WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.240 this Apple Podcast title, unpacking the 2019 00:00:03.240 --> 00:00:06.559 Instagram Ansem, David Guetta, Daddy Yankee, 00:00:06.780 --> 00:00:09.160 and the anatomy of a global hit, The Deep Dive. 00:00:09.619 --> 00:00:11.560 Join us on The Deep Dive as we break down the 00:00:11.560 --> 00:00:14.839 2019 crossover smash hit, Instagram, by Demetri 00:00:14.839 --> 00:00:17.359 Vegas and industry, like Mike, David Guetta, 00:00:17.519 --> 00:00:20.350 Daddy Yankee, Afro Bros, and Natty Natasha. How 00:00:20.350 --> 00:00:22.489 does a song with five headline artists, nine 00:00:22.489 --> 00:00:24.609 songwriters, and multiple languages come together 00:00:24.609 --> 00:00:27.870 to dominate global charts? We analyzed the track's 00:00:27.870 --> 00:00:30.350 blend of dance and reggaeton, its rare explicit 00:00:30.350 --> 00:00:32.890 lyrics for smash -the -house artists, its sun 00:00:32.890 --> 00:00:35.509 -drenched Ibiza music video, and its fascinating 00:00:35.509 --> 00:00:37.850 chart journey from Belgium to the U .S. Hot Bands 00:00:37.850 --> 00:00:40.409 charts. Packed with music insights and surprising 00:00:40.409 --> 00:00:42.829 chart data, this deep dive is your shortcut to 00:00:42.829 --> 00:00:44.890 understanding the mechanics of a modern mega 00:00:44.890 --> 00:00:48.219 -collaboration. SEO, Demetri Vegas, and Like 00:00:48.219 --> 00:00:50.700 Mike. David Guetta, Daddy Yankee, Naughty Natasha, 00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:53.840 Afro Bros, Instagram 2019 song, dance music hit, 00:00:54.060 --> 00:00:56.159 reggaeton crossover. Welcome back. You know, 00:00:56.159 --> 00:00:58.140 it happens to all of us. You're at a... A summer 00:00:58.140 --> 00:00:59.979 barbecue, maybe. Yeah, exactly. A summer barbecue. 00:01:00.100 --> 00:01:01.579 Or maybe you're driving with the windows down 00:01:01.579 --> 00:01:03.380 on a Friday afternoon. Or you're standing in 00:01:03.380 --> 00:01:05.540 a really crowded club. Right. And a song comes 00:01:05.540 --> 00:01:09.420 on, you nod your head. You might even learn the 00:01:09.420 --> 00:01:11.739 hook by the second chorus. You tap the heart 00:01:11.739 --> 00:01:14.750 icon. on your streaming app. To add it to a playlist. 00:01:14.890 --> 00:01:17.909 Yeah. And you just consume it. We all do this. 00:01:18.049 --> 00:01:21.349 We really do. We consume these massive omnipresent 00:01:21.349 --> 00:01:23.810 summer hits without ever taking a fraction of 00:01:23.810 --> 00:01:26.430 a second to realize the sheer scale of the machinery 00:01:26.430 --> 00:01:28.849 behind them. Oh, the machinery is staggering. 00:01:29.030 --> 00:01:33.030 We don't think about the... the cross -continental 00:01:33.030 --> 00:01:36.290 logistics, the legal contracts, or the... The 00:01:36.290 --> 00:01:38.469 cultural calculations. Yes, the cultural calculations 00:01:38.469 --> 00:01:40.769 that go into making that three -minute audio 00:01:40.769 --> 00:01:45.030 experience a reality. We tend to... We romanticize 00:01:45.030 --> 00:01:48.930 music as a purely artistic, spontaneous endeavor. 00:01:48.989 --> 00:01:51.829 Like a lone genius. Exactly. The cultural image 00:01:51.829 --> 00:01:53.790 is someone sitting in a messy bedroom with an 00:01:53.790 --> 00:01:56.469 acoustic guitar or maybe a lone producer hunched 00:01:56.469 --> 00:01:59.250 over a laptop at 3 a .m. having a sudden burst 00:01:59.250 --> 00:02:01.750 of inspiration. Right. But at a certain echelon 00:02:01.750 --> 00:02:04.189 of the global pop sphere, that romantic image 00:02:04.189 --> 00:02:06.849 is entirely obsolete. It's a myth. Completely. 00:02:07.090 --> 00:02:09.750 Creating a song at this level is closer to executing 00:02:09.750 --> 00:02:12.430 a multinational corporate merger. Wow, a corporate 00:02:12.430 --> 00:02:16.139 merger. Yeah, it requires market analysis, demographic 00:02:16.139 --> 00:02:19.000 targeting, and an incredible amount of logistical 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:21.020 synchronization across different time zones. 00:02:21.360 --> 00:02:23.900 And that is the exact illusion we are going to 00:02:23.900 --> 00:02:26.490 shatter if not today. We're going to completely 00:02:26.490 --> 00:02:29.509 deconstruct what is, frankly, one of the most 00:02:29.509 --> 00:02:32.229 fascinating case studies of modern music production 00:02:32.229 --> 00:02:34.629 and globalization. It really is a perfect specimen. 00:02:35.009 --> 00:02:38.629 We are looking back at the 2019 single, simply 00:02:38.629 --> 00:02:41.969 titled, Instagram. Just Instagram. Yeah. Now, 00:02:41.969 --> 00:02:43.870 if you look at the marquee for this track, it 00:02:43.870 --> 00:02:46.569 isn't just a song by a band or a solo artist. 00:02:47.250 --> 00:02:51.650 The credits list, Demetri Vegas and Mike... Danky 00:02:51.650 --> 00:02:54.969 Afro bros and Natty Natasha. It's a massive lineup. 00:02:55.409 --> 00:02:57.789 Today we are going to examine the sheer scale 00:02:57.789 --> 00:03:00.229 of this collaboration, the very deliberate blending 00:03:00.229 --> 00:03:03.750 of genres, and its massive yet surprisingly uneven 00:03:03.750 --> 00:03:06.169 global commercial footprint. Looking at Instagram 00:03:06.169 --> 00:03:08.289 isn't just about critiquing the music itself. 00:03:08.330 --> 00:03:10.889 It's about understanding global cultural synthesis. 00:03:10.930 --> 00:03:13.650 Right. It's about observing how completely different 00:03:13.650 --> 00:03:16.870 musical ecosystems. Like European EDM and Latin 00:03:16.870 --> 00:03:19.409 reggaeton. Exactly how they communicate with 00:03:19.409 --> 00:03:22.210 each other. to engineer a product designed for 00:03:22.210 --> 00:03:24.770 maximum worldwide consumption. And to do that, 00:03:24.789 --> 00:03:27.030 we've pulled together a really comprehensive 00:03:27.030 --> 00:03:29.449 stack of information for you. We're digging through 00:03:29.449 --> 00:03:32.129 a highly detailed dossier covering the background 00:03:32.129 --> 00:03:36.009 of the track. The composition credits the incredibly 00:03:36.009 --> 00:03:39.870 specific rollout timeline. The visual aesthetics. 00:03:40.069 --> 00:03:43.150 Yeah, the music video and a literal mountain 00:03:43.150 --> 00:03:46.770 of global chart and certification data. The data 00:03:46.770 --> 00:03:48.650 is where it gets really fun. Okay, let's unpack 00:03:48.650 --> 00:03:50.509 this. Let's start with the artists themselves 00:03:50.509 --> 00:03:53.129 because when I first saw this roster, my immediate 00:03:53.129 --> 00:03:54.909 thought was how on earth did these people even 00:03:54.909 --> 00:03:56.889 end up in the same room? Well, the short answer 00:03:56.889 --> 00:03:59.330 is they probably didn't. Really? At least not 00:03:59.330 --> 00:04:01.789 all at once, no. Yeah. Which is a hallmark of 00:04:01.789 --> 00:04:03.330 modern production we can definitely get into 00:04:03.330 --> 00:04:06.520 later. Got it. But looking at the roster, what 00:04:06.520 --> 00:04:09.759 we have here are five distinct headline acts 00:04:09.759 --> 00:04:12.719 representing a very calculated geographical and 00:04:12.719 --> 00:04:15.060 cultural spread. A very widespread. You have 00:04:15.060 --> 00:04:18.160 Dimitri Vegas and, like Mike, who are a massive 00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:21.040 festival headlining Belgian production duo. Right, 00:04:21.160 --> 00:04:24.560 the Tomorrowland guys. Exactly. Then you have 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:28.120 David Guetta, the legendary French DJ who essentially 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:30.819 built the modern bridge between club music and 00:04:30.819 --> 00:04:33.149 pop radio. He's an institution. Then you bring 00:04:33.149 --> 00:04:35.610 in Daddy Yankee, the iconic Puerto Rican rapper. 00:04:36.069 --> 00:04:39.149 Add to that the Afro bros, a Dutch DJ duo. And 00:04:39.149 --> 00:04:41.569 finally, Nati Natasha, the Dominican singer. 