In the month following announcements, both brands saw a similar earned media value (basically what it would cost to buy the same number of impressions on social), and audience overlap for either brand and the artist is only slightly higher for Coca-Cola amongst daily active users on Facebook. So for the brands: not much difference.

But for the artist on the other hand — a track-level comparison shows that there is a much bigger impact from the Lincoln campaign. In the three months following the release of the “Love is the Answer” interactive video,

NOW, GETTING AT WHY ONE CAMPAIGN DROVE MORE ATTENTION FOR THE ARTIST THAN ANOTHER, IS STILL UP FOR DEBATE.

the version on Aloe Blacc’s Vevo page was viewed 11,000 times a day on average. That is 28x the daily average for “The World Is Ours.” The nature of the campaign could be a factor, perhaps people responded better to a tailored, interactive video than to one of many promotional releases during an already saturated World Cup season. Or it could all come down to the song itself.

As for brands working with more than one artist, Target has over the years worked out a tried and tested formula for artist collaboration. The brand works with several artists each year to release exclusive extended versions of albums, available only through the retailer. Among the artists that worked with Target this year are Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Sam Smith, and Trey Songz.

Interestingly enough, it is some of the lesser known, break-out artists that have led to the highest earned media value for the brand. For instance, while Taylor Swift has 25x the number of followers on Facebook as Sam Smith, and 15x the audience overlap with Target, the brand saw $1.8 million in earned media value in the month following the Sam Smith release, compared to only $663,000 for the Swift release.

And last, but not least, we couldn’t fail to mention the amazing comeback for Salt-N-Pepa that happened by way of insurance giant Geico this year. The ad featuring “Push It,” released in late November, quickly snapped the band back on the map as evidenced by an uptick in YouTube detections and Wikipedia page views. And what is more, the brand saw an earned media value of more than $1.8 million. Like we said. Win; win.

Fair enough. But who should I be working with then?

So if you represent a brand, and you’re on the bandwagon of “we need to nail down a killer artist to work with and cultivate,” where do you start? There are hundreds of thousands of seemingly viable candidates, creating music, playing shows — and let’s be honest, not every one of them is going to be the Next Big Sound. In fact, very few of them are.

So we’ve pulled a few highlights for you: artists that are on the rise, with both the data and the talent to back them up, and who brands should seek to work with before the price tag gets too high.

You probably recognize the name, as Smallpools quickly became an industry darling after the online release of their track “Dreaming” in 2013, but the long wait for a full-length release is about to come to an end, catapulting their alt pop soundtrack to the top of the charts. Smallpools’ tour de force of popularity is their online fan base, driving steady, organic growth for the band over the past few years, and setting the stage for success.

As for previous alignment with brands, Smallpools made a big splash when partnering with Snapchat for the launch of their Stories feature, catapulting the promoted track to the top 20 on iTunes. Now their label team is casting a wide net for prospective brands to partner with, because the more important element is that the campaign is tailored to the artist. The scale of these partnerships can range from one-off promotions, to nation-wide television campaigns, but it all comes down what works for the band and brand.

It’s all coming up roses for James Bay. A few months out from dropping the singer-songwriter’s debut LP The Chaos and the Calm, he’s not only collecting accolades such as the BRITs Critics’ Choice Award at home, but making inroads in the US market.

Bay has already landed a few significant brand collaboration deals overseas. For instance, a live-streamed performance from the Burberry Prorsum runway sent the fashion community into a frenzy on Twitter. Whether acoustic or with a full band behind him, Bay has the power to instantly grab an audience with his raw, refreshing sound.

When talking about what’s in store for 2015, Bay’s team sees brand partnerships as a fundamental piece of the puzzle — an opportunity to get him in front of new audiences. Ideal partners are fashion, tech, instrument, or even automotive brands whose image fits that of the young artist, bound to be one of the big breakthroughs of 2015.

Sheppard are all about the fun, feel-good pop, and have already swept their native Australia, going 5x platinum with their addictive lead single “Geronimo.” The next step is releasing their LP in the US, where traction in radio airplay and YouTube detections indicates a warm welcome this spring.

Sheppard have already landed a few syncs in the Australian and European markets, from Subway Australia, to Hyundai Italy. The profile for brands the band is seeking to work with are young, hip, but influential brands such as Converse, Red Bull, Virgin or Urban Outfitters. Given Sheppard’s grassroots background, authentic vibe, broad appeal, and high likelihood of mainstream success — brands seeking a home-run with younger audiences should look no further.

It’s all happening! We’re no longer flailing around in the dark.

So, what? What does this tell us? This report is intended to give you insight into what is going on with the music industry. How much we are consuming online, how we are consuming online, and what steps the music industry is taking to adjust to this new landscape. The overall numbers, the user behavior, the successes and the failures — they all tell the story of a vibrant industry that continues to flourish.

We love music. We always will. And we’ll always find a way to listen and support artists.