Josh Neuman’s Post

Can Roblox and Fortnite become the new frontier of social media for musicians? 🤔- An article on Billboard Roblox and Fortnite are attracting millions of daily users, and the music industry is already taking notice. Many top-tier artists are already experimenting with virtual concerts and in-game items, but there's still much to learn about effectively engaging with these new audiences. Tony Barnes, our co-founder, advises that artists consider these platforms "a new community channel that needs to be nurtured." It's an "always-on strategy" that requires consistent engagement to resonate truly. Do you think these gaming platforms have the potential to become major music discovery channels? 🎧 Read more here! Billboard https://lnkd.in/dKgcsFuu #gaming #metaverse #musicindustry #roblox #fortnite

With Beat Galaxy on Roblox, we're not just re-imagining music discovery; we're reshaping how artists connect with superfans in the 3D internet era. Teaming up with Universal Music Group and collaborating closely with Roblox, Supersocial Inc. is pushing boundaries on the Roblox platform, empowering artists from UMG's labels with innovative ways to cultivate superfans and interact with them in a platform-native manner. The latest - #MaeStephens of UMG's EMI Records coming to life on Roblox! On March 28, history was made as we hosted the inaugural live artist meet and greet inside Beat Galaxy featuring the incredible Mae Stephens. Robloxians had the unprecedented opportunity to engage directly with Mae, asking questions about her music, her passions, and immersing themselves in her artistry. Leveraging Roblox's cutting-edge audio API and dynamic heads technology, users experienced an immersive encounter, as if Mae was right there beside them. Our collaboration didn't stop there. Working hand in hand with Mae Stephens, EMI, and UMG, we orchestrated a social media blitz to amplify the meet and greet. From leveraging Mae's existing social channels to tapping into her Discord server and Capsule UGC store on Roblox, we engineered a seamless user acquisition loop driving unparalleled awareness, traffic, and engagement. Since Mae Stephens' activation inside Beat Galaxy kicked off, the impact has been extraordinary. Her music has resonated, amassing over 76,000 in-game streams and clocking in more than 180,000 minutes of listening time. Not to mention, players have eagerly redeemed thousands of Mae Stephens UGC items, from her signature Pink Microphone to the beloved Piano Hands emote, favored by over 60,000 users. Bravo to everyone involved and big shoutout to our friends at UMG Alvaro G. Velilla Glenn Cooper Marc Lazarus and the wider EMI team, and to the Supersocial team. #BeatGalaxy #MusicDiscovery #Roblox #GenZ #GenAlpha #Superfans #SocialMediaMarketing #Innovation #UMG #EMIRecords #Supersocial

Platforms like Roblox and Fortnite give music artists from up-and-comers to icons an opportunity to connect directly and meaningfully with #GenZ and #GenAlpha around the world. I had the great chance to chat with Elias L. from Billboard about the growing importance of #Roblox and #Fortnite for artists to build fandom and relevance. I couldn’t have said it better than Elias: 🔊“While it still remains best known to teens and their parents, evangelists see gaming hubs like Roblox and Fortnite as the new frontier of social media — another space where musicians will need to establish a presence if they hope to remain commercially relevant with younger listeners.” Check out the full article here 📰 👇 https://lnkd.in/gw4Crm8m #Metaverse #Music #Marketing #Innovation #Gaming #Media #Roblox #Fortnite

𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬-𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Inspirations from the Music and Gaming Industries This month, Rapper Don Toliver, known for his love of video games, is taking his passion to the next level with his own custom game within Fortnite. In collaboration with Metavision, Toliver has created the Hardstone game, named after his upcoming fourth studio album, Hardstone Psycho. This unique game also serves as an exclusive music streaming experience. We now live in a digital age, the music industry's integration into gaming platforms like Fortnite and Roblox highlights an innovative cross-industry collaboration to capture value and improve the gamer experience. At the same time Musicians are moving from short-term virtual concerts to lasting custom experiences, revolutionising album promotion and fan engagement while unlocking new revenue streams. 𝐀 𝐰𝐢𝐧-𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞: ⚛ Embracing strategies that 𝐟𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 and value rather than short-lived events  ⚛ Custom experiences and 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 that align with brand’s and resonate with the audience that significantly enhance user engagement and loyalty. ⚛ Identify and 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 within the industry by thinking outside traditional boundaries for collaboration to uncover new revenue streams ⚛ 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 to create unique value propositions, unlock the potential of cross-industry synergies How can your industry leverage cross-industry collaborations to create unique and lasting experiences? Share your thoughts and join the conversation. 𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜. ♻ 𝐿𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑅𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑙 🚩 𝐹𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑚𝑒 Weiying Pan 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 #CrossIndustryCollaboration #MusicIndustry #GamingPlatforms #Innovation #CustomerEngagement #BusinessStrategy #VirtualExperiences #CreativePartnerships #RevenueStreams #BrandStrategy

