VEVO NewFront: John Legend Performs, Six Original Series Unveiled

Nine time Grammy Awards winner and American Music Awards nominee John Legend dazzled advertising executives and brand marketers at the VEVO NewFront this morning.

VEVO also revealed its slate of music-focused original programming produced in collaboration with Shine America, Principato-Young Entertainment and many others.The event was among four digital upfronts in a jam-packed day at the Digital Content NewFronts.

Here’s VEVO’s slate of new original programming and production partners:

• Busk or Bust (co-produced by VEVO and Shine America, formerly Reveille) – VEVO’s first reality competition show where contestants must literally sing for their supper. Shine America is known for popular and award-winning original hit series including The Biggest Loser, Tabatha Takes Over, Shear Genius and The Buried Life as well as long-running scripted hits The Office, Ugly Betty and The Tudors among others.
• Cover Stories (co-produced by VEVO and Amos Content Group) – A comedic take on the not-so-true stories behind some of our favorite album covers.
• Hear Me Out (co-produced by VEVO and Principato-Young Entertainment) – A dating show where the potential of love is based solely on the participants’ musical choices.
• Sound + City (co-produced by VEVO and Show Cobra) – Uncovers the people, places and things that are currently influencing the music of a particular city. From the shoe store where the hottest mix tapes are exchanged to the restaurant everyone goes to before a concert, Sound + City explores the backdrop of the music we love and gives viewers tips on how to travel like an artist. The first six episodes explore Nashville, Miami, Brooklyn, San Francisco, Portland, and Atlanta.
• Strange Island (co-produced by VEVO, WEIRD LOGIC, Hello! And Company) – Flight of the Conchords meets Glee, living somewhere between Gilligan’s Island and Fantasy Island in a new scripted musical comedy series with four aspiring stars looking for a shortcut to fame. Co-producer Weird Logic’s Scott Schultz is one of the creators of Yo Gabba Gabba.
• You Play Like A Girl (co-produced by VEVO and Mike Welch) – Combines aspiration and inspiration of real-life young girls who are pursuing music as a career. Hosted by Sam Maloney, former drummer for Hole and Motley Crue among others, this series will find girls across the country who have the talent to make it big while giving them the push they need to help make their dreams a reality.

“Music produces stories, whether they are told in a short music video or through original programming,” said Scott Reich VP of Programming & Original Content at VEVO. “Our philosophy is to develop originals that speak to people’s passions, gives fans access to their favorite artists and, most importantly, delivers compelling stories driven by music. We’re really excited to present our 2012 original programming slate to the media and marketing communities, and talk about the unique brand partnerships we can create together to bring these stories to life.”

These new programs join VEVO’s returning original series including GO Shows (upcoming episodes will feature One Direction, Selena Gomez and The All-American Rejects), Area Codes, Stylized and live event platform, VEVO Presents. Additionally, VEVO will continue its live event partnerships with American Express and YouTube (American Express Unstaged), AOL (Sessions +1) and CBS Interactive Music Group (Live on Letterman).

The VEVO event also featured Music, Brands & Video Evolved, an intimate discussion on the alignment of brands and music by key industry leaders, including Frank Cooper (CMO, PepsiCo), Antonio “L.A.” Reid (Chairman and CEO, Epic Records/Judge, The X Factor), Tim Spengler (Global CEO, MAGNAGLOBAL) and moderated by Wenda Harris Millard (President & COO, MediaLink).

Check out the Tubefilter Calendar for a complete schedule of the Digital Content NewFronts, and be sure to consult Tubefilter’s Complete Guide to DCNF 2012 for all the latest news.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

• VEVO NewFront
• Federated Media Publishing NewFront
• The Yahoo Digital NewFront
• Alloy Digital NewFront