Roblox launches listening evenings for artists to create new albums

The Roblox gaming platform has become an important focus for the music industry in recent months.

The company secured an eight-figure investment from Warner Music Group as part of a $ 520 million funding round in January, and has also served as a virtual concert platform for superstar artists like Lil Nas X, Zara Larsson and Twenty One Pilots.

Additionally, in July, Roblox signed a strategic partnership with Sony Music Entertainment (SME), while in June, the company signed a “strategic agreement” with BMG to “develop new opportunities for artist and author clients- composers of BMG ”.

Now, in what Roblox calls “the latest musical innovation in the metaverse,” the platform is launching listening evenings, which will see artists create a new album on the platform, in some “best experiences”.

The listening evenings will give artists access “to millions of fans who can listen to their music while they play and hang out with their friends,” according to Roblox.

Artist Poppy of indie label Sumerian Records was the first to host a listening party on the platform this weekend, with the launch of her new album, Flux.

Flux is the artist’s latest album, which follows a Grammy performance in March of this year. Poppy is the first female solo artist to ever be nominated for a Grammy in the Best Metal Performance category

For this very first night of listening, music was incorporated into all of the popular ‘experiences’ on the platform including Overlook Bay, RoBeats, Robloxian High School, Creatures of Sonaria and Dragon Adventures and Poppy joined the fans as well. in each immersive experience to play Roblox and answer questions about the album.

“Allowing Poppy fans to enjoy her new Flux album where they already spend time with their friends seemed like a no-brainer, and our developers jumped at the opportunity to participate.”

Jon Vlassopulos, Roblox

“It has been such a pleasure working with Poppy and Sumerian Records to kick off our very first night of listening,” said Jon Vlassopulos, Vice President and Global Head of Music for Roblox.

“Music is an integral part of how we express ourselves, entertain and connect with other people, and we want to continue to find new ways to make music an integral part of the Roblox experience.

“Allowing Poppy fans to enjoy her new Flux album where they already spend time with their friends seemed like a no-brainer, and our developers jumped at the opportunity to participate! “

“We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to help our artists break the noise and reach fans where they already are. “

Jill Pedone, Sumerian Records

Jill Pedone, Strategy Director at Sumerian Records, said, “We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to help our artists break the noise and reach fans where they already are.

“Poppy already has a fan base on Roblox, so it was a natural place for us to have her listening night. I can’t wait for fans to hear the new album while they play their favorite experiences!

“There is so much potential for Roblox to be the place to be to discover great new music and it didn’t hurt that Poppy was one of our favorite artists. “

Letter from Zach, Wonderworks

Zach Letter, Founder of Wonderworks, said, “We are delighted that Overlook Bay is part of the Stream Listening Party on Roblox.

“There is so much potential for Roblox to be the perfect place to discover great new music and it doesn’t hurt that Poppy just happens to be one of our favorite artists. Hope to see a lot more in the future!

“Poppy is the most exciting multimedia artist of our generation. “

Joey Simmrin, MDDN director

Joey Simmrin, CEO of MDDN, said: “Poppy is the most exciting multimedia artist of our generation.

“Poppy and our team at MDDN have been fans of Roblox for quite some time, so when this concept was presented to us we were more than ready to give it a try. The Roblox team made this process so easy; it was obvious “

Roblox went public in March, reaching a business valuation of $ 45 billion, saw its average daily active users (DAU) rise to 43 million in May.

A group of independent publishers and major music publishers – via the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) – sued the video game platform in June for more than $ 200 million in damages in the United States , alleging widespread copyright infringement by the company.Music trade around the world