Havas’s BETC, Universal team up on new record label

The ad agency that used tunes by Britain’s Chemical Brothers electronic dance band as the soundtrack for Air France commercials is teaming up with music giant Universal to create a joint new label, POP records.

BETC POP, owned by French international agency Havas, is partnering in the new record label that will come under the Polydor division of Universal, it was announced in Paris.

“A modern ad agency should be able to offer a lot more than just consulting and traditional campaigns; it should be a media, a producer and an audience generator in itself,” BETC co-founder Remi Babinet said in a statement received by Reuters on Friday.

“This will be central for BETC’s development over the coming years,” Babinet added.

The statement added that the collaboration demonstrates a wish by Universal and BETC to “challenge the traditional models of the music industry”.

Eric Lelievre, Polydor general manager, is quoted as saying: “The teams at Polydor are constantly reinventing themselves to stay on top of a music industry in transformation. We are very proud to welcome BETC POP and this new pop-themed record label.”

BETC has been involved in a series of campaigns that have relied heavily on material from pop artists, including the Air France ads featuring music by The Chemical Brothers and a Lacoste campaign with music by Disclosure.

 

Story first appeared on the Reuters website – http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/09/25/us-advertising-havas-universal-idUKKCN0RP21920150925?rpc=401