Free The Beat

In 2019, Norwegian Cruise Line, the innovator in global cruise travel, set out to create the brand’s first ever global music library to have access to both custom and licensed songs for global brand use. Norwegian Cruise Line launched ‘Free The Beat’ and enlisted the industry’s top songwriters, artists and creators to freely write and create while setting sail on cruises to Alaska and Hawaii.

The program launched with multi-platinum recording artist and songwriter Andy Grammer, who hosted the first seven-day songwriters cruise from Seattle to Alaska with writers from Family Affair Productions. Content and new music were inspired by exploring the Mendenhall Glacier, snorkeling among the marine life, and experiencing Alaska’s native culture. The first cruise culminated in 10 Norwegian-inspired songs for the music library.

The second cruise featured seven songwriters from Warner Chappell Music setting sail out of Honolulu, Oahu on a seven-day cruise to the islands of Hawaii, on Norwegian’s ship Pride of America, with host Kellie Pickler. The content and music created on this sailing was inspired by an early morning sunrise atop Haleakala, Maui’s massive volcano, snorkeling with dolphins in Kona, viewing of waterfalls and tropical gardens in Kaua’i and the native culture at a local luau. Ten new Norwegian-inspired songs were created for the continued growth of the brand’s first global music library.

In addition to the two cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line also licensed never-before-heard tracks from Warner Chappell Music to add to the global music library, making the library a diverse, and robust, grouping of exclusive and uncut music. To date, the brand has over 20 exclusive songs in the library thanks to the talent of songwriters from the “Free the Beat” program, as well as never-before-heard licensed tracks.