When Google Play took over an entire UK TV ad break earlier this summer, it wasn’t just a marketing stunt: it was a battle cry.

The first-of-its-kind Channel 4 commercial presented a performance from artist-of-the-moment Sam Smith, streamed live from a gig at Camden’s Roundhouse. Aired during flagship Friday night show Alan Carr’s Chatty Man, it cost a pretty penny, but it did the trick: becoming a major talking point amongst both the public and the music industry.

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