Music streaming service Slacker is reinventing itself, and its getting an assist from some top online video channels along the way. Slacker has enlisted Tyler Oakley, Nerdist, Rooster Teeth, and ComicBookGirl19 for a new feature, through which noteworthy individuals can curate their own musical playlists complete with their own musical commentary.
Each featured channel features a selection of tracks chosen by the featured curator. On Oakley’s channel, for example, he has picked out a handful of songs from artists like Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Troye Sivan, and (you guessed it!) One Direction. The YouTube star gives a short introduction before the music begins, and he pops up intermittently throughout the playlist to tell you this thoughts and feelings about specific tracks.
It all makes for a listening experience with welcomed and well-timed interruptions from a celebrity who’s well versed in speaking directly to his audience about things which he’s passionate. Oakley’s 5.9+ million YouTube subscribers and fans across other social media platforms are sure to love knowing what kind of music he likes and love him talking about it even more.
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Nerdist’s playlist is a bit different, though fans of the brand will undoubtedly love it, too. It includes clips from within the Nerdist podcast network, with company founder Chris Hardwick providing the commentary. The Rooster Teeth and ComicBookGirl19 playlists will launch at later dates.
All of these celebrity DJs are available for ad-supported free listening by way of the shiny new Slacker website and iTunes and Android applications. Users who subscribe to Slacker’s premium services, however, receive more flexibility within these playlists. A monthly $3.99 subscription provides unlimited skips, while a $9.99 monthly subscriptions gives users on-demand access to Slacker’s library.
The celebrity DJ initiative is part of a larger rebranding effort that looks to set Slacker apart from its streaming music service competitors by providing a very compelling answer to the question, “What would radio sound like if it was designed today?” Or, as Slacker CEO Duncan Orrell-Jones puts it in the release:
From the start, Slacker has been about the power of great radio, blending the best of human-curated programming with trusted voices and the ability to personalize your experience. Radio has always been important to audiences, but its personality got lost to corporate consolidation and an inability to keep up with the technology that listeners demand. Slacker is radio for the post social media & time-shifting entertainment era. Our next natural evolution is to broaden and dial up the authentic human touch by inviting more and more relevant, creative and celebrated voices to Slacker. We are bringing the next wave of talent to audiences through a truly interactive streaming platform.”
Connor Franta showed us through his Crown album that YouTubers are eager to spread their influence to artists whom they feel deserve the spotlight, as well as share their favorite new jams with their fans. With its new service, Slacker has provided a platform that enables those impulses with utility and style.