00:04:42.050 --> 00:04:44.750 But is a lineup like this actually about artistic 00:04:44.750 --> 00:04:47.389 chemistry or is it just a cynical attempt to 00:04:47.389 --> 00:04:49.870 hack the algorithms? Because when you list those 00:04:49.870 --> 00:04:51.829 countries, Belgium, France, Puerto Rico, the 00:04:51.829 --> 00:04:54.769 Netherlands, the Dominican Republic. It sounds 00:04:54.769 --> 00:04:57.769 less like a band and more like a United Nations 00:04:57.769 --> 00:05:00.410 summit. It does. It feels almost overwhelmingly 00:05:00.410 --> 00:05:02.769 strategic. What's fascinating here is that the 00:05:02.769 --> 00:05:04.949 strategy is the art form at this level. Strategy 00:05:04.949 --> 00:05:08.019 is the art form. Yes. This is a highly strategic, 00:05:08.339 --> 00:05:11.040 multi -continental alliance. It is engineered 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:13.720 from the ground up to capture different global 00:05:13.720 --> 00:05:15.959 music markets simultaneously. To just blanket 00:05:15.959 --> 00:05:18.120 the globe. Think about the audiences these artists 00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:20.240 control. You have the European electronic dance 00:05:20.240 --> 00:05:22.139 market, particularly the massive summer festival 00:05:22.139 --> 00:05:24.980 crowd, completely cornered by Guetta the Afro 00:05:24.980 --> 00:05:28.680 Bros. and Dimitri Vegas and Mike. Then you have 00:05:28.680 --> 00:05:32.579 the rapidly expanding, incredibly lucrative Latin 00:05:32.579 --> 00:05:36.300 American and U .S. Hispanic markets covered by... 00:05:35.819 --> 00:05:38.360 Daddy Yankee and Naughty Natasha. It's brilliant. 00:05:38.459 --> 00:05:40.500 It is a pincer movement on the global charts. 00:05:41.219 --> 00:05:43.180 You're virtually guaranteeing that the song will 00:05:43.180 --> 00:05:46.199 be placed on both the today's top hits and the 00:05:46.199 --> 00:05:48.839 Viva Latino flagship playlists on the major streaming 00:05:48.839 --> 00:05:51.420 platforms. I want to dig into the weight that 00:05:51.420 --> 00:05:53.560 these specific artists were bringing to the table 00:05:53.560 --> 00:05:55.819 in 2019 because this isn't a group of up -and 00:05:55.819 --> 00:05:58.939 -comers. The sheer volume of foundational hits 00:05:58.939 --> 00:06:01.120 these people had already generated is staggering. 00:06:01.279 --> 00:06:03.000 Oh, absolutely staggering. Let's look at Daddy 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:05.079 Yankee. You can't talk about globalizing Latin 00:06:05.079 --> 00:06:07.519 music without him. No, you really can't. He brings 00:06:07.519 --> 00:06:10.420 the weight of the entire barrio fino era, which 00:06:10.420 --> 00:06:13.240 gave the world, Gasolina and Lo Que Paso Paso. 00:06:13.319 --> 00:06:15.740 Classics. Then he maintained that dominance through 00:06:15.740 --> 00:06:18.060 the Telenet de Barrio era, the Prestige album 00:06:18.060 --> 00:06:20.300 with Limbo. And that's before we even mentioned 00:06:20.300 --> 00:06:22.339 his featured singles. They're huge. I mean, the 00:06:22.339 --> 00:06:26.500 absolute juggernaut that was Despacito. And later, 00:06:26.899 --> 00:06:30.459 Con Comma, he isn't just a star, he is an institution. 00:06:30.860 --> 00:06:34.420 He is arguably the foundational pillar for the 00:06:34.420 --> 00:06:37.439 mainstream globalization of reggaeton. When Daddy 00:06:37.439 --> 00:06:40.290 Yankee steps onto a track, He doesn't just bring 00:06:40.290 --> 00:06:42.430 his vocals. What else does he bring? He brings 00:06:42.430 --> 00:06:45.149 an entire global audience that implicitly trusts 00:06:45.149 --> 00:06:49.629 his curation. By 2019, the Latin music explosion 00:06:49.629 --> 00:06:53.230 triggered by Despacito in 2017 had fully solidified. 00:06:53.350 --> 00:06:55.129 It was everywhere. Latin artists didn't need 00:06:55.129 --> 00:06:57.629 to cross over into English to be globally successful 00:06:57.629 --> 00:07:00.430 anymore if anything European and American artists 00:07:00.430 --> 00:07:02.709 were desperate to cross over into the Latin market. 00:07:02.730 --> 00:07:05.329 To get a piece of that pie. Exactly. So having 00:07:05.329 --> 00:07:08.079 Daddy Yankee on your track is essentially securing 00:07:08.079 --> 00:07:09.920 the most valuable real estate in the industry. 00:07:10.339 --> 00:07:12.339 Which makes his pairing with David Guetta so 00:07:12.339 --> 00:07:15.060 interesting. Guetta's track record is basically 00:07:15.060 --> 00:07:18.040 a history of modern dance pop. He's the godfather 00:07:18.040 --> 00:07:20.060 of it. He has the pop life era, the one love 00:07:20.060 --> 00:07:22.500 era with When Love Takes Over and Sexy Bitch, 00:07:22.920 --> 00:07:24.660 the Nothing But The Beat album, which gave us 00:07:24.660 --> 00:07:28.220 Titanium. Or Them Girls It. Turn me on. Not to 00:07:28.220 --> 00:07:30.279 mention the collaborations like Club Can't Handle 00:07:30.279 --> 00:07:33.079 Me or the massive I Got a Feeling with the Black 00:07:33.079 --> 00:07:36.939 Eyed Peas. He brings a two decade legacy of dominating 00:07:36.939 --> 00:07:40.360 both the underground clubs and top 40 radio simultaneously. 00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:44.779 But by 2019, was Geta really driving the creative 00:07:44.779 --> 00:07:48.000 bus here or was he just lending his massive legacy 00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:50.660 name to a track that's mostly driven by the Latin 00:07:50.660 --> 00:07:52.500 boom we just talked about? That's a very sharp 00:07:52.500 --> 00:07:55.819 question. Yeah. Geta is a master adapter. His 00:07:55.819 --> 00:07:58.040 genius has never been inventing a completely 00:07:58.040 --> 00:08:00.259 new underground sound. Right. It's more about 00:08:00.259 --> 00:08:02.540 popularizing it. Exactly. It's about identifying 00:08:02.540 --> 00:08:04.680 the sound that is bubbling up and polishing it 00:08:04.680 --> 00:08:07.740 for the mainstream pop apparatus. In 2009, he 00:08:07.740 --> 00:08:10.379 did it by merging electro house with American 00:08:10.379 --> 00:08:13.759 R &B and hip hop. Sure. In 2019, the dominant 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:16.339 sound was the fusion of Latin rhythms with electronic 00:08:16.339 --> 00:08:19.220 production. So he adapted again. He did. So while 00:08:19.220 --> 00:08:21.500 he might not be the sole creative driver of the 00:08:21.500 --> 00:08:24.160 reggaeton elements, his presence provides the 00:08:24.160 --> 00:08:26.639 track with a very specific polished European 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:28.980 club sheen. He's a stamp of approval. He acts 00:08:28.980 --> 00:08:31.160 as the guarantor for the European radio markets. 00:08:32.059 --> 00:08:33.899 If get his name is on it, the major radio networks 00:08:33.899 --> 00:08:36.860 in France, Germany and the UK will put it into 00:08:36.860 --> 00:08:40.240 rotation without hesitation. And Natascha serves 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:42.639 a somewhat similar role on the Latin side, bringing 00:08:42.639 --> 00:08:45.379 absolute heat from her own solo career. She was 00:08:45.379 --> 00:08:48.080 on fire in 2019. By the time this track is coming 00:08:48.080 --> 00:08:51.259 together, she is riding the wave of massive hits 00:08:51.259 --> 00:08:54.240 like Criminal Sin, Pajama No Me Acuerdo and La 00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:57.899 Mejor Version de Mi. She represented the absolute 00:08:57.899 --> 00:09:00.960 vanguard of modern Latin pop and reggaeton at 00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:03.539 that exact moment. So she's the anchor there. 00:09:03.620 --> 00:09:06.200 She provides the essential female counterpoint. 00:09:06.679 --> 00:09:09.240 and the melodic anchor for the Latin demographic. 00:09:09.299 --> 00:09:11.759 Her vocal style is incredibly distinct and was 00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:13.860 just dominating the charts in standard speaking 00:09:13.860 --> 00:09:16.340 territories. Tying all of the star power together, 00:09:16.600 --> 00:09:20.019 we have Dimitri Vegas and like Mike and the Afro 00:09:20.019 --> 00:09:22.000 bros. What stands out to me is that the song 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:24.399 was actually released by Smash the House. Yes, 00:09:24.500 --> 00:09:26.759 the label. For those who aren't steeped in EDM 00:09:26.759 --> 00:09:29.600 lore, Smash the House is the record label associated 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:31.840 with Dimitri Vegas and like Mike. It's their 00:09:31.840 --> 00:09:33.840 baby. It's an independent leaning label known 00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:37.100 for big aggressive festival anthems. like Tremor 00:09:37.100 --> 00:09:41.360 or The Hum. Face -melting drops. Exactly. Why 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:43.940 on earth would a label known for face -melting 00:09:43.940 --> 00:09:46.919 Tomorrowland drops be the launching pad for a 00:09:46.919 --> 00:09:50.580 bilingual, reggaeton -infused pop crossover featuring 00:09:50.580 --> 00:09:53.659 Daddy Yankee? It is a massive operational pivot. 