Hewlett-Packard is launching HP Lounge, a music streaming service which will be available for free to consumers who purchase a brand new HP Computer. In a marketing move to make HP computers more attractive to a younger demographic with the inclusion of everyone's favourite pastime, music.

HP has partnered up with Universal Music Group to offer all brand new consumers one year of free music to people located in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

15 years ago, Lars Ulrich of Metallica become the most hated man in the music industry for taking away Napster. This P2P music service, created in 1999 by Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker, allowed people to get free music illegally by downloading MP3 files from other users’ computers.

Little did this couple of college freshmen know that what they had created back then would pave the way for a digital revolution of gigantic proportions with the rise of downloading services like iTunes and music streaming services. The important point though is that music fans did not want to pay for music 15 years ago, and not much has changed now.

In our blog, we are often speaking about the #PowerOfMusic for brands and how music can lead to an emotional connection with their audience.

Today, at Tuned Global, we wanted to explore how music can have a strong impact on our emotions and the way we feel.

The Brooklyn record label, UNO NYC, released on Wednesday 15th of July a music app that only works on the Williamsburg Bridge.

It tailors a new 2 track playlist daily to your exact location on the East River overpass.

The "local’s" local station, WBBR is only broadcast on the bridge. The app switches on automatically when you arrive at the bridge and plays fast-paced songs as you move up the bridge and more chilled low-tempo tracks as you travel down towards land.

Brands need to consider digital music as a key part of their content marketing strategies, in order to deeply connect with their customers and build loyal relationships by offering positive experiences through music.

Today’s marketers are astutely aware of the vast changes in digital music consumption with 67% of music consumers now listening to music online according to the 2014 Nielsen Music Report.

While Edison’s ‘Share of Ear’ study said that people spend an average of four hours and five minutes each day consuming audio, meaning music is their top form of entertainment.

It goes without saying that an effective way into a consumers heart is through their ears!! And Gwen Stefani and MasterCard are doing just that with their new collaboration, they've joined forces in an interactive and engaging marketing campaign in the next series of "Priceless Surprises".

The credit card company, have been enlisting the help of popular singers such as Justin Timberlake in previous ad campaigns to their current muse, Grammy award winner Gwen Stefani. The concept is simple, the consumer needs to use their MasterCard with the Apple Pay function in order to be "surprised" with prizes such as concert tickets, to golf experiences, to meeting the Rock Goddess herself! With digital marketing being at the core of this very flashy ad, #PricelessSurprises is the campaign's hashtag which is being used to drive social media engagement for this fun and rewarding marketing strategy.