Sony Music partners with Roblox to develop innovative experiences and new commercial opportunities

By Emmanuel Legrand

Gaming platform Roblox and Sony Music Entertainment have announced a strategic partnership that builds on an existing relationship between the two companies and "will bring more Sony Music recording artists into the Roblox metaverse."

  The joint statement from the two companies does not specify the details of the agreement, in particular if it covers both recording and music publishing repertoire. Sony Music Publishing was notoriously absent from the list of companies that sued Roblox last month for using unlicensed music, under the aegis of the NMPA.

  Under the agreement, Roblox and Sony Music said they would "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."  

Deepen the relationship

  Jon Vlassopulos, Vice President and Global Head of Music at Roblox, said the agreement will "deepen and lengthen" the relationship between the two parties and "unlock new creative and commercial opportunities" for Sony Music artists. “We are just scratching the surface of what Roblox can deliver to the music industry and to music fans around the world,” he said.

  Dennis Kooker, President, Global Digital Business and US Sales at Sony Music Entertainment, added: “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.”

Forward-looking initiatives

  Lil Nas X’s virtual performance on Roblox, the platform's first ever live show, in November 2020 was seen by 36 million people and the Zara Larsson Launch Party on Roblox in May 2021 attracted over four million visits. 

  “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," said Kooker.