Streaming service naming & tagline

Although consumers have many options for streaming music, most subscription-based services focus solely on maximum music delivery and curation/recommendation algorithms. This data-driven environment provides little opportunity for artists and fans to interact in meaningful ways.

Two working musicians with tech expertise made it their mission to place artists at the center of the streaming experience, to give listeners an opportunity to go deeper with the music and artists they love. Catchword worked closely with them to develop an engaging, memorable name and tagline that would appeal to both artists and fans.

Ursa recalls Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (the Great Bear, also known as the Big Dipper, and the Little Bear/Little Dipper), lyrically suggesting a constellation of streaming services and the connections between music’s bright lights—artists, audience, music production team, and of course the music itself. It also subtly recalls the major and minor scales through that association. As a personal name with Latin origins, Ursa is friendly and international. The name focuses on the brand vision rather than its offering, enabling it to grow and evolve with the company.

The tagline “Music Extreaming” succinctly conveys the brand’s deeper, richer way of streaming music and balances the company name’s abstract poetry.

Since its launch at South by Southwest in 2019, Ursa has evolved into Ursa Live, a service that makes live streaming accessible and interactive while monetizing fan communities for emerging artists. The company is the first to launch an NFT marketplace, offering Web3 tools, for independent artists.

Award Winner
MUSE Creative Awards, Gold, Naming Excellence
MarCom Awards, Gold, Verbal Identity