00:09:54.120 --> 00:09:56.639 When a label like Smash the House releases a 00:09:56.639 --> 00:09:59.730 track with Get a Yankee and Natasha, They're 00:09:59.730 --> 00:10:02.289 actively trying to transcend their core demographic. 00:10:02.470 --> 00:10:04.289 You want the mainstream. Festival anthems are 00:10:04.289 --> 00:10:06.230 great for building a loyal fan base and selling 00:10:06.230 --> 00:10:09.009 out arenas, but they often have a ceiling when 00:10:09.009 --> 00:10:11.850 it comes to mainstream streaming numbers and 00:10:11.850 --> 00:10:13.730 commercial radio play. They don't usually chart 00:10:13.730 --> 00:10:16.820 as high. Right. By orchestrating a major cultural 00:10:16.820 --> 00:10:19.259 event like Instagram, Dimitri Vegas, and like 00:10:19.259 --> 00:10:21.919 Mike, we're leveraging their label to capture 00:10:21.919 --> 00:10:24.399 a piece of the mainstream pop pie. It's a statement. 00:10:24.659 --> 00:10:26.899 It's a loud statement that they aren't just festival 00:10:26.899 --> 00:10:30.220 DJs. They are global hitmakers capable of facilitating 00:10:30.220 --> 00:10:33.179 top tier pop collaborations. So how does an event 00:10:33.179 --> 00:10:35.899 of this magnitude actually materialize? I was 00:10:35.899 --> 00:10:37.519 looking at the timeline of this track and this 00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:39.960 is where the sheer corporate calculation really 00:10:39.960 --> 00:10:41.799 becomes apparent. The timeline is very telling. 00:10:42.100 --> 00:10:45.149 The song was actually recorded in 2018. But it 00:10:45.149 --> 00:10:49.110 wasn't released until July 5 2019 a full year 00:10:49.110 --> 00:10:51.809 They sat on a track featuring some of the biggest 00:10:51.809 --> 00:10:55.509 artists in the world for an entire year Why it 00:10:55.509 --> 00:10:57.669 speaks to the deliberate highly risk -averse 00:10:57.669 --> 00:11:00.789 nature of the music industry at this level You 00:11:00.789 --> 00:11:04.169 don't just finish a song with five global superstars 00:11:04.169 --> 00:11:06.830 Export the file and upload it to Spotify on a 00:11:06.830 --> 00:11:08.850 Tuesday afternoon because you feel like it right 00:11:08.850 --> 00:11:12.049 a track With this specific blend of genres featuring 00:11:12.049 --> 00:11:15.389 these specific artists is explicitly engineered 00:11:15.389 --> 00:11:18.090 to be a song of the summer. Right, but why wait 00:11:18.090 --> 00:11:19.710 a whole year? Couldn't they have just released 00:11:19.710 --> 00:11:22.929 it in the summer of 2018? Not necessarily. The 00:11:22.929 --> 00:11:25.690 logistics are a nightmare. Clearing rights, finalizing 00:11:25.690 --> 00:11:27.730 the splits for nine different songwriters. Which 00:11:27.730 --> 00:11:30.429 we will get to. Across multiple publishing companies. 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:32.940 coordinating the schedules of five incredibly 00:11:32.940 --> 00:11:35.259 busy acts to shoot a music video. Just getting 00:11:35.259 --> 00:11:37.960 them in one place. Exactly. And then finding 00:11:37.960 --> 00:11:40.320 the optimal release window where it won't compete 00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:43.259 with the artist's other solo projects takes months. 00:11:43.519 --> 00:11:47.179 Releasing it on July 5th, 2019 was a calculated 00:11:47.179 --> 00:11:50.419 strike. Surgical. It places the song right in 00:11:50.419 --> 00:11:52.659 the dead center of the northern hemisphere summer. 00:11:53.480 --> 00:11:56.159 Perfectly timed for peak club season in Ibiza 00:11:56.159 --> 00:11:58.940 festival season across Europe and summer block 00:11:58.940 --> 00:12:01.399 parties in the U .S. The rollout leading up to 00:12:01.399 --> 00:12:04.100 that July release was meticulously methodical, 00:12:04.360 --> 00:12:07.759 too. On June 18, 2019, a little over two weeks 00:12:07.759 --> 00:12:10.779 before the official drop, the social media tease 00:12:10.779 --> 00:12:13.740 happens. The hype building. Nadia, Natasha and 00:12:13.740 --> 00:12:16.600 Daddy Yankee announced the song by posting photos 00:12:16.600 --> 00:12:19.399 from the video set. And the location of that 00:12:19.399 --> 00:12:23.100 set is crucial. Ibiza, Spain. Right. The undisputed 00:12:23.100 --> 00:12:25.759 global capital of summer dance music. If you 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:27.419 want to signal to the market that you have the 00:12:27.419 --> 00:12:30.240 anthem of the summer. You filmed the video in 00:12:30.240 --> 00:12:33.100 Ibiza. And during this tease, Natasha posts a 00:12:33.100 --> 00:12:35.419 message thanking the other artists, calling the 00:12:35.419 --> 00:12:37.659 collaboration an amazing moment. It's nice Dutch. 00:12:37.960 --> 00:12:39.700 Yeah, amidst all this corporate strategy we're 00:12:39.700 --> 00:12:41.659 discussing, it is a nice reminder that for the 00:12:41.659 --> 00:12:43.240 artists themselves, working with other legends 00:12:43.240 --> 00:12:45.639 is still a personal career milestone. True. But 00:12:45.639 --> 00:12:47.419 the marketing mechanism here is what really catches 00:12:47.419 --> 00:12:50.759 my eye. They name the song Instagram. And how 00:12:50.759 --> 00:12:53.100 do they build hype for it? By posting on Instagram. 00:12:53.320 --> 00:12:55.840 By teasing behind -the -scenes lifestyle content 00:12:55.840 --> 00:12:59.409 from Ibiza natively on Instagram. It is a brilliantly 00:12:59.409 --> 00:13:02.610 closed loop of promotion. They are leveraging 00:13:02.610 --> 00:13:05.669 the immense cultural cachet of the application 00:13:05.669 --> 00:13:09.539 to promote a song about the application on the 00:13:09.539 --> 00:13:11.980 application. It's so meta. It's meta marketing 00:13:11.980 --> 00:13:14.480 at its finest. They understand that their audience 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:16.679 isn't just consuming music, they're consuming 00:13:16.679 --> 00:13:19.759 the aspirational lifestyle of the artists. The 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:23.100 yachts, the clubs. By posting photos from a yacht 00:13:23.100 --> 00:13:25.799 or a club in Ibiza on Instagram, they are essentially 00:13:25.799 --> 00:13:28.799 providing a visual trailer for the audio experience. 00:13:28.940 --> 00:13:30.639 But it makes you wonder if a song is recorded 00:13:30.639 --> 00:13:32.919 a whole year prior, does it run the risk of sounding 00:13:32.919 --> 00:13:35.019 dated by the time it finally hits the airwaves? 00:13:35.139 --> 00:13:37.460 That's always the risk. Because pop music moves 00:13:37.519 --> 00:13:40.139 so fast, a trend that is hot in the summer of 00:13:40.139 --> 00:13:43.440 2018 might be completely played out by July 2019. 