Raye turns London Lime bikes into a music marketing campaign for ‘Joy’
Raye is promoting her new single ‘Joy’ through Lime bikes in London. Here’s what independent artists can learn from the creative music marketing campaign.
Raye has found an unusual way to get her new single heard around London, by putting it on Lime bikes.
This week, Lime bikes across the capital will play a clip of Raye’s new song ‘Joy’ when they’re legitimately unlocked by a rider. The campaign launches alongside the song’s new music video, which also features Raye and her sisters riding Lime bikes around London.
It’s an unusual bit of music promotion, but it’s a smart way to get people engaged with the release.
Raye puts ‘Joy’ on Lime bikes
The Lime partnership forms part of the wider campaign for ‘Joy’, which was released alongside its official music video on September 8.
The video sees Raye, Amma and Absolutely travelling around London in their ‘Joymobile’, handing out sunflowers to passersby and capturing their reactions. Lime bikes also feature throughout the video, giving the partnership a natural connection to the song rather than making it feel like a completely separate sponsorship.
Now, that connection has moved from the screen onto the streets.
When selected Lime bikes are unlocked, riders hear a clip of ‘Joy’ instead of the usual unlock sound. This is the first time an artist has taken over the company’s recognisable unlock sound to promote new music, Lime’s Ellie Bird told Music Ally.
That makes the campaign more than simply putting an advert in front of people. The music has become part of the experience of using the product.
Why the campaign works
The clever part of the campaign isn’t necessarily the size of the partnership. It’s the familiarity of the touchpoint.
Londoners already know the sound of a Lime bike unlocking. Replacing that sound with a snippet of ‘Joy’ creates a small moment of surprise, while giving listeners a reason to remember the song.
It also gives Raye something interesting to post about. A person unlocking a Lime bike and suddenly hearing her new single is naturally more shareable than another standard promotional post.
That fits with a wider challenge facing artists in 2026. Social media is increasingly crowded, meaning simply posting about a new release can struggle to stand out. Recent research argues that artists should focus on creating memorable content rather than constantly chasing the latest algorithm or trend.
Raye’s campaign takes that idea offline. Instead of asking people to stop scrolling, it gives them a reason to stop and listen in the real world.
What can independent artists learn from Raye?
Most independent artists aren’t going to be able to convince a major micromobility company to replace the sound of its product with their new single. But the underlying idea is much easier to replicate.
Look for familiar moments. Think about where your audience already spends time and what they interact with. Could your release become part of an existing experience rather than another piece of content competing for attention?
Build a campaign around an idea. Raye’s Lime partnership works because it connects with the music video, the London setting and the wider message of ‘Joy’. For an independent artist, this could mean building a release around a location, activity, local business, community or visual concept that fits the song.
Give people something worth sharing. A creative campaign doesn’t have to be expensive to be effective. If the idea makes someone think, laugh, react or pull out their phone, it has the potential to travel further through social media.
Make the music easy to find afterwards. Getting someone to notice your campaign is only the first step. Once they’ve heard your song, make sure they can quickly find and listen to it on their preferred streaming service. With RouteNote, you can distribute your music to streaming platforms worldwide with ease.
Think beyond the usual music marketing playbook
Raye’s Lime campaign is a good reminder that music promotion doesn’t always have to look like music promotion.
A release campaign can be a social post, a music video, a live performance or a playlist pitch. But it can also be a surprising real-world experience that makes people encounter a song somewhere they weren’t expecting it.
Independent artists might not have Raye’s budget or industry connections, but they can still borrow the thinking behind the campaign: find something people already recognise, connect it naturally to your music and give them a reason to remember it.
In a crowded release schedule, that can be more valuable than simply posting “my new single is out now” for the tenth time.
Distribute your music to streaming platforms everywhere for free with RouteNote today.