Marketing Journeys were priviledged to speak with Joel Houenou (Head of Music – Africa, Europe, Middle East) & Claude Crevelle (General Manager) of Triller, the short-form video/music app, making HUGE strides in Nigeria, Africa and…the world.
- Can you provide a brief introduction to Triller – what it is and how it works?
Claude – “Triller is a social streaming platform with an AI-powered editing tool that allows everyone to create videos, in a matter of seconds and we have full licencing coverage.”
- Joel and Claude – a little about your careers, and how you found yourselves on the Triller team?
Joel – “ I have a master’s degree in digital marketing and business. I did an internship for a company and right after I finished, I started with Triller.”
Claude – “First, I have a background in the music industry, a long time ago and I’ve been working in the tech industry for years and I’ve been working with Mike Lu, the CEO of Triller for almost ten years in different start-ups and this is how we met, and when Mike started Triller, he reached-out to me, because France is a huge market for Hip-Hop and music and he knew that I already had some contacts in the music industry and tech knowledge, so we started this almost three years ago now.”
- Triller has been compared to TikTok – is that fair and does Triller actually care about TikTok?
Claude – “I think TikTok and Triller can both live in the same space, we are not doing the same services – TikTok is really global and oriented around funny clips, whereas we want to provide a service for the music industry and also to help discover artists.”
- Is Triller the natural evolution for the music industry?
Claude – “Triller is the trend of the culture and we are in the centre of the urban culture across the world, not only in the US or Europe, but in Africa and this is really the difference between us, TikTok and other competitors. Triller is really culture oriented and looking after the music scene and that’s why artists, as huge as Eminem chose Triller to make his first and maybe only social promotion ever and that’s really cool for us and that says something about our image and how we’re seen in the music industry.”
- Triller is the largest downloaded app in Nigeria – so why is Nigeria and Africa so significant to Triller and the music industry?
Joel – “Afrobeats is the biggest genre growing, right now, all over the world and Nigeria is the biggest music industry in Africa. That’s why we targeted Nigeria first and we reached out to artists, influencers and people that influence trends. Ghana, South Africa, Kenya and more to come. Young music is impacting Africa and the world.”
“Young music is impacting Africa and the world”
- How is Triller making a difference to Africa and their people and the cultural identity coming through?
Claude – We are here for all artists and musicians, from West to East. The number of young and upcoming talents, reaching-out to us directly, ‘pinging’ Joel directly on his phone, because he’s listed it. “I have my new track, released on friday, can you play it on Triller?”. That’s what Triller is about, culture and relations to fans – We make the circle closer.”
“That’s what Triller is about, culture and relations to fans.”
- How is Triller assisting burgeoning talent, understanding the management and agents-side of the music industry?
Claude – “We’re here to make the link, when it’s needed. A lot of agencies and managers are watching Triller, to see what’s trending and the next big star.”
- As a result of Covid-19, many physical events have had to pivot. Triller seems to have taken this in their stride. Trillerfest – was this planned ahead of the crisis and how did you manage to make this such a huge success?
Claude – “It wasn’t prepared before, it was like a whole team effort, all hands on deck to make this happen in such a short period. Huge credit to the LA office to get this accomplished. After everything locked-down, we decided to make this happen…in fifteen days. This was a really great start to the Triller adventure.
- How do you decide which regions to focus on next?
Claude – “Even after we’ve hit those targets, like number one in the app store, and begin the more trending app in Nigeria, we still have to keep an eye on it. In new areas we have to reach-out to new artists, but they’re more aware now. Our next big target is Latam, Brazil, who have amazing artists, Colombia and then India, where their HipHop scene is really great and then the East.”
- Triller and Snapchat – what are your hope for the partnership and where can Snap take Triller?
Claude – “There is a really huge growth potential and the camera kit from Snap is really impressive, and something our users will be very happy to use in their Triller videos. The link between Snap and Triller accounts is a great way for artists to connect with their fans – it’s really interactive content. In terms of growth, Snap is really powerful in some territories that we;re not, as yet and that’s great for everyone.”
- Time for the shout-outs – personal choices – who are you really interested-in on the app at the moment?
Claude – “I’m a big, big fan of Mr Eazi. He’s creating a lot of content and some are really funny. He has a connection. We love to have these fun artists on the app.
Joel – “On my side, I’d say, Rema, he just came-out a year ago and he’s touring in the US now. He’s amazing!”
- Is there an optimum amount of content to be released on Triller on a daily basis?
Claude – “We’re looking at cool and creative content, quality content, but of course, the more you post on the platform, interact with the fans, and they interact with your content…for artists we know that when they release new songs, it’s very important to connect with their fans – it’s a social media, so being social is very important.
- Do you have any hints of tips for new users?
Joel – “First they have to create the account, a great pic and link to Instagram and Snapchat. Then pick a song for the video. Subscribe, make cool videos and have fun.”
If you’re looking for a new social app, something different, making strides and making a difference in young people’s musical lives and careers, you need only click here:
Join us next week on the Marketing Journeys Podcast and read the interviews here on our blog.
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