00:13:43.519 --> 00:13:46.159 Absolutely. That brings us to the actual composition 00:13:46.159 --> 00:13:48.759 of the lyrics and what I look at as a kitchen 00:13:48.759 --> 00:13:51.220 sink approach to songwriting. The kitchen sink 00:13:51.220 --> 00:13:54.620 analogy is very apt. When you are trying to appeal 00:13:54.620 --> 00:13:59.299 to multiple global demographics simultaneously, 00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:03.419 The sonic architecture of the song has to reflect 00:14:03.419 --> 00:14:05.639 that ambition. It has to have everything. It 00:14:05.639 --> 00:14:08.659 cannot be too niche in any one direction. Here's 00:14:08.659 --> 00:14:10.820 where it gets really interesting. If you are 00:14:10.820 --> 00:14:12.779 under the impression that a track like this is 00:14:12.779 --> 00:14:16.240 just a couple of DJs vibing in a studio and a 00:14:16.240 --> 00:14:18.799 singer stepping up to a mic to freestyle some 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:21.870 lyrics, think again. Not even close. The official 00:14:21.870 --> 00:14:24.409 credits list the songwriters for Instagram. There 00:14:24.409 --> 00:14:27.850 are nine of them. Let me repeat that. Nine individual 00:14:27.850 --> 00:14:30.450 human beings are credited with writing this three 00:14:30.450 --> 00:14:33.129 minute, four second song. It sounds like a lot. 00:14:33.350 --> 00:14:35.049 I'll be honest, when I see a credit list that 00:14:35.049 --> 00:14:37.649 long, my immediate reaction is that it's designed 00:14:37.649 --> 00:14:39.669 by committee. It sounds less like an artistic 00:14:39.669 --> 00:14:41.649 endeavor and more like a corporate boardroom 00:14:41.649 --> 00:14:44.190 trying to engineer a hit. That is a very common 00:14:44.190 --> 00:14:46.389 and understandable reaction from listeners who 00:14:46.389 --> 00:14:49.070 grew up with the paradigm of a four -piece rock 00:14:49.070 --> 00:14:51.909 band writing all their own material. Right, the 00:14:51.909 --> 00:14:55.690 garage band model. But it fundamentally misunderstands 00:14:55.929 --> 00:14:59.090 how modern global pop is constructed. Think of 00:14:59.090 --> 00:15:01.870 it less like a band jamming in a garage and more 00:15:01.870 --> 00:15:04.669 like assembling the crew for a blockbuster film. 00:15:04.769 --> 00:15:06.970 A movie crew. You don't have the director doing 00:15:06.970 --> 00:15:08.870 the lighting, the catering and the stunts. You 00:15:08.870 --> 00:15:11.389 have highly specialized experts. Let's break 00:15:11.389 --> 00:15:14.090 down these experts because matching the real 00:15:14.090 --> 00:15:17.090 names to the stage names reveals how compartmentalized 00:15:17.090 --> 00:15:19.269 this actually was. Let's do it. The track was 00:15:19.269 --> 00:15:22.720 written by David Guetta Francesca. Richard Dimitri 00:15:22.720 --> 00:15:24.899 Thevios and Michael Thebios. Who are the brothers 00:15:24.899 --> 00:15:27.700 making up Dimitri Vegas and like Mike? Exactly. 00:15:28.279 --> 00:15:31.440 Then you have Ramon Luis Ayala Rodriguez. Who's 00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:34.799 Daddy Yankee. Giordano M .S. Ashroof. Natalia 00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:37.480 Alexandria Gutierrez Batista, which is Nati Natasha, 00:15:37.840 --> 00:15:41.519 and Rashid MSM Badlow and Sher -MR Badlow. The 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:44.259 Afro bros. So almost every single artist on the 00:15:44.259 --> 00:15:47.019 marquee is also a credited writer alongside a 00:15:47.019 --> 00:15:49.399 few additional professional songwriters. Exactly. 00:15:49.639 --> 00:15:52.000 This illustrates the specialized nature of the 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:54.220 modern songwriting camp. You have the Thavayos 00:15:54.220 --> 00:15:56.720 Brothers' Ghetto and the Badlow Brothers likely 00:15:56.720 --> 00:15:58.980 handling the intricate layers of the sonic production. 00:15:59.379 --> 00:16:02.250 Making the beat. They are arguing over the exact 00:16:02.250 --> 00:16:04.769 frequency of the kick drum, the synthesis of 00:16:04.769 --> 00:16:07.529 the bass line, the timing of the drop, and then 00:16:07.529 --> 00:16:09.970 you have Ayala Rodriguez and Gutierrez Batista 00:16:09.970 --> 00:16:12.889 crafting their specific vocal flows. They are 00:16:12.889 --> 00:16:15.330 ensuring that the slang is current, that the 00:16:15.330 --> 00:16:17.850 Spanish verses land with the correct rhythmic 00:16:17.850 --> 00:16:20.909 cadence and translating the overarching theme 00:16:20.909 --> 00:16:23.970 into their respective cultural dialects. It's 00:16:23.970 --> 00:16:27.610 so modular. It's a deeply collaborative, albeit 00:16:27.610 --> 00:16:32.049 highly compartmentalized process. And it's confirmed 00:16:32.049 --> 00:16:34.350 that there were three distinct production entities 00:16:34.350 --> 00:16:38.049 working on the final mix, Dimitri Vegas and Psychem 00:16:38.049 --> 00:16:41.750 Brut, like Mike David Guetta and Afro Bros. The 00:16:41.750 --> 00:16:43.889 sonic result of all those specialists working 00:16:43.889 --> 00:16:46.490 together is a very specific fusion of dance and 00:16:46.490 --> 00:16:48.590 reggaeton. It really is. The instrumental has 00:16:48.590 --> 00:16:50.649 these heavy reggaeton influences, but obviously 00:16:50.649 --> 00:16:53.769 with Guetta and Dimitri Vegas and Mike involved, 00:16:54.129 --> 00:16:56.289 it is a massive dance track at its core. For 00:16:56.289 --> 00:16:58.879 sure. For those of us who aren't producers, can 00:16:58.879 --> 00:17:00.700 you break down the mechanics of that blend? What 00:17:00.700 --> 00:17:02.700 does it actually mean to merge those two genres? 00:17:02.940 --> 00:17:05.180 It's all about the rhythm section. Traditional 00:17:05.180 --> 00:17:08.420 European electronic dance music, especially the 00:17:08.420 --> 00:17:11.539 big room house that Geta and DVLM are known for, 00:17:11.859 --> 00:17:14.059 relies heavily on a four -on -the -floor beat. 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:16.140 Four on the floor. It means the kick drum hits 00:17:16.140 --> 00:17:18.180 on every single quarter note, one, two, three, 00:17:18.180 --> 00:17:21.299 four. It's a very driving, straightforward pulse 00:17:21.299 --> 00:17:25.019 designed to keep a massive crowd jumping in unison. 00:17:25.180 --> 00:17:27.880 Very steady. Reggaeton, on the other hand, is 00:17:27.880 --> 00:17:31.299 built on the Dembo rhythm, specifically a syncopated 00:17:31.299 --> 00:17:34.240 Trisillo pattern. Has that signature booch boop 00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:36.440 boop swing to it. Yeah, you instantly recognize 00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:38.299 it. It's designed for a different kind of movement, 00:17:38.680 --> 00:17:41.240 a different kind of dancing entirely. So how 00:17:41.240 --> 00:17:43.380 do you put those two entirely different grooves 00:17:43.380 --> 00:17:45.779 into one song without it sounding like a mess? 00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:48.500 You find the mathematical compromise. Mathematical. 00:17:48.680 --> 00:17:51.059 The producers here likely utilized the driving 00:17:51.059 --> 00:17:54.019 energy and electronic synth soundscapes of European 00:17:54.019 --> 00:17:56.539 house, but underpinned it with the syncopated 00:17:56.539 --> 00:17:58.880 dembow drum pattern of reggaeton. Best of both 00:17:58.880 --> 00:18:02.000 worlds. In the context of 2019, that specific 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:05.119 sonic blend was arguably the dominant global 00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:07.420 sound. It was the ultimate musical bridge. A 00:18:07.420 --> 00:18:10.009 bridge. It allowed the track to be played seamlessly 00:18:10.009 --> 00:18:12.890 during a peak time set at an electronic festival 00:18:12.890 --> 00:18:16.089 in Belgium on a Top 40 pop radio station in the 00:18:16.089 --> 00:18:18.849 U .S. and in a reggaeton club in Puerto Rico. 00:18:19.809 --> 00:18:22.410 It is the sonic equivalent of a universal power 00:18:22.410 --> 00:18:25.450 adapter. A universal power adapter. I love that 00:18:25.450 --> 00:18:27.670 analogy. Now let's look at what they are actually 00:18:27.670 --> 00:18:29.849 saying over this mathematically compromised beat. 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:33.640 The track is bilingual featuring verses in both 00:18:33.640 --> 00:18:36.720 English and Spanish. The thematic content is 00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:38.759 exactly what you would expect given the title. 00:18:38.940 --> 00:18:41.069 It's about the app. It's about the Instagram 00:18:41.069 --> 00:18:44.029 app, the curation of lifestyle, and the concept 00:18:44.029 --> 00:18:46.930 of fleeting fame on social media. But there's 00:18:46.930 --> 00:18:49.410 a lyrical detail that caught me completely off 00:18:49.410 --> 00:18:52.009 guard. The fairy tale reference. Yes. Amidst 00:18:52.009 --> 00:18:54.430 all the modern tech references, there is an explicit 00:18:54.430 --> 00:18:57.369 reference to Peter Pan. Yes. That is a surprisingly 00:18:57.369 --> 00:19:00.009 literary juxtaposition for a club track. Right. 