The future of music marketing is inside video games.

The future of music marketing is inside video games. Following successful video game concerts with Travis Scott, Marshmello, Lil Nas X, and most recently Ariana Grande, the metaverse concert experience is boosting engagement with young audiences. Roblox’s VP, global head of music notes, “artists, labels, publishers, venue and festival owners, video platforms, all have a chance to reinvent themselves and capture first-mover advantage” with virtual performances as they allow both gaming platforms and musicians to create experiences that are otherwise impossible to replicate in-person—like Ariana Grande’s smashing Fortnite entrance with her bejeweled hammer. Young people are gaming now more than ever—YPulse’s gaming research shows that 94% of young people play video games in some capacity—and “instead of having two separate tracks—where there are game scores and music recorded for consumption—these lines are blurring,” according to Jarred Kennedy, chief operating officer at Wave. Legacy gaming companies are teaming up with music companies as well, and Electronic Arts (EA) is working with Universal Media Group’s Interscope Records to exclusively produce songs for Madden NFL 22  instead of purely licensing existing songs. While marketing inside video games became the norm during the pandemic, the trend isn’t going anywhere as it has transformed how brands engage with young people. (AdAge)