Why have Glass Animals integrated into a Roblox game rather than building their own experience, and what does this tell us about the future of music activations on Roblox? Glass Animals launched a Roblox campaign that saw the band integrated into the platform’s ‘Pls Donate’ game. Pls Donate is one of the most popular games on Roblox, with 2.53 billion lifetime visits (yes, billion) and around 3.5 million visits every day. In this limited-time integration, players can stream tracks from the latest Glass Animals album, take part in a virtual Q&A with the band, and compete in an art competition for a grand prize of 1 million Robux (in-game currency). The big question, then: to integrate or not to integrate? The answer is most certainly: yes, do it. It used to be the case that brands, bands and artists would activate in Roblox by creating their own bespoke games on the platform, but I’m noticing a growing number of activations choosing to integrate in existing games on the platform rather than build something from scratch. This is a smart move. It immediately puts you in front of millions of engaged players who are more likely to interact with the ‘branded’ elements of the integration because it’s in a game they already know and love. Building a successful Roblox game from scratch that entices millions of players on the platform to drop what they’re playing and check out something new isn’t easy. Or as Ben Sarraille said in a recent LinkedIn post about Roblox activations: “Ever since the [Roblox] space exploded, agencies, consultants, & analysts have been rushing to capitalize. The hard truth is, if they really knew how to make a top game on Roblox, they would just make a top #100 game for an avg. of $𝟓 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 (or even top #1,000 for $720k)… When brands first came to the space, agencies realized the best way to turn maximum profit was to sell them on "their own game [rather than integrating.]"” I think the last part of what Ben said speaks volumes to the decision-makers at major record labels and music agencies who neglected activations in the wider gaming space because Roblox is the “place they need to be,” so they’ve happily thrown six figures at a bespoke music experience on the platform to get out a press release, only to become the proud owners of a digital graveyard just weeks after. [The full piece is continued in the latest issue of Game Music Digest - link in the comments]

Live long and prosper 🖖 Fortnite had premiere in 2017. High time players peak 📈 achieved two weeks ago with OG season premier. I am always impressed by how game producers know how to ensure the longevity of their titles. Anyway Epic Games continues to amaze! 🤸♀️ On the 2th of December Fortnite will transition into Chapter 5. Eminem will be at the center of 'The Big Bang' in Fortnite. Also collabs with LEGO, Lady Gaga, Linkin Park coming soon The integration of concerts by artists like Eminem and Lady Gaga in Fortnite aligns perfectly with the perspective of the game being a social platform, not just a gaming map. My key takeaways below Virtual Concerts as Social Events 🎤 Just like attending a concert in real life, these virtual performances become social events. Players can experience these concerts together, regardless of their physical location, enhancing the sense of community within the game. It's a shared experience that goes beyond just playing together; it's about enjoying music, art, and performance in a collective setting. Expanding Audiences: 🤝 The inclusion of famous artists like Eminem and Lady Gaga also broadens the appeal of Fortnite, attracting not only gamers but also music fans. This convergence of gaming and music fandom creates a more diverse community within the game. Interactive and Immersive Experiences 🎪 Virtual concerts in Fortnite aren’t just passive experiences; they are often interactive, with players being able to engage in activities or special game modes related to the event. This interactivity adds a unique layer to the concert experience that can't be replicated in real life. Blurring the Lines Between Media 🎭 By hosting concerts, Fortnite blurs the lines between different forms of entertainment, merging gaming, music, and social networking into one platform. It reflects the evolving nature of media consumption, where boundaries between different forms of entertainment are increasingly fluid. Marketing and Cross-Promotion ⚔ For artists like Eminem and Lady Gaga, these concerts are innovative marketing tools, allowing them to reach a vast, global audience in a novel way. It's a form of cross-promotion that benefits both the artists and the game, introducing players to new music and artists to new potential fans. If you're interested in putting your brand into Fortnite, hit me up in DM! I'll help! -- Found this post interesting? Follow me, Szymon Kubiak, for more gaming marketing & strategy tips 🌟 #gaming #gamingmarketing #MarketersInGaming