00:19:00.250 --> 00:19:02.910 You have this hypermodern, technologically dependent 00:19:02.910 --> 00:19:06.130 anxiety regarding social media fame. Right. The 00:19:06.130 --> 00:19:08.829 likes and views. The ephemeral nature of likes 00:19:08.829 --> 00:19:11.339 views. and 24 -hour stories contrasted directly 00:19:11.339 --> 00:19:13.740 with classical mythical imagery. Peter Pan, the 00:19:13.740 --> 00:19:16.619 boy who never grows up. Precisely. Yeah. And 00:19:16.619 --> 00:19:19.579 he resides in Neverland, a fantasy world isolated 00:19:19.579 --> 00:19:22.019 from the realities of time and consequence. OK, 00:19:22.140 --> 00:19:24.359 I see where this is going. The inclusion of Peter 00:19:24.359 --> 00:19:27.160 Pan acts as a rather poignant piece of literary 00:19:27.160 --> 00:19:30.220 irony. It can be interpreted as a commentary 00:19:30.220 --> 00:19:32.880 on how platforms like Instagram function as a 00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:35.559 modern digital Neverland. A digital Neverland. 00:19:35.900 --> 00:19:38.680 Users project these meticulously curated, eternally 00:19:38.680 --> 00:19:41.759 youthful, highly idealized fantasy versions of 00:19:41.759 --> 00:19:45.420 their lives. Nobody ages, nobody struggles. Everybody 00:19:45.420 --> 00:19:49.039 is perpetually on a yacht in Ibiza. That is incredibly 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:50.839 dark when you really think about it. A modern 00:19:50.839 --> 00:19:53.299 Neverland built on anxiety and ring lights. It 00:19:53.299 --> 00:19:55.359 is a bit dark. And speaking of Edge, there is 00:19:55.359 --> 00:19:57.259 another detail regarding the lyrics that is quite 00:19:57.259 --> 00:19:59.519 significant. The information we have notes that 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:02.579 this single is one of few explicit songs of Demetri 00:20:02.579 --> 00:20:05.579 Vegas and Like Mike. That detail is crucial for 00:20:05.579 --> 00:20:07.880 understanding the power dynamics of this collaboration. 00:20:08.039 --> 00:20:10.900 How so? In the world of mainstream festival -ready 00:20:10.900 --> 00:20:14.279 EDM, The world that Dimitri Vegas and like Mike 00:20:14.279 --> 00:20:17.440 dominate the focus is almost entirely on the 00:20:17.440 --> 00:20:19.960 instrumental drop, the kinetic energy, the communal, 00:20:19.980 --> 00:20:22.700 almost euphoric experience of the crowd. Everyone 00:20:22.700 --> 00:20:25.380 jumping together. The lyrics are usually secondary, 00:20:25.960 --> 00:20:29.220 often consisting of uplifting, universally palatable 00:20:29.220 --> 00:20:32.039 platitudes about love unity or dancing until 00:20:32.039 --> 00:20:34.769 the sun comes up. A very safe lyrics. Explicit 00:20:34.769 --> 00:20:37.269 lyrics are very rarely part of that formula because 00:20:37.269 --> 00:20:40.049 they can alienate commercial sponsors or restrict 00:20:40.049 --> 00:20:42.890 daytime radio play. So why allow it here? If 00:20:42.890 --> 00:20:44.950 they're trying to make a massive commercial hit, 00:20:45.029 --> 00:20:48.009 why risk the explicit tag? Because the pursuit 00:20:48.009 --> 00:20:51.069 of authenticity overrode the desire for a sanitized 00:20:51.069 --> 00:20:54.029 product. Authenticity. This strongly points to 00:20:54.029 --> 00:20:56.690 the creative leverage held by Daddy Yankee and 00:20:56.690 --> 00:20:59.509 Natty Natasha. They operate in the reggaeton 00:20:59.509 --> 00:21:02.410 and Latin trap spheres genres. where the lyrical 00:21:02.410 --> 00:21:05.089 content is inherently more unfiltered, more street 00:21:05.089 --> 00:21:07.490 level, and often explicit. It's just part of 00:21:07.490 --> 00:21:10.490 the genre. If Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike had 00:21:10.490 --> 00:21:12.890 demanded that Yankee and Natasha sanitize their 00:21:12.890 --> 00:21:15.269 verses to fit a traditional family -friendly 00:21:15.269 --> 00:21:18.069 EDM mold, the song would have lost its credibility 00:21:18.069 --> 00:21:19.490 with the Latin audience. They would have sounded 00:21:19.490 --> 00:21:22.049 like sellouts. Exactly. By allowing the track 00:21:22.049 --> 00:21:25.309 to carry an explicit tag, Dimitri Vegas and Like 00:21:25.309 --> 00:21:27.670 Mike demonstrated a willingness to step outside 00:21:27.670 --> 00:21:30.490 their operational comfort zone. They let the 00:21:30.490 --> 00:21:33.279 featured artists dictate the thematic boundaries 00:21:33.279 --> 00:21:35.680 to maintain the authentic edge of the culture 00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:37.700 they were borrowing from. It makes the crossover 00:21:37.700 --> 00:21:40.599 feel less like a corporate mandate and more like 00:21:40.599 --> 00:21:43.519 a genuine collision of worlds. Yes. So you have 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:46.880 this bilingual, mildly explicit genre blending 00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:49.680 Peter Pan referencing audio file. Quite a mix. 00:21:49.779 --> 00:21:52.720 But to truly conquer the global market in 2019, 00:21:52.880 --> 00:21:55.480 audio alone is insufficient. You need a visual 00:21:55.480 --> 00:21:57.460 narrative to anchor it. You have to visualize 00:21:57.460 --> 00:21:59.400 the vibe. And that brings us to the music video. 00:21:59.480 --> 00:22:02.029 The visual component is absolutely paramount. 00:22:02.250 --> 00:22:04.369 It functions not just as an accompaniment, but 00:22:04.369 --> 00:22:06.630 as the primary packaging for the products in 00:22:06.630 --> 00:22:09.049 the YouTube era. The music video dropped on the 00:22:09.049 --> 00:22:12.490 exact same day as the single July 5, 2019. It 00:22:12.490 --> 00:22:14.710 was uploaded straight to YouTube. And the first 00:22:14.710 --> 00:22:16.910 thing I noticed was the runtime. The length. 00:22:17.130 --> 00:22:19.410 The video clocks in at exactly three minutes 00:22:19.410 --> 00:22:22.089 and 36 seconds. But the official audio track 00:22:22.089 --> 00:22:25.269 is only three minutes and four seconds. 32 seconds 00:22:25.269 --> 00:22:28.009 difference. What happens in that extra 32 seconds? 00:22:28.089 --> 00:22:31.220 That additional time. is standard industry practice 00:22:31.220 --> 00:22:34.220 for high -budget visual treatments. It allows 00:22:34.220 --> 00:22:37.119 the director to establish a cinematic introduction, 00:22:37.420 --> 00:22:39.720 create narrative context before the music kicks 00:22:39.720 --> 00:22:42.819 in, or utilize an extended outro sequence. Setting 00:22:42.819 --> 00:22:45.619 the scene. This grounds the song in a specific 00:22:45.619 --> 00:22:48.359 physical environment or storyline, making it 00:22:48.359 --> 00:22:51.859 feel more like a short film and less like a static 00:22:51.859 --> 00:22:53.799 audio file. And the physical environment they 00:22:53.799 --> 00:22:56.150 chose to ground it in is key. As we mentioned, 00:22:56.230 --> 00:23:00.549 it was filmed entirely in Ibiza. The visual narrative 00:23:00.549 --> 00:23:03.670 is incredibly straightforward. It presents the 00:23:03.670 --> 00:23:07.410 DJs, Natty, Natasha, and Daddy Yankee at a massive 00:23:07.410 --> 00:23:10.230 outdoor party utilizing the Instagram app and 00:23:10.230 --> 00:23:11.769 eventually coming together to take a selfie. 00:23:11.930 --> 00:23:13.990 Very on brand. I want to try and paint this picture 00:23:13.990 --> 00:23:16.029 for you if you haven't seen it. Think of the 00:23:16.029 --> 00:23:19.210 most hyper saturated sun drenched aesthetic possible. 00:23:19.529 --> 00:23:22.710 Blindingly bright. You have crystal clear Mediterranean 00:23:22.710 --> 00:23:25.829 water luxury yachts bobbing in the background 00:23:25.829 --> 00:23:29.049 high end fashion and this assembly of global 00:23:29.049 --> 00:23:31.089 superstars just mingling and dancing. Living 00:23:31.089 --> 00:23:34.470 the dream. And the literal climax of the video, 00:23:34.730 --> 00:23:37.390 the thematic anchor of the entire multi -million 00:23:37.390 --> 00:23:40.470 dollar production, is the artists huddling together 00:23:40.470 --> 00:23:43.569 to take a selfie on their phones. It is the absolute 00:23:43.569 --> 00:23:47.289 epitome of marketing imitating lifestyle. How 00:23:47.289 --> 00:23:49.829 so? The music video is functioning as a high 00:23:49.829 --> 00:23:52.910 budget, highly stylized representation of an 00:23:52.910 --> 00:23:55.470 Instagram story. The whole video is a story. 