Music has a huge influence on video gameplay. It can draw a player further into a world, warn them of danger and encourage them to take risks. The music in video games can also expose an artist to new audiences that would have never found their music otherwise.
Music Merchandise Consumer Spending
Video games and music have always been connected. Most avid gamers spend about 7 hours more steaming music than average, which is about 3.5 hours. Those that avidly play video games are also more likely to buy music merchandise; about 20 percent of gamers are likely to buy music merch, which compares to about 8 percent of the general population.
They are just more inclined to be enthusiastic buyers of the merchandise of their favorite things, and that includes the T-shirts and shoes of their favorite music artists.
Growth Opportunities For Artists
These partnerships are amazing growth opportunities for artists. Artists have partnered with popular video games to launch albums, merchandise, and singles. Virtual concerts on games like Fortnite and Roblox have also been hugely popular.
Music labels are going beyond the typical licensing model that has been used to monetize music for video games in the past. These new opportunities call for innovation in the way music labels partner with the gaming industry. One example of that innovation is in-game spending infrastructure. People could buy music the same way they buy in-game gear and level upgrades.
More consumers are moving away from just buying in-game products that give them advantages in the game. Personalization and self-expression are significant motivations to purchase. Music can be a part of that.
Leveraging Authentic Connections Into Social Media Sponsorships
Content creation is also a potential avenue for music and video game partnerships. These authentic partnerships are great for artists that are authentically connected to these games. This could mean partnerships with streaming services, social media sponsorships, and physical merchandise collaborations.
There is significant potential for an increase in revenue for artists; the options are much wider than the typical ways of the past. Innovation will be the key to the successful implementation of video games and music artist partnerships in the future.
Written by Angelique Killebrew