1, 2, 3, 4

When YouTube launched its new music only platform YouTube Music they wanted to convey their total immersion in and commitment to musicians and the creation of music. Their agency, Uncommon, zeroed in on a trope of music performance that, when heard, instantly transports the listener into a musical space; they could be nowhere else. How many times have you heard the phrase: “One, two, three, four!” and known exactly which classic tune you were about to hear?

Our job for this one was to search through a mountain of music videos from a broad range of artists to find the perfect versions of that classic 1,2,3,4! pre-intro. We studied hundreds of raucous gigs, backyard bands and serene studio sessions always keeping licensing and clearance in mind. We had not only to think of the variety, tone and aesthetic but also about music licensing which always creates another layer of complexity to any clearance task. There were many rights holders in this instance but working for an iconic brand helped smooth the path to clearing much of our preferred footage. The ads ran online, on mobile and on digital OOH screens.