Warner Music Group (WMG) has struck its first deal in the metaverse sector with The Sandbox in order to keep pace with up-and-coming trends in the digital entertainment industry. WMG is one of the largest music publishers in the world, which parents music labels such as Reprise Records and Atlantic Records. The Sandbox, on the other hand, is a virtual world built on the Ethereum blockchain, popular among the communities of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and gaming. As part of the deal, the companies will collaborate to introduce music-themed events in the virtual world.
“We’re shaping The Sandbox as a fun entertainment destination where creators, fans, and players can enjoy first-of-a-kind immersive experiences and be more closely connected to their favourite musical artists through NFTs,” Sébastien Borget, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, The Sandbox, said in a statement. The partnership is intended to open the metaverse to more fan-owned and community-driven initiatives, Borget highlighted.
WMG has acquired a beachfront estate in The Sandbox metaverse to act as a portal for its artists to make digital appearances there. The metaverse estate will act as a musical theme park as well as a concert venue where artists will perform as virtual avatars for their fans.
“We’ll develop persistent, immersive social music experiences that defy real-world limitations and allow our artists and their fans to engage like never before,” Oana Ruxandra, Chief Digital Officer and Executive Vice President of Business Development, WMG, said.
In recent times, several international music artists have experimented with virtual performances giving stunning results.
Travis Scott, Ariana Grande, and Marshmello have, for instance, performed as virtual avatars inside Fortnite.
In India also, the element of music seems to be adding the frills to the metaverse space. Earlier this week, Punjabi singer Daler Mehndi became the first Indian artist to perform in India-made partynite.metaverse marking the country’s 73rd Republic Day.
Indian Music label T-Series also announced its entry into the metaverse in partnership with Hungama Digital earlier this week.
As part of the deal, Hungama will be creating NFTs from the vast catalogue of new and existing Bollywood content parented by T-Series.