Client – Amplify / Spotify
Location – Great Hall, West Hall and Palace Suite
Numbers – 10,000

In 2017 Spotify chose Ally Pally as the venue for their first ever live music event Who We Be. Returning for another sell out gig the next year, this celebration of the best of rap, grime and hip hop, transformed their widely popular playlist into the ultimate live music experience.

Spotify’s agency Amplify were briefed to create an authentic event in collaboration with the artists and community – they wanted to reach a wider market whilst staying true to the playlist’s origins and loyal fans; indeed Spotify reached out to the list’s most frequent listeners to give them priority booking before tickets were released to the general public.

When looking for a venue, Ally Pally ticked all the boxes as an iconic London landmark with 10,000 standing capacity, steeped in music heritage. Within the Great Hall we erected impressive stage architecture with an extended truss and branded screen content design.

And there was plenty of scope for creative interaction with the brand outside of the main gig. With several ancillary spaces on offer at Ally Pally, we were able to create further branding opportunities to amplify the customer experience including an installation in our West Hall where Spotify staff encouraged sign ups to their premium subscription; those guests were then given VIP access to our Palace Suite with an exclusive bar and free merchandise. Branding opportunities weren’t just contained within the building with the Who We Be logo projected onto Ally Pally’s famous entrance.

Both shows sold out three weeks in advance, with the first year showcasing performances from Cardi B, J Hus, Dizzee Rascal and Giggs and 2018 bringing AJ Tracey, French Montana, Ghetts, Tory Lanez and more to the Palace. The events cemented Spotify’s reputation within the rap, hip hop and grime scene, whose in house team curate the playlist – one of the most listened to in the UK.

“Spotify launched Who We Be Live in the UK last November and the response was phenomenal – from the artists, managers, labels, and most importantly, the fans. We knew we had to go even bigger for 2018, and we have! We are so excited to bringing it back home to Ally Pally in November.”
Austin Daboh, Senior Editor, Spotify