Let’s talk apps, personas, and Gaga.

A couple months ago, along with her “ARTPOP” album, Lady Gaga released a free tie-in app on iOS and Android meant to compliment the music. While neither the album or the app have turned out to be terribly popular, it’s still interesting to reflect on what this means for music promotion, establishing your artistic identity, and finding new musical inspiration.

Marketing And Musical Inspiration In The ARTPOP App

First of all, it’s important to note that the App is also a sales tool – one section of it is devoted to getting people into an online music store to purchase and download the album. Once downloaded, it integrates into the app so the music can be played as a soundtrack.

So right off the bat, it’s an interesting experiment in content marketing. People download the app for free, then decide to purchase the album online. (Theoretically.)

However, it’s the app’s attempt to create a new mini social network that’s really interesting. The key feature of the ARTPOP app at the moment is the ability to create small animated bits of pop art, which display in a scrolling gallery. It’s a very smart bit of philosophical tie-in, and takes the Warholian elements of Gaga’s pop art obsession to their logical conclusion.

The Lady herself isn’t absent here, either. While some might argue it’s a bit egotistical (like that’s anything new for Gaga), the art gallery has a “Seen by Gaga” listing that lets her pick her favorite contributions to promote. While I’m only a casual listener, I can see how exciting it would be for one of her devotees to discover she liked their art.

Building Your Brand Through Different Mediums

So, while the app itself hasn’t made many waves, that doesn’t mean it was a bad idea. Had the ARTPOP album rocked the charts, the app would have likely succeeded as well.

If you’re looking for musical inspiration, or ways to establish an identity for yourself in conjunction with new creative offerings, these sorts of experiments are exactly where you can pick up ideas.