00:23:55.630 --> 00:23:58.150 The act of taking a group selfie isn't just a 00:23:58.150 --> 00:24:00.970 fun, spontaneous moment captured on film. It 00:24:00.970 --> 00:24:04.549 is the core thesis of the project. It reinforces 00:24:04.549 --> 00:24:07.150 a very specific aspirational message to the viewer. 00:24:07.309 --> 00:24:09.529 Which is? We are living the reality that you 00:24:09.529 --> 00:24:12.230 consume on the app. We are the architects of 00:24:12.230 --> 00:24:14.509 this platform's culture, and this track is the 00:24:14.509 --> 00:24:16.630 official soundtrack to that lifestyle. So what 00:24:16.630 --> 00:24:19.109 does this all mean? You have this perfectly tailored, 00:24:19.390 --> 00:24:21.529 surgically engineered audio -visual package. 00:24:21.950 --> 00:24:24.069 You have the strategic midsummer release date, 00:24:24.150 --> 00:24:27.170 the multinational powerhouse roster, the meta 00:24:27.170 --> 00:24:29.750 -marketing loop, the genre -blending beat designed 00:24:29.750 --> 00:24:31.859 to play. everywhere all the ingredients are there 00:24:31.859 --> 00:24:34.480 did it work did the global pincer movement actually 00:24:34.480 --> 00:24:36.640 conquer the world that brings us to our next 00:24:36.640 --> 00:24:40.420 major area of analysis chart domination the numbers 00:24:40.420 --> 00:24:42.880 don't lie and looking closely at these numbers 00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:46.380 it truly is a tale of two hemispheres or rather 00:24:46.380 --> 00:24:48.740 a study in the hyper regional realities of the 00:24:48.740 --> 00:24:52.150 music industry The chart data is where the theoretical 00:24:52.150 --> 00:24:55.470 strategy meets the reality of consumer behavior. 00:24:55.950 --> 00:24:59.269 It allows us to track exactly how deeply this 00:24:59.269 --> 00:25:01.890 track penetrated different global markets and 00:25:01.890 --> 00:25:04.470 the anomalies are incredibly revealing. Let's 00:25:04.470 --> 00:25:06.490 do a deep dive into these global chart numbers 00:25:06.490 --> 00:25:09.470 because there are some wild variations that completely 00:25:09.470 --> 00:25:11.849 challenge the idea of a global hit. It wasn't 00:25:11.849 --> 00:25:13.630 uniform everywhere. I'm going to run through 00:25:13.630 --> 00:25:16.650 some of the peak positions from the 2019 to 2020 00:25:16.650 --> 00:25:19.450 weekly charts. In the Netherlands on the Dutch 00:25:19.450 --> 00:25:21.910 Top 40, it peaked at number five. Very high. 00:25:22.130 --> 00:25:24.329 And on their Singletop 100, it hit number six. 00:25:24.809 --> 00:25:27.549 In Belgium, specifically on the Ultra Top 50 00:25:27.549 --> 00:25:30.230 Flanders chart, it reached number seven. Consistent. 00:25:30.349 --> 00:25:32.990 Over in Romania on the Airplay 100, it hit a 00:25:32.990 --> 00:25:36.109 very solid number 16. In the U .S. on the Billboard 00:25:36.109 --> 00:25:38.690 Hot Dance Electronic Songs chart, it reached 00:25:38.690 --> 00:25:41.430 a respectable number 23. Those are incredibly 00:25:41.430 --> 00:25:43.730 strong numbers, particularly in the Benelux region, 00:25:44.329 --> 00:25:46.490 Belgium and the Netherlands. Right. That success 00:25:46.490 --> 00:25:50.089 is entirely logical. Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike 00:25:50.089 --> 00:25:53.549 are Belgian icons and the Afro bros are Dutch. 00:25:53.890 --> 00:25:55.829 Home field advantage? They leverage their home 00:25:55.829 --> 00:25:58.210 court advantage perfectly. The massive festival 00:25:58.210 --> 00:26:01.069 infrastructure in that region, events like Tomorrowland 00:26:01.069 --> 00:26:03.529 serve as an unparalleled promotional engine for 00:26:03.529 --> 00:26:05.539 these specific artists. But then you look at 00:26:05.539 --> 00:26:07.680 some other major markets, and the numbers drop 00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:10.359 off significantly. They do. In Germany, it peaked 00:26:10.359 --> 00:26:14.079 at number 29. In Austria, number 42. In Switzerland, 00:26:14.160 --> 00:26:17.079 number 53. A steady decline. Down in Colombia 00:26:17.079 --> 00:26:19.539 on the national report, it hit number 79. In 00:26:19.539 --> 00:26:22.799 Portugal, number 95. And here is the data point 00:26:22.799 --> 00:26:25.519 that genuinely shocked me. In France, on the 00:26:25.519 --> 00:26:28.619 SNEP chart, it peaked at number 104. Yes, that 00:26:28.619 --> 00:26:31.339 is a massive data anomaly that requires unpacking. 00:26:31.460 --> 00:26:33.700 Right. Why did it peak at number five in the 00:26:33.700 --> 00:26:35.480 Netherlands? but only scraped the bottom of the 00:26:35.480 --> 00:26:38.779 top 150 at number 104 in France. David Guetta 00:26:38.779 --> 00:26:42.099 is French. He is. He is arguably one of the most 00:26:42.099 --> 00:26:45.119 famous musical exports in French history. You 00:26:45.119 --> 00:26:46.859 assume that putting his name on a track alongside 00:26:46.859 --> 00:26:49.700 Daddy Yankee guarantees a top 20 debut on French 00:26:49.700 --> 00:26:52.180 radio at a bare minimum. You would assume that, 00:26:52.220 --> 00:26:55.240 but it highlights a crucial reality. Even with 00:26:55.240 --> 00:26:58.759 a megastar, you cannot override localized cultural 00:26:58.759 --> 00:27:00.960 and sonic preferences. The fans want what they 00:27:00.960 --> 00:27:03.910 want. The data. tells a story about hyper -regional 00:27:03.910 --> 00:27:07.130 tastes in dance music, even within the relatively 00:27:07.130 --> 00:27:09.269 small geographic footprint of Western Europe. 00:27:09.450 --> 00:27:12.150 How different can it be? Well, while Guetta is 00:27:12.150 --> 00:27:15.789 French, the specific sonic profile of Instagram... 00:27:15.839 --> 00:27:18.799 The heavy reggaeton influence mixed with the 00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:21.160 aggressive smash -the -house brand of Big Room 00:27:21.160 --> 00:27:24.180 EDM might have resonated far more strongly with 00:27:24.180 --> 00:27:26.160 the Dutch and Belgian club scenes in the summer 00:27:26.160 --> 00:27:29.019 of 2019 than it did with the French mainstream 00:27:29.019 --> 00:27:31.700 radio or streaming algorithms at that exact moment. 00:27:31.880 --> 00:27:33.849 They just weren't feeling it. The French market 00:27:33.849 --> 00:27:36.009 might have been favoring domestic rap, a different 00:27:36.009 --> 00:27:38.529 subgenre of electronic music or entirely different 00:27:38.529 --> 00:27:41.910 Latin crossovers. Interesting. It shows how fragmented 00:27:41.910 --> 00:27:44.130 the European music market truly is. A massive 00:27:44.130 --> 00:27:47.150 inescapable hit in Brussels is not guaranteed 00:27:47.150 --> 00:27:49.950 to translate to Paris, despite them being a short 00:27:49.950 --> 00:27:52.170 train ride apart. And there's another fascinating 00:27:52.170 --> 00:27:54.890 anomaly that proves your point right inside Belgium 00:27:54.890 --> 00:27:57.849 itself. The regional split. The data lists two 00:27:57.849 --> 00:28:00.269 separate Belgian charts, Flanders and Wallonia. 00:28:00.809 --> 00:28:02.650 Right. In the Flanders chart, which represents 00:28:02.650 --> 00:28:05.029 the Dutch -speaking northern region, it hit number 00:28:05.029 --> 00:28:07.930 seven. Smash hit. But in the Wallonia chart, 00:28:08.109 --> 00:28:10.289 the French -speaking southern region, it only 00:28:10.289 --> 00:28:13.559 reached number 24. A significant drop. So even 00:28:13.559 --> 00:28:15.500 within the borders of one single country, there 00:28:15.500 --> 00:28:17.900 was a massive split in how the song was received 00:28:17.900 --> 00:28:20.579 by the public. That is a perfect microcosm of 00:28:20.579 --> 00:28:23.819 how linguistic and cultural ties dictate music 00:28:23.819 --> 00:28:26.700 consumption. It follows the language lines. Exactly. 