Spotify Buys Metaverse Island for Virtual Music and Games
Spotify unveiled its new metaverse home this week, a virtual piece of land on the Roblox platform named Spotify Island. The streaming service plans to use its unreal estate to connect visitors with musical artists and performances while offering games, virtual merchandise, and other activities.
Spotify Island
Spotify Island is open to any Roblox website or app user. The larger central island is accompanied by smaller satellite islands, each themed to the kind of music or activity available there. A soundtrack played via Spotify’s Sountrap audio creation tool will play for each visitor, though it can be muted if preferred. The main island includes interactive quests and games to acquire exclusive virtual content, and even just exploring will turn up hidden Easter eggs. With enough points, visitors can choose to access the virtual mountains and climb to the top of “The Charts,” as they are called. The themed mini-islands are not operating yet and will roll out one by one with their own quests and content. The first revealed will be K-Park and its K-Pop-themed activities, including a chance to interact with popular groups in the genre like Stray Kids and SUNMI.
“Today, we are introducing Spotify Island, a paradise of sound where fans and artists from all over the world can hang out and explore a wonderland of sounds, quests, and exclusive merch,” Spotify explained in a blog post. “Spotify is the first music-streaming brand to have a presence on Roblox, a virtual universe where users can create and play games and share experiences with friends. Through this interactive world, we’re creating a place where fans can link up and create new sounds together, hang out in digital spaces, and gain access to exclusive virtual merch. Spotify Island is an audio oasis that has it all.”
Roblox Brands
Spotify is joining several other major brands on Roblox, including Logitech and Nike. The streaming service’s plans for musical events won’t break entirely new ground, either, as tens of millions of people watched Roblox concerts by Lil Nas X and Twenty One Pilots. Last weekend, Roblox even hosted the first metaverse music award shows, augmented by a Lizzo performance. Spotify is first to the buy land on the platform, however. That opens up more ways for the company to leverage its stable of musical acts and monetize events and virtual merchandise for the benefit of Roblox and the artists.
“Through Spotify Island, we’re creating an easy opportunity for artists to connect with fans and to partner with Spotify on the creation of in-game virtual merchandise,” the company explained. “Spotify’s portion of those sales will go directly back to the artists themselves. We’ll work with artists to create more opportunities like this in the months ahead.”
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