Music News from New York and Beyond


Ultra Records Does Coke Deal

Posted on May 12, 2008
bottle.gifThe upcoming Olympic Games in August are a marketer’s wet dream, with limitless opportunity to reach millions of people with one message. New York’s Ultra Records announced on Friday it is a partner in Coca-Cola’s upcoming WE8 bottle campaign, a promotion that celebrates Coca-Cola’s sponsorship of the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing. The mega soft drink brand paired nine musicians from Ultra’s roster—Tiësto, Benny Benassi, Kaskade, Jes, Serge Devant, Lucas Prata, Cezar and Jay-J—with Chinese visual artists who developed special aluminum bottles that celebrate eight global themes: Happiness, Peace on Earth, Uplifting Moments, Human Collaboration, Individual Perseverance, Global Harmony (pictured), Active Optimism, Healthy World. The art-and-music project is offering DRM free music downloads on the WE8 microsite, and the limited-edition bottles will be available for $75.

While it’s a notable accomplishment for an indie record label’s artists to be included in an international promotion undertaken by a major brand, the milestone is bittersweet. All of the Games’ corporate sponsors (including the Atlanta-based giant) have come under attack by celebrities, human-rights activists and organizations like Dream For Darfur who’ve dubbed the event the “Genocide Olympics,” due to China’s dismal record on human rights record, Tibet policy and relationships with the Sudanese government and military junta in Burma. Though Coca-Cola says it has a policy of not meddling in international affairs and has reportedly done important humanitarian work in Africa (including Darfur), brace yourself for more push and pull on this thorny issue in the coming weeks.

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