B/D®JAMS:Byusforus
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8.18.22

Press

Date Published (8.18.22)

Read Time 0 Min

What started as a morale booster during the pandemic became a weekly ritual for our agency.

Press

B/D® JAMS: By us for us
(8.18.22)

“Music Is the Food of Soul” -Arthur Schopenhauer

Music has always been at the heart of BASIC/DEPT® as an agency. From blasting music in our offices across speakers to planning concert and festival hangs, music was the glue that kept our people close.

But then the pandemic hit, and we were all told to work remotely in our homes until further notice. Though we were playing our own tunes to ourselves, it just wasn’t the same. But music always finds a way.

It started with a playlist shared by an employee during a weekly remote meeting. That turned into a ritual, which picked up steam. Soon, people were raising their hands to make the next playlist, and each time we got to know each other a little better. Over the 2 years that we’ve kept it rolling, we’ve had about 56 playlists shared by over 35 employees so far.

Each playlist is a unique window into the soul for the listener, and a moment of uninhibited self-expression for the curator. Rap, rock, dance, disco, funk, country — the music we’ve shared has spanned the gamut of hot new tracks, guilty pleasures and everything in between.

The excitement around “JAMS” inspired a team of designers and developers to turn the idea into a digital jukebox for the world to explore. We collaborated with Eric Van Holtz of Van Holtz Co., while Jake Whiteley found an innovative way to power the experience with a Spotify Web API integration.

We’re stoked to finally share with the world the music that brings us together, shapes our culture, and inspires the work that we put into the world.

Explore B/D® JAMS.

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