00:28:27.200 --> 00:28:29.660 The Flemish market is closely tied culturally, 00:28:30.079 --> 00:28:32.920 linguistically, and via media networks to the 00:28:32.920 --> 00:28:35.819 Netherlands. So it perfectly mirrored the massive 00:28:35.819 --> 00:28:37.680 Dutch success of the track. That makes perfect 00:28:37.680 --> 00:28:40.190 sense. The Walloon market has closer cultural 00:28:40.190 --> 00:28:42.750 and media ties to France and therefore mirrored 00:28:42.750 --> 00:28:44.710 the slightly cooler, more resistant reception 00:28:44.710 --> 00:28:47.250 we saw in the French market. Number 24 versus 00:28:47.250 --> 00:28:50.390 number 104. It performed better in Wallonia than 00:28:50.390 --> 00:28:53.309 in France itself, likely due to the sheer localized 00:28:53.309 --> 00:28:56.170 star power of Dimitri Vegas and like Mike as 00:28:56.170 --> 00:28:58.910 national Belgian figures. But the cultural divide 00:28:58.910 --> 00:29:01.509 is undeniably visible in the chart data. OK, 00:29:01.569 --> 00:29:04.150 here is the statistic that I found most interesting 00:29:04.150 --> 00:29:08.380 in the entire data set. It states that Instagram 00:29:08.380 --> 00:29:13.220 became Demetri Vegas and like Mike's most popular 00:29:13.220 --> 00:29:16.359 single on Shazam. That is an incredibly revealing 00:29:16.359 --> 00:29:19.539 metric regarding how the song interacted with 00:29:19.539 --> 00:29:21.779 the general public. Think about that context 00:29:21.779 --> 00:29:23.900 for a second. We just talked about their discography. 00:29:24.319 --> 00:29:26.740 These guys have tracks like The Hum and Tremor 00:29:26.740 --> 00:29:29.559 that have been played at almost every major EDM 00:29:29.559 --> 00:29:32.339 festival in the world for years. Decades almost. 00:29:32.579 --> 00:29:35.859 They are absolute anthems with hundreds of millions 00:29:35.859 --> 00:29:38.880 of streams. And yet this song Instagram was the 00:29:38.880 --> 00:29:40.960 one people were pulling their phones out to identify 00:29:40.960 --> 00:29:43.730 the most. Why do you think that is? Is it just 00:29:43.730 --> 00:29:45.849 because it was played in more mainstream environments? 00:29:46.089 --> 00:29:49.109 It links directly back to the bilingual genre 00:29:49.109 --> 00:29:52.349 fluid nature of the song and the universal power 00:29:52.349 --> 00:29:55.210 adapter concept we discussed earlier. When you 00:29:55.210 --> 00:29:59.130 hear tremor at a festival, you are likely already 00:29:59.130 --> 00:30:02.390 a fan of that specific genre or you are in an 00:30:02.390 --> 00:30:04.029 environment where you don't necessarily need 00:30:04.029 --> 00:30:06.170 to know the name of the track to enjoy the kinetic 00:30:06.170 --> 00:30:07.849 energy of the drop. You're just there jumping 00:30:07.849 --> 00:30:10.390 around? You are there for the experience, but 00:30:10.559 --> 00:30:13.220 Instagram was designed to infiltrate entirely 00:30:13.220 --> 00:30:15.700 different environments. Like where? Shopping 00:30:15.700 --> 00:30:19.720 malls, commercial radio beach clubs, casual backyard 00:30:19.720 --> 00:30:23.119 parties, clothing stores. So people are hearing 00:30:23.119 --> 00:30:25.599 it out in the wild. Right. When a casual listener, 00:30:25.779 --> 00:30:28.440 someone who doesn't necessarily follow EDM, hears 00:30:28.440 --> 00:30:31.000 a track that blends recognizable Latin rhythms 00:30:31.000 --> 00:30:34.140 with a massive dance hook, and they hear vocals 00:30:34.140 --> 00:30:37.279 in both English and Spanish. It creates a moment 00:30:37.279 --> 00:30:39.839 of friction and curiosity. What is the song? 00:30:40.019 --> 00:30:43.890 It feels familiar yet novel. It crosses the boundaries 00:30:43.890 --> 00:30:45.950 of what they typically listen to. So they pull 00:30:45.950 --> 00:30:48.269 out Shazam to identify it. That makes total sense. 00:30:48.450 --> 00:30:50.150 It reached demographics that wouldn't normally 00:30:50.150 --> 00:30:52.930 search for a Dimitri Vegas and Mike Festival 00:30:52.930 --> 00:30:55.630 track, which spiked its discovery metrics. And 00:30:55.630 --> 00:30:58.190 it clearly wasn't just a fleeting moment of curiosity 00:30:58.190 --> 00:31:00.630 either. If we look at the year -end charts, the 00:31:00.630 --> 00:31:03.029 longevity of the track is genuinely impressive. 00:31:03.150 --> 00:31:06.329 It stuck around. In 2019, it was the number 31 00:31:06.329 --> 00:31:09.029 song of the entire year in Belgian Flanders. 00:31:09.170 --> 00:31:12.990 Number 38 on the Dutch Top 40. 94 in Romania. 00:31:13.210 --> 00:31:15.950 Solid year -end placements. And number 78 on 00:31:15.950 --> 00:31:19.210 the U .S. Hot Dance Electronic Songs chart. But 00:31:19.210 --> 00:31:21.390 what's crazy is that it carried over into the 00:31:21.390 --> 00:31:24.710 next year. The 2020 chart. On the 2020 year -end 00:31:24.710 --> 00:31:27.109 charts, a full year after its release, it was 00:31:27.109 --> 00:31:30.369 still present, ranking number 86 in Belgium Flanders 00:31:30.369 --> 00:31:34.130 and number 52 in Romania. Being present on year 00:31:34.130 --> 00:31:36.309 -end charts across multiple countries for two 00:31:36.309 --> 00:31:39.259 consecutive years, proves that the strategy worked. 00:31:39.619 --> 00:31:41.720 It wasn't a fluke. It wasn't just a flash in 00:31:41.720 --> 00:31:45.140 the pan. It had a massive sustained tail. It 00:31:45.140 --> 00:31:47.940 successfully embedded itself into the cultural 00:31:47.940 --> 00:31:50.839 soundtrack of those specific regions. It became 00:31:50.839 --> 00:31:53.519 part of the fabric. It transitioned from being 00:31:53.519 --> 00:31:56.579 merely a heavily marketed summer hit to a staple 00:31:56.579 --> 00:31:58.940 catalog track that continued to generate steady 00:31:58.940 --> 00:32:02.039 streams, radio, airplay, and club spins long 00:32:02.039 --> 00:32:04.460 after the initial multi -million dollar promotional 00:32:04.460 --> 00:32:07.119 push ended. And that steady, years -long stream 00:32:06.990 --> 00:32:09.549 of AirPlay and searches translates directly into 00:32:09.549 --> 00:32:12.250 our final area of analysis, certifications and 00:32:12.250 --> 00:32:14.109 the economics of the hit. The business side. 00:32:14.390 --> 00:32:16.230 Because as much as we are analyzing this as a 00:32:16.230 --> 00:32:18.890 cultural artifact, it is fundamentally a highly 00:32:18.890 --> 00:32:20.769 lucrative commercial product. Oh, without a doubt. 00:32:20.920 --> 00:32:23.160 Let's look at the actual certifications this 00:32:23.160 --> 00:32:25.359 song achieved, because comparing the raw numbers 00:32:25.359 --> 00:32:27.759 provides a fascinating look at the global economy 00:32:27.759 --> 00:32:29.740 of music. It's a great economics lesson. OK, 00:32:29.740 --> 00:32:31.819 let's unpack this. In Belgium, the track went 00:32:31.819 --> 00:32:34.960 2x platinum, which represents 40 ,000 units sold 00:32:34.960 --> 00:32:37.940 or streamed. A huge success there. In Mexico, 00:32:38.059 --> 00:32:41.440 it went platinum for 60 ,000 units. Spain also 00:32:41.440 --> 00:32:44.059 awarded it platinum for 60 ,000 units. Consistent 00:32:44.059 --> 00:32:46.640 numbers. Poland gave it platinum for 20 ,000 00:32:46.640 --> 00:32:48.819 units. Then we get into the gold certifications. 00:32:49.220 --> 00:32:52.329 France certified it gold. for 100 ,000 units. 00:32:52.630 --> 00:32:55.569 Okay, 100 ,000 for gold. Germany also certified 00:32:55.569 --> 00:32:58.829 at gold, but it required 200 ,000 units to reach 00:32:58.829 --> 00:33:01.109 that status. Double the amount. Italy gave it 00:33:01.109 --> 00:33:04.630 gold for 35 ,000 units, Switzerland awarded gold 00:33:04.630 --> 00:33:07.869 for 10 ,000, and Portugal gave it gold for just 00:33:07.869 --> 00:33:10.829 5 ,000 units. The scaling is wild. How does that 00:33:10.829 --> 00:33:13.990 work? How is it that moving 5 ,000 units earns 00:33:13.990 --> 00:33:16.250 you a gold record in Portugal, but you need to 00:33:16.250 --> 00:33:19.170 move 200 ,000 units 40 times as much product 00:33:19.170 --> 00:33:21.609 to get that exact same gold plaque in Germany? 00:33:21.970 --> 00:33:24.650 It is a perfect practical lesson on market scaling 00:33:24.650 --> 00:33:28.119 and global music economics. Music certifications, 00:33:28.279 --> 00:33:30.920 gold, platinum, diamond, are not universally 00:33:30.920 --> 00:33:34.299 standardized global numbers. So there's no central 00:33:34.299 --> 00:33:36.980 rulebook? There is no central authority dictating 00:33:36.980 --> 00:33:39.960 that a hundred thousand streams equals gold everywhere. 