We knew Prince would get a star-studded tribute during music’s biggest night: the Grammys. But what about the fans? They deserved a chance to say goodbye, too.

So we decided to collaborate with Prince fans and invited them to record one verse from one specific song by Prince: “Nothing Compares 2 U.” The verse suddenly took on a very special meaning.

Then we gave the fans our airtime and ensured that it was scheduled right after the Grammys own tribute performance.

In a matter of weeks,we collaborated with online musicians to cover a specific verse written by Prince. From unknown YouTube hobbyists to aspiring musicians and even up-and-coming artists—like Sampha, Deer Tick and Wye Oak—we brought everyone together in a seamless edit, letting the world express the loss of Prince through the only way that seemed appropriate: music. We edited, sound-mixed and finished the final spot in a single week to get it ready in time for the Grammys.

We launched our :60 spot immediately following the Grammys official tribute. We continued to seize the moment by promoting the tribute on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, letting all fans come together to celebrate their love for Prince.

The spot was an instant success when it aired right after the Grammys’ tribute; it received 3.5 million live impressions. Online, interest peaked at 14 times normal levels within the first minute of airing. In the first 10 minutes after it aired, we saw 1,020 tweets about the Pixel tribute with a 91% positive sentiment. The next day, the Pixel tribute was lauded as a major highlight of the evening: from The New York Times’s “The Best and Worst of Grammys” to Pitchfork, Hypebeast, Stereogum, Billboard and The New Yorker, which called our tribute ragged, raw and beautiful and said we emphasized the essential part of Prince that the Grammys was missing.