Alicia Keys Open Mic
- Brand
- Sony Music
- Year
- 2010
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Entertainment
- Mechanic
- Music & Rhythm
- Platform
- App
- Agency
- Rain
Objective
Sony Music wanted to turn passive Alicia Keys fans into active ones on the brand-new iPhone platform, giving them a way to perform her songs rather than just play them. The app doubled as a sales and marketing channel, selling extra tracks to sing and pointing fans toward her mobile site, blog and tour tickets.
Solution
The player opens the app to a list of Alicia Keys songs, picks one, and chooses whether to sing along with her original vocal in the mix or switch it off and carry the track solo. Singing into the phone's microphone, the player is scored in real time against the original performance, with the mix level adjustable so the room hears their voice blended with Alicia's when the phone is plugged into speakers. A session ends with a score that unlocks achievements and posts to a worldwide leaderboard via OpenFeint, so players can compare results with others; from the menu they can also buy more songs from an in-app store or jump to Alicia Keys' mobile site, blog and tour tickets.
- 1
Alicia Keys OpenMic is an artist-branded singing game for iPhone and iPod touch: the player opens the app and picks a track from a bundled list of Alicia Keys songs, including "Doesn't Mean Anything" and "Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart".
- 2
An in-app music store lets the player download further Alicia Keys tracks to sing, expanding the setlist beyond what shipped with the app.
- 3
Before performing, the player sets audio options: whether Alicia's original vocal plays alongside them or is switched off so they sing alone, and how loud their own voice is mixed into the output.
- 4
The device can be plugged into external speakers so the mixed vocals fill the room, turning the phone into a karaoke setup for a group.
- 5
The player sings into the microphone while the track plays, and a real-time pitch-detection engine scores how closely their vocal matches Alicia Keys' original.
- 6
Better scores unlock achievements through the OpenFeint social layer, and each score also posts to a worldwide leaderboard where the player compares results with other fans and shares them.
- 7
From the app the player can also jump out to Alicia Keys' mobile site and blog, or to buy tickets for her tour.
