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Roblox signs deal with Sony Music

Date Type Companies involved Size
July 7th, 2021 partnership Roblox
Sony Music Entertainment
Not disclosed
Roblox signs deal with Sony Music

Game platform Roblox has partnered with Sony Music Entertainment to allow for that label's artists to appear on the service.

As announced on its website, the deal will allow the duo to "work together to develop innovative music experiences," which likely means more digital concerts inside of Roblox. The two companies previously worked together for a Lil Nas X performance in November 2020, while Roblox hosted the Zara Larsson Launch Party in May of this year.

“Sony Music has been a fantastic partner and I am pleased to deepen and lengthen our relationship,” Roblox VP and global head of music Jon Vlassopulos said.

"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. We are just scratching the surface of what Roblox can deliver to the music industry and to music fans around the world.”

Sony Music president of global digital business and US sales Dennis Kooker added: “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.”

Interestingly, this comes in the wake of Roblox being sued by trade body the National Music Publishers Association in a lawsuit that could be worth more than $200 million. The organisation alleges that Roblox is in violation of copyright law due to music from their artists appearing on the platform. Roblox has refuted these accusations.

In May of this year, Roblox reported that it had 43 million daily active users.


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PCGamesInsider Contributing Editor

Alex Calvin is a freelance journalist who writes about the business of games. He started out at UK trade paper MCV in 2013 and left as deputy editor over three years later. In June 2017, he joined Steel Media as the editor for new site PCGamesInsider.biz. In October 2019 he left this full-time position at the company but still contributes to the site on a daily basis. He has also written for GamesIndustry.biz, VGC, Games London, The Observer/Guardian and Esquire UK.