Delta's new boarding playlist, just in time for the long weekend

This week, passengers boarding Delta airplanes started hearing something different. No, not the sound of passengers trying to jam their stuffed suitcases into the overhead compartments to avoid baggage fees, but a new music playlist, put together by Pasadena-based music branding agency DMI.

On the boarding soundtrack? Artists such as Alicia Keys, Jack Johnson, Sheryl Crow, Natasha Bedingfield, Sara Bareilles, Newton Faulkner and Zero 7. You can see the full list below, and listen to a mix of it here.

The airline was looking for a way to enhance its customers' experience, said Chris Babb, Delta's product manager of in-flight entertainment and media. It sought a "sound," he said, that would jive with its brand: up-and-coming artists.

It wouldn't be a stretch to say the airline industry is hurting these days, so it seems strange that Delta would be spending money on in-flight music when customers might rather, for example, get more pretzels or not have to pay extra for checked luggage. But music isn't that big of an expense, Babb said.

"It adds to the atmosphere, so it's not something we're thinking of cutting," he said. "It's part of our differentiation strategy."

So how does one begin to come up with a playlist that differentiates the experience of boarding a Delta plane from the experience of boarding another? It's all about the way the music makes passengers feel, said Tena Clark, CEO of DMI. The agency tried to choose music that would make people relaxed, but also feel upbeat and positive. "We wanted something that was chill and gave a nice, mid-tempo factor that was uplifting but not obtrusive," she said.

We'll see if customers sing the praises of the new playlist. But I'm wondering if is it a bad omen that Delta's now-defunct low-cost carrier was called Song?

The full playlist, after the jump ...

They're calling the July 2008 playlist "Soak Up the Sun."

Jason Mraz: I'm Yours
Alicia Keys: Like You'll Never See Me Again
John Mayer: Say
Angelique Kidjo: Mysterious Ways
Jack Johnson: If I Had Eyes
Leona Lewis: Whatever It Takes
Cirque Du Soleil: Kooza, Track 10
Sara Bareilles: Bottle It Up
Michael Buble: Everything
Zero 7: Throw It All Away
Goldfrapp: Happiness
Asia Cruise: Selfish
Newton Faulkner: Dream Catch Me
Sheryl Crow: Peace Be Upon Us
Duffy: Serious
Jakob Dylan: Something Good This Way Comes

They're calling the August list "Let's Go!"
Jem: It's Amazing
Bitter:Sweet: Neurosis
Maroon 5: Won't Go Home Without You
Duffy: Warwick Avenue
Imogen Heap: Goodnight and Go
Weepies: Hideaway
Matt Nathanson: Come On Get Higher
Colbie Caillat: Midnight Bottle
India.Arie: Heart of the Matter
Coldplay: Strawberry String
Regina Spektor: On the Radio
Natasha Bedingfield: Say It Again
Tristan Prettyman: Madly
Matt Wertz: "5:19"
Kimberley Locke: I Could
Aimee Mann: Great Beyond
Mindi Abair: On and On

-- Alana Semuels

Semuels, a Times staff writer, covers marketing and the L.A. tech scene.

Photo by Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press

Comments

[Domingo A. Trassens]

Please Delta! We will welcome your technology innovation after that…Before the boarding play-list, solve the key “customer services” problems:
1) Organize all with a reasonable space among the seats.
2) Don’t charge additional fees for the normal luggage
3) Don’t charge additional fees for the aisle and windows seats
4) Don’t cancel the flights when the airplane is not full
Did you forget what are the priorities of the airplane trip…??!!! The technology doesn't help when the passengers are upset because they don't have enough space and they have to pay additional fees for normal services...

Domingo
http://www.comlab-corp.com
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