amplify the reach of the song on TikTok, reaching out to creators beyond musictok and into other subsects of the platform, prompting discovery points far and wide.”
EP: “One unique aspect of the track’s virality on TikTok is the variety of trends that have organically emerged. From romantic moments between partners, to pet content, to home decor, the use of the sound is continuing to evolve, adding longevity to its prominence on platform.
“In addition to amplifying the organic reach on TikTok, another focus for us is translating that momentum to streams. Using charting successes, combined with lean-in streaming and search data, we’ve been able to re-pitch the track for stronger placements on viral and pop playlists globally. We’re also utilising on-platform merchandising and advertising tools on DSPs to connect the dots across platforms and drive fans to the track.”
The album is also Mitski’s highest-charting to date, what was behind the success? How significant was the physical release and support from retail?
AM: “We concentrated on a strong pre-order campaign based on the short timeline, putting an emphasis on fewer variants, and making sure they were readily available to fans. We connected early access to stripped-back album shows via pre-order.It definitely helped to have some stunning reviews (including five stars from the Guardian and the Independent) plus a whole host of others. Post album release, there were incredible live reviews for the stripped back shows, as well as pieces focusing on the ‘cultural phenomenon’ aspect of it, which reached a wider audience.
“Retail was very important across the board; we worked with record stores to host over 200 listening parties ahead of release to make sure that fans had as much access as possible to connect with one another and this record. Fans could find their local store or event through a map on Mitski's website which housed all the events and there were unique keepsakes available for those who attended. As we now enter the end-of-year phase, we’re working with record stores on utilising the sound on TikTok and bringing people back to the album.”
What partnerships were in place in terms of DSPs? How significant is the playlist support?
EP: “We worked closely with DSPs at every stage of the campaign to create robust partnerships that kept the focus on the music and helped execute Mitski’s vision. A key component of the album set up was early access to a countdown page on Spotify, where Mitski was able to engage with her fans. The on-platform partnership with Spotify extended to a series of in-person double features, where fans got the opportunity to listen to the album early and watch a film personally selected by Mitski. We partnered with YouTube to help bring the official music video for My Love Mine All Mine to life, which was accompanied by a live redirect to a ‘behind the song’ piece and series of Shorts. We’re actively working with all of our DSP partners to bring additional content to fans throughout 2024.
“Alongside these partnerships, playlisting continues to have a powerful impact on the growth of the track and its ability to reach new audiences. Starting in indie and folk spaces, the track is now moving through mood and lifestyle ecosystems and continuing to see adds on top viral and pop playlists. It’s a track that fits into a wide range of spaces and can’t be confined by genre.”
Streaming of the album is already ahead of the physical sale – how can you continue to build this album in 2023 and beyond?
AM: “We had an incredible first few weeks with this album, where we expanded and reached Mitski’s core physical fanbase. What we’re seeing now is a massive discovery moment with the audience expanding further and further afield. While that is happening, we’re seeing the end-of-year and moving into next year as a moment to continue to tell the story of Mitski as an artist and bring people to this rich body of work that already exists. She’s currently the Artist In Residence at 6 Music, plus there are a bunch of end-of-year lists coming out and we’re timing this alongside end-of-year advertising. There’s a lot planned for 2024 already too, so there will be many other ways to bring song listeners into the album world.”
What is Mitski’s approach to fan engagement?
EP: “One of Mitski’s underlying goals with this album was to reconnect with her fans in an authentic way. That sentiment was felt throughout every aspect of the campaign – in the music itself, in the content she created alongside it, in the dark movie theatres of the album listening events, and in the stripped back acoustic shows she performed to silent, awestruck crowds.”
AM: “As well as this, part of the album campaign focused on finding ways for fans to connect with one another. At the listening events for example, there were name tags given out for people to fill out if they liked and there were dedicated places for fans to interact after they heard the album. Mitski wanted to make it so that as well as identifying with the music online, they could also meet one another and share experiences.”
Mitski is an artist often cited by fans, both famous and rising stars, how has that helped establish her and expand the global reach?
AM: “I think it’s just solidifying the undeniability of her as an artist. There’s a famous Iggy Pop quote where he described her as ‘the most advanced American songwriter’. Laufey also added to the viral nature of My Love Mine All Mine by covering the song very early on, as did Clairo by posting a cover of the track on her socials. I think her songwriting is so unique that artists are fans too, and for fans that is so exciting to know that your favourite artist rates another artist you love.”
One unique aspect of the track’s virality on TikTok is the variety of trends that have organically emerged
Emily Puterbaugh
The new album followed on from 2022’s Laurel Hell. Has that productive release rate helped you to further establish Mitski with a UK audience?
AM: “The gap from Be The Cowboy to Laurel Hell was such that fans weren’t sure if Mitski was ever going to make music again, so the surprise of having such a rapid follow up with The Land Is Inhospitable… and such a markedly different album has definitely added to the excitement. Having Mitski in the UK a fair amount for the past two years has also helped of course. She supported Harry Styles at Old Trafford and played stripped-back shows at Union Chapel. It’s also helped to have her in market to do sessions like the recent Maida Vale one [on 6 Music].”
There are several nights at the Eventim Apollo. Has Mitski’s live business grown significantly?
AM: “There seems to be an almost insatiable appetite for Mitski’s live shows. Her full run of UK and European dates are now sold out. Each theatre was very specifically scouted out for this run of shows and purposefully chosen as a seated and smaller, even if it meant doing multiple dates.”
What’s the potential for further hits on this album?
EP: “With the way fans engage with social media and discover music today, there’s always potential for additional songs to take off post-release. Our goal is to build the foundation so that another fan favourite from the album can emerge as a hit.
“It’s also worth highlighting the growing audience that is discovering Mitski through the success of My Love Mine All Mine. Before the release of The Land Is Inhospitable…, her monthly listeners on Spotify hovered around 10 million. Today, it's 31 million and climbing. These new fans are being introduced to Mitski’s world for the first time. They are diving into her discography and forming powerful connections with more of her music.”
PHOTO: Ebru Yildiz
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