Master Soundscape

label_quick_facts:

Master Soundscape

"Master Soundscape"

Song by Mike Shinoda

Length:

1:38

Producer:

Mike Shinoda

"Master Soundscape" is a reinterpretation by Mike Shinoda of Mastercard's music logo created as a part of the company's sound identity launched in 2019.

Background

After removing its name from the intertwining circles logo in a bid to gain recognition as a "symbols brand", Mastercard debuted a new sonic brand identity in February 2019 using the "Sound On" slogan as a means to stay ahead in the conversational commerce. Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing and communications officer for Mastercard, explained, “Sound adds a powerful new dimension to our brand identity and a critical component to how people recognize Mastercard today and in the future. We set out an ambitious goal to produce the Mastercard melody in a way that’s distinct and authentic, yet adaptable globally and across genres. It is important that our sonic brand not only reinforces our presence, but also resonates seamlessly around the world.”

Mike Shinoda wrote, "I was asked by @mastercard to reinterpret their new “mogo,” a music logo they debuted this week. Thanks to Raja and co. for making me a part of your new #sonicbrand" Talking about the project, he said, "I've been lucky to have a lot different experiences in ways of making music, people I've made music with from Jay-Z to Paul McCartney to Metallica. I'm Mike Shinoda, I'm a musician and an artist and a producer. When I heard about the Mastercard anthem I thought 'there's actually a lot of room to explore in this project.' My challenge was finding creative ways to approach that that feel simultaneously modern and human. One of the things that I liked about the notes is that when I started to play the music in different instruments they all of suddenly jumped to other cultures and that to me was so important. The tiniest little things can actually make a big difference at the end of the day."

The melody plays when customers interact with the brand in-store (point of sale or payment acceptance sounds) or online and use Mastercard on voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri or Google Assistant.

In order to maintain a consistent global brand voice, Mastercard tapped musicians, artists and agencies from across the globe to record different versions of it. The sound was adapted for different situations, with varying instruments and tempos to help deliver the Mastercard melody in several unique styles with adaptations across genres and cultures. Other variations of the theme include "Cinematic", "Playful", "Bogota", "Cape Town", "Dubai", "Mumbai" and "Operatic". Mastercard also enlisted the help of songwriter and producer Niclas Molinder and Swedish artist Nadine Randle to produce an original song titled "Merry Go Round" which integrates the company's brand values and sonic identity. "The uniquely flexible sonic melody adds a dynamic dimension to ‘Merry Go Round’ that conveys both passion and optimism - two key tenets of Mastercard’s identity, and important takeaways from the song itself," said the singer.

Versions

Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.

Studio

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Master Soundscape		1:38			Uploaded to YouTube on February 08, 2019.
Cinematic		1:09			Uploaded to YouTube on February 08, 2019.
Playful		1:10			Uploaded to YouTube on February 08, 2019.
Bogota		1:10			Uploaded to YouTube on February 08, 2019.
Cape Town		1:55			Uploaded to YouTube on February 08, 2019.
Dubai		1:40			Uploaded to YouTube on February 08, 2019.
Mumbai		1:07			Uploaded to YouTube on February 08, 2019.
Operatic		1:21			Uploaded to YouTube on February 08, 2019.

Gallery

• 
  YouTube thumbail
• 
  Mike Shinoda and Raja Rajamannar