Warner Music Group has partnered with decentralized gaming virtual world The Sandbox to create a performance space in the metaverse.
A hybrid musical theme park and concert hall, the virtual venue will host “innovative music experiences,” according to WMG—home to artists like Bruno Mars, The Black Keys, Cardi B, Blake Shelton, Ed Sheeran, Michael Bublé, Clean Bandit, and Lizzo.
As a so-called “first-mover” in the area of metaverse concerts, Warner Music boasted that it secured the equivalent of beachfront property in the shared 3D virtual universe. “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.”
It’s unclear exactly how or when that will happen, though; neither WMG nor The Sandbox provided any further details about the logistics of launching music events in the metaverse.
“The agreement opens the doors to WMG talent appearing in The Sandbox,” a Warner Music press release said, “thus creating a new arena for music entertainment in the metaverse.” Sandbox COO Sebastien Borget echoed that sentiment, adding that “the possibilities are very exciting.”
Warner Music Group joins more than 200 existing Sandbox partnerships, including The Walking Dead, Snoop Dogg, Adidas, Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, Richie Hawtin, The Smurfs, Care Bears, Atari, ZEPETO, and CryptoKitties, allowing players to tap into original and well-known characters and worlds.
Other major music companies are making their own moves toward the metaverse: Universal Music Group last month launched official metaverse avatars for some of its artists, including Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Rihanna, and Migos.
