Warner Music Group (WMG) is collaborating with The Sandbox to organize a DJ talent contest in the metaverse. The World’s Biggest Demo Drop (WBDD) is a premier DJ talent contest organized by Spinnin’ Records, a leading WMG electronic-music label. The two week event, which runs until February 8, invites DJ talents worldwide to submit their demos. The winners’ tracks will be released by Spinnin’ Records and will also become NFT products with LGND Music, another WMG partner.
This announcement comes a year after Warner Music unveiled its alliance with The Sandbox to host virtual events. The Sandbox is a low-resolution, voxel based decentralized virtual world that is part real estate, part amusement park. Several companies have partnered with this metaverse to use this platform to boost engagement with their customers.
Renowned hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg is amongst the music trailblazers in The Sandbox. The metaverse has a virtual world featuring all things Snoop Dogg, with NFT drops and in-world concerts.
Universal Music, one of WMG’s key competitors, is also active in web3. In collaboration with Genies, a digital avatar creation company, Universal has equipped several of its artists with digital identities to boost their engagement on digital platforms. And it has launched a metaverse-based record label.
Aside from music, major fashion labels are running events in The Sandbox. Gucci bought land in The Sandbox to launch their Vault Land event last October, and NYX, a cosmetics company, launched an Avatar collection in June 2022. A leading association of U.S. fashion designers is also running an event in The Sandbox. These companies find value in the metaverse by creating engaging experiences for customers, using interactive advertising, and building relationships through loyalty programs.
Warner Music Group has been fairly active in web3 and metaverse experiences. “As our lives become increasingly digital, exciting opportunities are opening up for artists and fans to engage and interact,” said Oana Ruxandra, Chief Digital Officer & EVP, Business Development at WMG.
Just yesterday, the company announced the launch of “Rhythm City”, a music-themed experience on the gaming platform Roblox. More recently, the company partnered with LGND.io to offer songs as NFTs. WMG also collaborated with NFT marketplace OpenSea in September 2022 to enable artists to have dedicated pages for NFT drops, with the larger goal of helping artists build communities in different mediums.
