Jazzgroupiez

Beaumont, Texas-raised producer Todd Moultrie launched jazzgroupiez.comin 2013 as a fan site to connect artists with a global fanbase and nourish his passion for Black American music, specifically jazz, R&B, soul, blues and hip hop. He would go to shows to take pictures and advertise for smaller jazz artists by posting their show dates, music, etc.

In 2017, Jazzgroupiez transitioned from a fan site to Todd producing with the artists that he was able to promote. Todd finds musicians from all over the world and overlays their recording tracks to create his own sound. He released his debut millinaissance under Jazzgroupiez in 2017, and has issued multiple EPs and singles for digital and vinyl release.

Making It Big

Todd came across Blip as an independent musician looking for different ways to advertise outside of social media. He started his first campaign in February of 2021 using Blip’s Times Square billboard, since a lot of jazz fans are in New York City. He went on to run Blip campaigns in Chicago and Los Angeles where there’s additional jazz fan bases.

Jazzgroupiez also has a large fan base in South Africa. Saul Madiope, one of the artists featured in many of Todd’s songs, is from South Africa. For his fan base there, it was cool for them to see one of their artists in Times Square. In addition, Saul was given some leverage and credibility with big artists in South Africa. Being on a billboard in Times Square changed his life.

Analyzing the Results

Prior to billboard advertising, Todd was just using social media to advertise and market his brand. However, jazz reaches an older population that doesn’t necessarily use social media or see Facebook ads. With digital billboards, Todd was able to reach an older demographic and increase his brand awareness, music streams, and social media followers.

After advertising with Blip, Jazzgroupiez noticed:

• Their fan base expanded by about 20%
• Their United States fan base doubled
• Apple Music streams increased about 80% over one month
• Instagram following increased 80% prior to billboard advertising to now

Todd said the best part about advertising with Blip was the reaction he got on social media and from his family and friends. After being on a billboard, he felt he had more credibility and leverage as an independent artist. He plans to run more Blip campaigns in the coming months.