Grammy-winning composer, producer, arranger and guitarist Nile Rodgers, co-founder of the band Chic (“Le Freak,” “Good Times”), has teamed with Michael Ostin, former president of Warner Bros. Records and DreamWorks Records, to launch NILE-Evoke, a music venture catering to the ad business. 

Partnered with Rodgers and Ostin in NILE-Evoke are chief creative officer Marco Vitali and chief (music) intelligence officer Blake Spiers, the “Evoke” of NILE-Evoke. Vitali and Spiers spent eight years creating sonic branding for leading brands, under the roof of various agencies before joining their “evoke” consultancy with Rodgers and Ostin.

Rodgers announced the new shop during his recent keynote session at SXSW, relating to his audience, “Over the last four decades, I’ve been behind some of the biggest evolutions in music. Now I believe the future of music will be with brands, which is why I created NILE-Evoke. We created something special we call ‘music intelligence’ so brands can have all the tools, innovation and access to really take advantage of this opportunity.”

NILE-Evoke will activate “music intelligence” for brands by putting a sophisticated lens to music, bringing together music industry notables, branding strategists and strategic partners across tech, media and live events. Among those key strategic partners are F# (digital music advertising), The Wild Honey Pie (live events), Veritonic (music testing), and Media Crossing (media).

Ostin serves as managing director of NILE-Evoke. His accomplishments include signing and/or coordinating the careers of artists like Madonna, Green Day, Prince, Van Halen, Dire Straits, Talking Heads, Seal, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Paul Simon, Jane’s Addiction, Rod Stewart, and REM.

Vitali’s extensive experience includes having written and recorded with artists like Rodgers, Quincy Jones Wu Tang Clan, Ceelo Green, Organized Noize, Peter Wolf, Q Tip and Pete Rock. With a Juilliard degree and MBAs in marketing and finance, Vitali will helm NILE-Evoke’s analytical approach to music strategy as well as the shop’s creative vision.

Spiers has worked with such brands as Chase and Colgate, garnering industry awards like an ABA for music strategy. He now oversees music strategy and NILE-Evoke’s music intelligence offerings and capabilities. He additionally serves as chief architect of NILE-Evoke’s strategy partnerships.