How Paris Texas grew their fanbase and album saves with Sonikit

Case StudiesApril 16, 2024

When genre-breaking duo Paris Texas dropped their latest album Mid Air, they didn’t just serve up bangers—they transported fans to a wild, dystopian Mars landscape packed with hard-hitting beats and twisted visuals.

To bring this world to life, the band’s team at The Orchard collaborated with Wayward Creative and Sonikit to create a truly immersive, gamified music experience. The result was Mars Mayhem: a browser-based motocross game that let fans race through Mars, collect items, and stream the album in real-time while competing for high scores.

🕹️ The Experience: Gameplay Meets Music Discovery

Paris Texas fans didn’t just hear Mid Air—they experienced it.

Here’s how the campaign worked:

Players launched into a firt-person motocross game set on Mars
Fans collected cigs, pills, and purple drinks while dodging obstacles
Each checkpoint synced with a new track from the album
The full album streamed via Spotify, Apple Music, or TIDAL, depending on the fan’s choice
The longer fans played and listened, the more points they earned—and the deeper they got into the sonic universe of Mid Air

The result was a visceral, engaging album rollout that didn’t just showcase the music—it turned it into a ride.

⚙️ How Sonikit Powered the Campaign Behind the Scenes

🎨 1. Seamless, Custom Pre-Save Integration

Using Sonikit’s custom embed, the team integrated the pre-save experience directly into the site:

No redirects to third-party platforms
Full visual and UX control for Wayward Creative
Pre-saves became a natural part of the gameplay, not a roadblock

With support for Spotify, Apple Music, and TIDAL, fans could connect, stream, and engage—all without leaving the page.

📱 2. Fan Data Collection with Built-in SMS Opt-Ins

Sonikit’s pre-save form also included optional phone number capture, which gave the team a powerful first-party data asset for direct SMS messaging:

Fans who opted in could receive SMS updates about album drops, merch, and tour announcements
No need for external sign-up forms—data capture was built into the game flow

📊 3. Detailed Fan Insights

Sonikit’s backend fan analytics made it easy for The Orchard and Wayward Creative to monitor campaign performance in real time:

Conversion rates for pre-saves across platforms
Geo and device data to understand fan demographics
SMS opt-in rates and fan engagement over time
Tracking which streaming platforms were most used by players

This allowed the team to optimize their retargeting and messaging strategy throughout the album cycle.

📈 4. On-Site Retargeting and Ad Pixel Support

By keeping fans on the same domain throughout the experience, the team retained full control over:

Meta (Facebook) Pixel and Google Ads tracking
Custom UTMs for segmented targeting
Retargeting audiences built around actual engagement (not just page views)

This meant more relevant ads, higher ROI, and better fan conversion—even after the campaign ended.

🏆 Results at a Glance

✅ High on-site engagement with average session time well above typical landing pages
✅ Strong pre-save conversion rates across Spotify, Apple Music, and TIDAL
✅ Thousands of fan SMS opt-ins captured during the campaign window
✅ Increased streaming activity tied directly to interactive checkpoints
✅ First-party data collected for ongoing marketing beyond the launch

🎯 What This Means for Music Marketers

The Mid Air campaign is a blueprint for how to:

Turn album rollouts into interactive, immersive fan experiences
Use on-site pre-saves to maintain creative control and collect valuable fan data
Integrate streaming, analytics, and engagement tools into a single campaign flow
Build sustainable, retargetable audiences through SMS and advertising data capture

Whether you’re managing a breakout indie act or launching a high-concept major label project, Sonikit’s flexible tools help bring ambitious ideas to life—without compromising performance.