Marc Hazan (London, 1979), vice president of Spotify, likes football and music. Especially the rock of groups like U2, which not so long ago, in 2009, filled the Camp Nou just like Bruce Springsteen before. The youth of Xavi’s Barça and his principles, as well as the game and the impact that women’s Barça has generated throughout the world, have conquered him even more. To him and to Spotify, a company that wants to fill the Camp Nou with music and enthusiasm while waiting for the Espai Barça to become a reality. “Messi is not here, but many things can be done here,” confesses the business development director of the Swedish reproduction company before attending La Vanguardia on the first day of what is already his new home.
We are at the ‘Spotify Camp Nou’. How does it feel?
It is an honor to be here. It really makes me very proud to start this very special path together with FC Barcelona.
We see Ansu Fati, Pedri, Aubameyang, Alexia, Aitana and Mapi León on the new façade of the stadium. Are they your favourites?
We work with the club to choose the stars that appear. Personally I stay with Pedri. He is very young but he has already shown great talent both at Barça and the Spanish team. I also really like Gavi and of course Ansu Fati. There are many young people who shine in this Barça. And after the feminine one I stay with Alexia. We really wanted the faces of three female Barça players to appear. It is an honor to be associated with a team that has won so much.
It is the first time that sponsorship is shared in the male and female…
That’s how it is. We were talking about ways we could associate and the feminine came out. We love its appeal, the impact it generates and the values ??it conveys. I was at the Camp Nou when they broke the first world attendance record in a women’s football match against Real Madrid. I have been to many football matches in my life and it was a unique experience. They have a treble – Cup, League and Super Cup – and they won every game last season in La Liga, so it’s very difficult to top that. I wish the men’s team could do the same.
How did the agreement with the club begin to take shape?
We started negotiating at the end of 2021. We were very interested in the potential that working with such a powerful asset as the Camp Nou brings us. It is a unique opportunity to unite music and football in a way that has not been done before. We are studying a list of advantages that Barça members can have.
What goals does Spotify set?
We want to fill this stadium, which is an icon of the city of Barcelona and the world of football. Previously artists like U2 or Bruce Springsteen have achieved it and we are going to try to make it happen more.
They wanted to maintain confidentiality when giving the figures of the agreement. Why?
Spotify has agreements with all kinds of partners. Whether they are record labels, publishers, advertising clients, telecommunications companies, Google, etc… And as a company policy we do not disclose the terms of our agreements. The club was respectful of our way of proceeding.
They came to Barcelona, ??took a photo at the Camp Nou and even so the negotiations took time to seal. Was there a setback at any time?
We were here to watch a few games. And then, obviously, we do a lot of work over the phone and video conferences. Everything fit very well, there were no problems. Quite simply, all sponsorship agreements go through a negotiation and quality process and then another control process with audits that can take time.
Will we see names of artists on the Barça shirt?
Music and artists are the engine of this link, so the shirt will be one of the assets that we will exploit the most. We think it will be something very new. We also want to take action with the players in the squad that we are still shaping.
How do you imagine the hypothetical Barça playlist?
I think it should be a very diverse list. Because it must represent the players and players but also the fans. Although I dare to predict that reggaeton cannot be left out. But also some hip-hop, some rock and even some dance music.
What relationship did you have with former CEO Ferran Reverter?
He was in the talks when we started negotiating. The relationship was fantastic, just like with the rest of the interlocutors. In the end, this is a team effort that links many areas. We work with many people and with all of them it has gone fantastically well.
What role did Darren Dein play, who took a commission?
We work with a lot of people at the club, and he was one of them.
Have you noticed any negative reaction at the level of subscribers for example in Madrid since the day the agreement was announced?
The truth is, no. Spotify is a company that goes beyond the loyalty of fans to their clubs. Consider that there are very few people who do not like music.
How will the sponsorship agreement be carried out when Barça plays at Montjuïc?
We will continue to sponsor the shirt but we will not change the name of the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium.
How do you imagine the new Camp Nou?
Five or six times brighter and more beautiful than the current one, which already is. They have shown us the Espai Barça project with all the photos and videos and everything indicates that it will be fantastic, a historic space. It seems to us a modern and updated stadium but preserving the energy, history and heritage of this great club. We are very excited to be able to experience this journey with Barça during such an exciting period.
Do you know if they will share the sponsorship of the shirt with another company that appears on the sleeve?
I do not know. But there would be no problem. We will occupy the front part of the shirt and also the training elastics. And we have the stadium, obviously.