Why Gaming platforms like Roblox are the place to be for musicians 🎵 "We’re trying to meet fans where fans are at." Artists are signing deals with game companies to: ➡ release new songs through interactive events ➡ sell background music for games ➡ sell virtual goods featuring their likenesses, as well as music for players’ avatars. ➡ They are also building in-game worlds where their music is played. The benefits from taking your art to games like Roblox: ✅ standing out from competition ✅ reaching new audiences ✅ revenue through music licensing and sales of virtual items ✅ an alternative to music subscription services where growth is slowing down ✅ an alternative to TikTok where song snippets are short ✅ reaching an audience of millions at live interactive concerts Olivia Rodrigo created a virtual virtual hangout last December for fans with virtual merch, dance moves and a scavenger hunt. Tracks from her album are playable within the experience. Other artists like Eminem, The Kid Laroi, Cher, Nicki Minaj,... have also been doubling down on gaming to reach new listeners. Lady Gaga has announced an upcoming stint on Fortnite. We are going to see more of this in 2024 🚀 Source: Wall Street Journal - see comments below Image: Olivia Rodrigo #roblox #gaming #marketing

Gaming is the future of Music Discovery! Here are my top 4 insights👇 1️⃣ Youth Dominance: nearly 2/3 of under 18s play video games and it is already exceeding video and social for time spent. This underscores a significant shift in how artists will embrace fandom in the future. Older generations may not completely understand it, but inserting music and artists into gaming worlds and communities will become essential 2️⃣ TikTok Transition: TikTok has been a powerhouse for music discovery for GenZ, but recent licensing disputes with Universal Music Group hint at disruption to the landscape. Labels will seek new avenues and gaming platforms present a booming opportunity 3️⃣ Immersive Engagement: Unlike social media where a single song's virality can be unpredictable, gaming can offer a unique opportunity for artists and labels to showcase entire tracks and albums in an immersive format at scale 4️⃣ Fortnite & Roblox Revolution: Brands + creators are showing no signs of slowing down with building their presence in Fortnite and Roblox. At SuperAwesome, I witness firsthand the power of virtual experiences, and seeing a major uptick in brand's interest around concerts in these platforms. GEEIQ's latest report predicts a +46% increase in persistent virtual experiences from brands by 2025... The list is extensive and growing with megastars like Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Travis Scott, Eminem, Ed Sheeran & more performing in Fortnite + David Guetta, Bebe Rexha and Lil Nas X & more in Roblox. These just scratch the surface! I'm also super intrigued by what gaming presents for music economics, and how music artist's merchandise + fashion will intersect with virtual expression. If you agree or want to dive deeper together, drop your thoughts in the comments 🎮🎶 #gamingtrends #musicdiscovery #digitalinnovation

As a long time festival goer and Coachella attendee, ive been really curious to see how Web3 can be integrated in the festival experience in a unique way, beyond just selling commemorative NFTs or sponsoring the signage at a stage. That's why i'm excited about our work with Coachella Innovation studio and OpenSea. This is a big step forward in creating something thats both a value add for the event and rewarding for fans. Think of Coachella Quests as one big scavenger hunt, where you can complete tasks (both virtual and onsite), earn points, and work your way up to big prizes. Imagine if you could get rewarded for checking out different art installations, immersive experiences, and digital content. And then turn those rewards into merch, VIP access, and even the possibility of the grand prize of 2 passes next year. Im glad we're pioneering this, and showing how you can abstract away the crypto elements, while also giving fans a great experience, only possible on Avalanche

Gaming studios need their own John Williams: When Lucasfilm's George Lucas created Star Wars, he knew that the visionary storytelling would need a musical genius to bring the saga to life. John Williams’ unforgettable scores did just that, making the films timeless. In the gaming world, this dynamic duo approach is just as crucial. Game studios must see music supervision and artist partnerships as integral to game development. Here’s why: Consider Riot Games, a company that understands the power of music. With 800 million monthly active players, they’ve consistently treated music as essential to game trailers and eSports events. This strategy keeps players emotionally engaged and sets the tone for immersive experiences. Garena/Garena, known for its hit game “Free Fire,” just celebrated its 7th anniversary. With lifetime revenue of $4 billion, they maintain a regular cadence of commercial music releases. This isn’t just about adding background tracks; it’s about creating a cultural phenomenon around their games. Space Ape Games illustrates this perfectly. Their game BeatStars, which is centered around music, paid out over $200 million to artists by the end of last year. Following its success, they launched CountryStars, showing their commitment to integrating music deeply into their gaming experiences. Music Enhances Engagement: Games with thoughtfully curated soundtracks and musical partnerships create more emotionally engaging experiences, leading to higher player retention. Cultural Impact: Regular music releases and collaborations with artists turn games into cultural phenomena, boosting brand loyalty and lifetime value. Revenue Growth: Games centered around music or those integrating it strategically can see significant revenue growth, as demonstrated by Space Age Games’ success. To all game studios out there, who’s your John Williams? Your game’s success might just depend on it. What’s your perspective on the role of music in gaming? Share your thoughts and let's discuss!