Live concerts are now the new money maker – the democratisation of music with 'free' streaming services (and piracy) makes live concerts (and the access to them) the last premium asset that fans desire and which an Artist, not a label, controls the execution.Since the music labels do not have reason to help with promotional efforts around a tour (as they don’t reap the direct benefit) a new class of label has sprung up – brands. While many brands have simply sponsored concert web casts to capture the audience, this typically means slapping a logo on the screen to drive brand impressions. However, the experience to date has not capitalised on another major shift in the connected culture that we live in – a social, 2-way experience where fans can participate with the artist in an authentic way and with other like-minded fans.'Unstaged' is a series that both helps the artists get their music heard by millions of fans worldwide in a way that is authentic to their personal brand, as well as fulfils consumers desire to have a true music experience as close to being there as digital can be.

Amex has always strived to scale the live event to impact a broader audience, but engagement is limited to the number of seats in a venue. Historically, adjacent digital events lacked the emotion that only an in-person experience could provide. Clunky buffering, grainy picture and lack of interactivity meant that those who tuned-in, felt simply left out.Objectives:Expand size of venue: Use the scale of the Internet to create broader reach for Amex experiences.

Blur definition of in-person experience: Create an emotional connection by fusing live + digital so the Internet audience feels connected and the in-person crowd feels the exciting sense of scale beyond the room – 'scaled emotion'.

Idea: Revolutionise the interactive concert experience, scaling emotion of 'being there' for a global online audience through the collaboration of incredible music artists, legendary directors, and an unprecedented digital connectivity between artist and fan.For 2011, 'Unstaged' set out to challenge the notion of watching a live concert, making digital viewing even better than the live. Enabling fans to express passion not just for the artist they love, but with them. Giving viewers at home an experience untouched even by fans in the front row. Actively demonstrating Amex’ brand promise of unique access.Tactics:-Vote for a song performance -Control your view by choosing the 'Director’s Stream' and alternate camera angles.

-Live pre-show with director and band -Original content to leak experience -Press-Pass Challenge on Facebook – Partnership with Billboard.com-Custom chat - Chat with the global audience or privately with Facebook friends-Crowd-sourced Unlock – Cumulative chatter unlocked exclusive content (live tracks, behind-the-scenes photos) In 2011, in conjunction with partners YouTube & Vevo, Unstaged went beyond beyond the PC, becoming the first-ever multi-camera live stream available on iTV, tablet, and mobile devices.

'Unstaged' is a digital music series that attempts to do away with the emotional distance of experiencing a live concert performance virtually, presenting a new and engaging mode of seeing your favourite band.

Unstaged invites fans in through a director's distinct conceptual approach to the event, and through digital forms of audience collaboration that unexpectedly and artistically connect them to the night including: - Vote for the song played as encore- Impact stage design through user generated digital art projects, thematic to the artists new album or tour- Unlock exclusive content from the live event through collective conversation volume on Twitter & Facebook

Unstaged has developed into the single most-viewed concert series across mediums.Scale:•37MM live streams•Largest single-artist live stream event ever (Coldplay) •77.5MM Total Content Views (on-demand content + live stream)•209K social posts– multiple Twitter trending topics•1bn+ Media Impressions with a 0.29% CTREfficiency:•$0.09 media CPV (industry standard - $1.07)Engagement:•Average Time Spent on Livestream: 21.1 minutesBrand:•15% increase in American Express Brand Favourability each show•American Express sponsorship association has steadily increased with each show, evident by Amex branded buzz showing a strong association (most evident in Sugarland (95%) and Coldplay (85%))Additional Unstaged Statistics:Significant growth artist fanbase during campaign - Coldplay saw spike of 44K on the day of the live stream