Spotify changed the sponsorship game with their recent deal with Barcelona.

They paid $306M for 4 years.

But they are doing something that no sponsor has done before…

They get to change the logo on the Barcelona soccer jersey for big games and big tournaments.

Before this deal, every jersey had the same logo across all their jerseys. It’s very static. Spotify is bringing its own flare.

Their platform just became so much more valuable. They get to promote a big album drop in front of hundreds of millions of eyeballs for 90+ minutes.

The next logo that will be front and center on the jersey will be the famous Rolling Stones logo.

Their album is coming out on October 20th, and Spotify gets to feature it on the shirt for this season’s second El Clásico match.

(These matches happen 2x per year.)

This is when Barcelona and their biggest rival, Real Madrid, play against each other. It’s one of the biggest games every single year. There are millions of eyeballs on that game for the entire 90 minutes of the game. It’s bigger than the Super Bowl in the US.

Anyway, I had to give you a bit of detail if you’re not into soccer. There are 2 big reasons why this deal made sense for both parties.

1. Barcelona has accumulated about $1.3B in debt over the past few years (+ Covid). They needed cash quickly. They were bankruptcy-bound. Their previous sponsor, Rakuten, only paid them about $35M per season. Spotify is paying them about $75M per season.

2. Spotify has exclusive deals with certain artists, and when their albums drop, they get promotion on a global level. Barcelona being one of the biggest clubs in the world, this is the type of exposure that every artist wants.

It’s a whole different type of marketing. Spotify is taking things to the next level.

Now this brings me back to the artist because that’s what it’s all about.

A potential promotion like this is an amazing incentive for artists (especially independent ones) to do exclusive deals with Spotify. Bring more value to the platform and get eyeballs across the globe.

Not everyone is going to get the opportunity to get their logo on the shirt, but so far they’ve done it with:

Drake.
Rosala. (Spanish singer and songwriter)

The possibility of putting new artists and podcast shows on the shirt can be a great deal for everyone.

Now, this is where Barcelona gets more upside as well. They are adding another layer to their brand.

These jerseys become special editions over the coming years — collector’s items. Soccer is a global sport, and everyone loves collecting soccer jerseys.

Barcelona charges higher prices for these and makes more money. Over time, they can re-release certain editions. Michael Jordan does this really well with his entire line of shoes.

I really enjoy watching people change up the business game and bring something new. Something fresh. Soccer is my favorite sport, and when it crosses wires with something like music, business, etc. I get into it.

I am curious to see who follows suit on this. Spotify just opened a new (high-level) marketing channel.

Thanks for reading.