00:33:40.799 --> 00:33:42.980 They are relative metrics established independently 00:33:42.980 --> 00:33:45.880 by each individual country's own music industry 00:33:45.880 --> 00:33:49.079 association. Who are they? For instance, SNEP 00:33:49.079 --> 00:33:52.539 governs the thresholds in France. BVMI sets them 00:33:52.539 --> 00:33:55.240 in Germany and so on. Okay. These thresholds 00:33:55.240 --> 00:33:58.019 are carefully determined by analyzing the overall 00:33:58.019 --> 00:34:01.039 size of the domestic music market, the total 00:34:01.039 --> 00:34:03.539 population size, and the historical purchasing 00:34:03.539 --> 00:34:05.720 power or streaming adoption rate within that 00:34:05.720 --> 00:34:07.920 specific country. So Germany just has a vastly 00:34:07.920 --> 00:34:10.360 larger consumer base for recording music than 00:34:10.360 --> 00:34:13.480 Portugal. So the bar for success is set proportionally 00:34:13.480 --> 00:34:15.920 higher. Exactly. Germany is historically one 00:34:15.920 --> 00:34:18.360 of the top four largest music markets in the 00:34:18.360 --> 00:34:20.599 entire world alongside the US, Japan and the 00:34:20.599 --> 00:34:23.440 UK. Wow. Top four. Therefore, the barrier to 00:34:23.440 --> 00:34:25.340 entry for a track to be officially recognized 00:34:25.340 --> 00:34:28.079 as a hit is much higher in terms of raw consumption 00:34:28.079 --> 00:34:30.699 numbers. And Portugal. Portugal has a significantly 00:34:30.699 --> 00:34:33.659 smaller population and a smaller overall music 00:34:33.659 --> 00:34:37.519 economy. Moving 5 ,000 units there represents 00:34:37.519 --> 00:34:40.619 a proportional level of national market penetration 00:34:40.619 --> 00:34:43.599 that is roughly equivalent to moving 200 ,000 00:34:43.599 --> 00:34:46.039 units in the massive German market. It's entirely 00:34:46.039 --> 00:34:47.980 relative to the size of the pond you are swimming 00:34:47.980 --> 00:34:50.780 in. But regardless of the threshold, if we connect 00:34:50.780 --> 00:34:54.519 this to the bigger picture, these certifications 00:34:54.519 --> 00:34:57.869 represent incredibly lucrative returns. Massive 00:34:57.869 --> 00:35:00.010 returns. While the song was a deeply collaborative 00:35:00.010 --> 00:35:02.889 artistic effort with nine songwriters, these 00:35:02.889 --> 00:35:05.230 numbers represent massive revenue streams flowing 00:35:05.230 --> 00:35:08.110 back to the stakeholders across multiple, entirely 00:35:08.110 --> 00:35:11.130 separate economic zones. It's a diversified portfolio. 00:35:11.329 --> 00:35:13.590 You have the royalties from 40 ,000 units in 00:35:13.590 --> 00:35:16.889 Belgium, 200 ,000 from Germany, 100 ,000 from 00:35:16.889 --> 00:35:19.829 France, 60 ,000 from Mexico. All of these are 00:35:19.829 --> 00:35:22.170 separate economies generating income. All funneling 00:35:22.170 --> 00:35:24.010 back to the rights holders. And remember, the 00:35:24.010 --> 00:35:26.760 single was released by Smash the House, so Dimitri 00:35:26.760 --> 00:35:30.199 Vegas and, like, Might's label is acting as the 00:35:30.199 --> 00:35:33.340 primary hub for a massive portion of this global 00:35:33.340 --> 00:35:35.780 commerce. By the bank. By bringing in an artist 00:35:35.780 --> 00:35:38.800 like Daddy Yankee to tap into the Mexican and 00:35:38.800 --> 00:35:41.639 Spanish markets, where it went platinum, and 00:35:41.639 --> 00:35:44.480 utilizing Guetta to solidify the French and German 00:35:44.480 --> 00:35:47.539 markets, they effectively diversified their economic 00:35:47.539 --> 00:35:50.860 portfolio with a single three -minute audio asset. 00:35:51.300 --> 00:35:54.059 We connect this to the bigger picture. It's an 00:35:54.059 --> 00:35:57.159 incredibly efficient use of resources. They utilize 00:35:57.159 --> 00:35:59.440 the cultural capital of their collaborators to 00:35:59.440 --> 00:36:02.420 open up entirely new revenue streams in territories 00:36:02.420 --> 00:36:04.440 where they previously had a smaller footprint. 00:36:04.820 --> 00:36:06.539 It's just staggering when you look at it from 00:36:06.539 --> 00:36:08.739 that macro perspective, a single three -minute 00:36:08.739 --> 00:36:11.940 asset generating that kind of complex multi -continental 00:36:11.940 --> 00:36:14.440 economic web. It's a marvel of modern industry. 00:36:14.519 --> 00:36:16.300 It really changes the way you look at a track 00:36:16.300 --> 00:36:18.099 when it randomly pops up on your streaming service 00:36:18.099 --> 00:36:20.619 on a Tuesday. It definitely should. Well, that 00:36:20.619 --> 00:36:22.320 brings us to the end of our deconstruction of 00:36:22.320 --> 00:36:24.960 this particular track. We have followed the journey 00:36:24.960 --> 00:36:27.739 of Instagram all the way from a conceptual, heavily 00:36:27.739 --> 00:36:31.860 populated 2018 studio session through a highly 00:36:31.860 --> 00:36:35.179 strategic, Ibiza drenched meta marketing rollout 00:36:35.179 --> 00:36:38.239 in the summer of 2019. What a journey. And we 00:36:38.239 --> 00:36:40.639 tracked its fascinating path across the global 00:36:40.639 --> 00:36:44.079 charts to becoming a multi -platinum bilingual 00:36:44.079 --> 00:36:46.840 mega hit. It successfully bridged the distinct, 00:36:47.400 --> 00:36:50.429 often isolated worlds of Europe. European, Big 00:36:50.429 --> 00:36:53.900 Room EDM, and Latin reggaeton. It really proved 00:36:53.900 --> 00:36:56.400 that with the right combination of massive stars, 00:36:56.500 --> 00:36:59.360 producers, and market timing, you really can 00:36:59.360 --> 00:37:02.059 engineer a global cultural moment. You can build 00:37:02.059 --> 00:37:04.199 it from the ground up. So I hope that the next 00:37:04.199 --> 00:37:06.579 time you hear a song at a party or on a playlist 00:37:06.579 --> 00:37:08.900 that sounds like it was made by a small army 00:37:08.900 --> 00:37:10.840 of stars. When you check the credits on your 00:37:10.840 --> 00:37:12.800 phone. Right when you see five headline names 00:37:12.800 --> 00:37:14.699 on the track and nine writers in the credits 00:37:14.699 --> 00:37:17.420 and wonder how that happened, you now understand 00:37:17.420 --> 00:37:20.699 the precise data -driven cross -cultural machinery 00:37:20.699 --> 00:37:22.960 that put it there. It isn't an accident. No, 00:37:23.159 --> 00:37:25.599 it is architecture. It is modern architecture 00:37:25.599 --> 00:37:28.440 at its finest. And as we wrap up our analysis 00:37:28.440 --> 00:37:30.820 of Instagram, this raises an important question 00:37:30.820 --> 00:37:32.960 for you to mull over regarding the longevity 00:37:32.960 --> 00:37:35.219 of pop music. That's the question. When a group 00:37:35.219 --> 00:37:37.739 of artists writes a song that heavily relies 00:37:37.739 --> 00:37:40.780 on the cultural permanence of a specific technology 00:37:40.780 --> 00:37:44.219 brand, like the Instagram app in the late 2010s, 00:37:44.579 --> 00:37:47.320 what happens to the legacy of that song? 20, 00:37:47.320 --> 00:37:49.519 30, or even 50 years down the line. When the 00:37:49.519 --> 00:37:52.500 app is gone. Exactly. Technology is inherently 00:37:52.500 --> 00:37:55.599 transient. When the platform inevitably evolves 00:37:55.599 --> 00:37:58.039 beyond recognition or if it disappears entirely, 00:37:58.480 --> 00:38:00.800 does the song transcend its title to become a 00:38:00.800 --> 00:38:03.679 timeless hit based purely on its rhythm and melody? 00:38:03.800 --> 00:38:05.860 Good question. Or does it become forever locked 00:38:05.860 --> 00:38:08.820 as a hyper -specific nostalgic time capsule of 00:38:08.820 --> 00:38:12.480 the late 2010s? It is a fascinating tension between 00:38:12.480 --> 00:38:15.480 capturing the current zeitgeist and aiming for 00:38:15.480 --> 00:38:17.980 musical immortality. That is a brilliant point 00:38:17.980 --> 00:38:20.059 to leave off on. Is it a timeless rhythm or is 00:38:20.059 --> 00:38:22.380 it a tech time capsule? I guess only time will 00:38:22.380 --> 00:38:24.179 tell how it ages. We will have to wait and see. 00:38:24.519 --> 00:38:26.099 Thank you so much for joining us for this deep 00:38:26.099 --> 00:38:28.320 dive. We'll be back soon to deconstruct another 00:38:28.320 --> 00:38:30.579 incredible topic for you. Until then, keep listening 00:38:30.579 --> 00:38:31.000 closely.