Deezer rebrand sets the stage for a “new identity”
Image credit: Deezer
A new logo and a new identity are at the core of the Deezer rebrand, defining themselves as an “experience services platform”.
Forget the Deezer you thought you knew. They’re on a glow up, with a brand new attitude. With a fresh new logo, Deezer are stating their focus with a new identity.
They have described the move as a reinvention to an “experience services platform”. They state that they are placing “expression and connection as guiding principles to help artists, fans, and partners to be and belong through music”.
So, what does that actually mean? In what is perhaps a dig at Spotify, Deezer’s chief marketing officer Maria Garrido told Music Ally: “We’re 100% focused on music, and that’s where we really want to own a space that makes us a little bit different from our competitors. Our ability to be agile and innovative is because we’re not the big, huge industrial machine in the market.”
So, whilst Deezer do offer podcasts (successfully), they want to prioritise music. They emphasise this with a new tagline: “Live the music.” They reveal what the new brand means to them in a bizarre sort-of manifesto articulating how they present as bold, fresh, and quirky.
Image credit: Deezer
As Spotify looks to become a broader audio platform, Deezer seem to be setting themselves in opposition by refocusing themselves as a music platform. Spotify have made podcasts all-but equal to music on their platform and have more recently begun prioritising audiobooks. Just this week, they announced free audiobook listens for US Premium subscribers.
Maria Garrido wrote in their announcement: “Refreshing our visual identity gives us an opportunity to tell our story in a more emotional way, connecting with music fans, artists, and strategic partners through visual cues that let people know that with Deezer, they can live the music to the fullest.
“It’s a necessary step in our evolution as a brand and as a company, ushering in a new era and empowering everyone to be and belong through music.”
Beyond their new purple heart logo, the Deezer rebrand to enhance the user experience for listeners. They haven’t stated their plans explicitly but suggest a redesign will come to the app, “to inspire and empower music fans to Live the music through personalized experiences.”
Deezer’s CEO, Jeronimo Folguiera wrote: “We have transformed Deezer over the past two years, and today marks a key milestone as we introduce our new identity and logo, while showcasing how our product is evolving into a platform where people can experience and live the music in a way that cannot be found anywhere else.
“Love for music, and helping people be and belong through music have always been at the heart of Deezer, and it is time for us to embark on this new journey where we reinforce that commitment to fans, artists, and partners.”
A big year for Deezer
2023 has been a transformative year for Deezer, even before the rebrand. They announced a brand new streaming model to reward authentic connections between fans and artists. This new streaming model is now live for UMG artists.
They also recently revealed Q3 2023 results. It showed an impressive year-on-year result, adding 500,000 subscribers. However, these largely came from new partnerships for the company and offset a loss in subscribers in many global territories. Deezer still saw growth in their home-country France.
In a move that perhaps helped see subscriptions drop in certain territories, Deezer rose subscription costs in Europe for the second time in 12 months. However, CEO Jeronimo Folgueira said at the time that their first price increase had little impact on subscriptions.
Deezer were only following suit as subscription costs rose across the industry. Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Spotify all saw an increase in cost to their plans in the last year.
Whilst rising costs aren’t embraced by consumers, they reflect a quickly-changing industry in which higher remuneration of artists is increasingly discussed and considered. Whilst no drastic changes have yet been made, new models like Deezer’s artist-centric streaming model signify a changing industry.