McDonald’s has enter the live music business by hosting a free 10-city tour with performances from Ne-Yo, Kenna, Kat DeLuna, the Dey, Single File, Twista and Kevin Michael in various markets. Between 500 and 1,500 concertgoers will be admitted to each free show on a first come, first served basis. A stage will be set up in the middle of each McDonald’s parking lot, with onsite security and barricades to block off the area. Each show will begin at approximately 6:30 p.m., according to Freeland. McDonald’s Live, a collaboration between McDonald’s and event marketing agency TBA Global, launches with a July 26 performance from Ne-Yo and Kenna at California’s Venice Beach Recreation Center. From there, the trek visits such markets as Denver (Single File), Chicago (Twista), Philadelphia (Kevin Michael) and Bloomfield, N.J., (Kat DeLuna, the Dey). The tour wraps Sept. 25 in Austin, Texas, with additional artists to be announced. In the past, McDonald’s has been involved with tour sponsorships. “But this is the first time we’ve put together a McDonald’s tour,” Douglas Freeland, director of U.S. marketing at McDonald’s, tells Billboard.com. “We’re always looking for ways to strengthen brand relevance with young adults, and we know from work we’ve done in the past that music is their number one passion.” As part of the marketing and promo strategy, each concert will be taped and later available for viewing at MCDLive.com. After the tour finishes, fans will vote for their favorite artist, and the winner’s music will be featured in a McDonald’s 2008 advertising campaign.
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