The agreement between FC Barcelona y Spotify promises to be very different from the previous sponsorships of the Barça club and he told MD Alex NorstromFreemium commercial director of the Swedish company, emphasizing that with this agreement they want to unite football and music to give unique experiences to fans.
How do you assess the agreement with Barça?
Sport is a very important part of the culture and football is the greatest of sports. Barça is one of the biggest clubs in the world, with almost 1,000 million fans, and this agreement allows us to get closer to them. There are very big markets like India, Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil and other countries where we want to grow. The alliance is excellent because we unite music with football. What we do with this deal is not just put the logo on the shirt. Everything surrounding this deal is a platform for creators and musicians to express themselves. I think this is something unique and it was one of the reasons why we wanted to make this pact. I am very happy with the reception, with so many people taking photos and videos of the Camp Nou. It has been spectacular.
What benefits does Spotify get with this alliance?
Spotify has many sponsorship deals, but very few of the magnitude of this one with Barça. Most of the potential markets in which we want to grow on Spotify have a lot of Barça fans. It’s amazing for us. Also, being able to bring the artists together with the players is something very imaginative and creative. It will be very beneficial for everyone.
How did the negotiations with Barça begin?
I can’t go into specifics on this, but at Spotify we are always open to exciting sponsorships and have been looking for an opportunity in the world of sports for some time. Barça was looking for a new sponsor and it was a thing of fate. It was a bit of luck, but it’s also a dream come true.
“The fact that it is a long-term agreement makes this alliance great”
The agreement to sponsor the shirt is for the next four years, is there an option for it to be for more seasons?
We want to go beyond the sponsorship of the shirt. We have done many sponsorships on Spotify and there are two factors that make it go from good to great. The first is compatibility in work teams and how work is done between companies. And here I see signs that tell me that everything will be great. The second is that we don’t do business for a few months. The fact that it is a long-term agreement makes this alliance great. We want to be more than a sponsor.
They also sponsor the women’s team, what potential do you see in women’s football?
They are playing fantastic. I had the opportunity to go to a couple of games and they won 6-1 or 7-1. They are an amazing team. It is something historic to make this type of agreement because we do not only sponsor the first team. Nobody had done it before. The mix between the athletes, the artists, the stadium and everything that surrounds Barça makes it magical. There is a lot of interest in working together.
Barça did not give the figures of the agreement due to a confidentiality issue at your request, why did they not want to explain the numbers?
It is the standard way in which we do our negotiations. We did not go into the details of the agreement. It is to follow our line and protect possible agreements. The important thing is that the pact is ratified and approved by the Barça Assembly. It’s a huge deal for us, but we had to stick to our policy of not giving the figures in detail.
Now that the contract is signed and in force, can you give us the figures?
We cannot give the figures, sorry. We have just started and what I have is a great enthusiasm for this agreement to be a success.
Did you have doubts about the alliance after a star like Messi left last year?
The truth is, no. The club has more than 120 years of history and the stadium is 65. Barça is one of the most iconic clubs in the world and has always had great players. From Maradona, Ronaldinho, Iniesta and Messi to the current Pedri or Alexia. I have a lot of faith in the club and since we started talking they also started winning. The future indicates that it will be very successful.
“Without Darren Dein we would not have done this deal in this way”
In the Assembly, Laporta asked for an applause for Darren Dein, what was his role in the negotiations?
Darren Dein has been a very good partner for Barça and for Spotify. Without Darren we would not have made this agreement in this way. Many people have contributed to making this alliance possible, but it is clear that Darren played a very important role.
It is known that he charged a commission, did Barça or Spotify pay it?
I can’t give details on this.
Vice President Juli Guiu said that there would be promotions for members, is it already known what they will be?
Yes, there will be promotions and discounts for members, but they still have to be defined.
Was there a fear that this agreement might cause rejection by fans of other teams?
What we think is that Barça had a great social mass and for me it was the most important thing. In addition to the people who are super fans of the club, Barça is also the second team of many people. That speaks very well of the power of attraction of Barça. We can’t please everyone, but what we do with this deal will have a big impact for people everywhere.
“It’s very nice to be able to wear our name in a place as special as the Camp Nou”
Another part of the agreement is the ‘title rights’ of the Camp Nou, what impact will it have for Spotify to be on the façade of such an emblematic building?
In 65 years the name of the Camp Nou had not been changed and it is something very special for us to be able to put our name on the stadium. I’ve been a couple of times and it’s amazing. It is very nice to be able to wear our name in such a special place. Barça’s impact is global and we hope that our company will have a great impact with this agreement.
There was talk that Spotify could sell its ad space to other companies, is that true?
I’m sorry but I can’t talk about this either. It is also listed in the confidentiality agreement.
It was also said that there would be concerts promoted by Spotify, are there any in mind?
The only thing I can say is that I have seen a lot of enthusiasm in the players, the club and the artists with whom we have spoken. I’m sure we’ll do something special. President Laporta showed me what the noise of 90,000 fans in the stadium would be like and it was spectacular. I am sure that the creativity that exists in the work teams will make this project fly.
Another option is to change the Spotify logo on the t-shirt to promote artists or albums, what’s your idea?
One of the keys to this agreement is that it wasn’t just to put the Spotify logo on the shirt. One of the priorities was to do creative things with all the spaces that are in the Espai Barça and also in the shirt. We want it to be a platform to promote artists. We have not yet discussed if it will be only on the match or training jerseys.
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