Following the successful collaborations with Lil Nas X’s virtual concert in November 2020 and the Zara Larsson Launch Party in May 2021, Roblox and Sony Music Entertainment have announced new partnership with each other. The new, strategic partnership will bring more Sony music recording artists into the Roblox metaverse. Under the agreement, Roblox and Sony Music Entertainment will work together to develop innovative music experiences for the Roblox community that offer a range of new commercial opportunities for Sony Music artists to reach new audiences and generate new revenue streams around virtual entertainment.
“Sony Music has been a fantastic partner and I am pleased to deepen and lengthen our relationship. They truly understand the massive opportunity that the metaverse presents for their artists and we are committed to helping them unlock new creative and commercial opportunities on Roblox,” said Jon Vlassopulos, Vice President and Global Head of Music, Roblox. “We are just scratching the surface of what Roblox can deliver to the music industry and to music fans around the world.”
Dennis Kooker, President, Global Digital Business and U.S. Sales, Sony Music Entertainment, said “Sony Music artists have been at the forefront of engaging the millions of music fans in Roblox’s massive user community with forward-looking initiatives like Lil Nas X’s industry-first virtual performance on the platform, and Zara Larsson’s recent listening party event. With this new agreement, we look forward to expanding our successful partnership with the Roblox team to further unlock commercial opportunities at the intersection of music and gaming. Immersive online environments represent a meaningful opportunity for reaching a growing number of fans who want to use virtual communities to enjoy shared music experiences.”
Lil Nas X’s virtual concert was viewed by over 36 million people. The event included the debut of the song Holiday and included virtual merchandise sales, mini-games, a scavenger hunt, an exclusive behind-the-scenes interview with Lil Nas X, and other interactive activities.
The Launch Party also broke records with over four million visits for Zara Larsson. This is the highest number of recorded visits for a launch party on Roblox to date. The Dance Party took place in and around a virtual rendering of Zara’s Swedish lake house and also featured mini-games, interactive challenges, and exclusive virtual merchandise sales.
We’ll have to wait and see who comes next to Roblox and what they plan to do within the Metaverse under this new partnership.