WMG, The Sandbox, Roblox Open Music Metaverse

Global entertainment firm Warner Music Group announced on Monday it had opened its social music metaverse Rhythm City. Developed on Roblox, WMG and gaming and content metaverse firm Gamefan worked jointly on the venture to introduce people to artists via the social roleplay platform.

Additionally, Rhythm City attendees will receive access to a fresh collection of digital assets exclusive to Roblox.

Oana Ruxandra, WMG’s Chief Digital Officer and Executive Vice President of Business Development, said there were “exciting opportunities” to boost engagement between artists and fans.

She continued,

“WMG is focused on facilitating the foundations of these new experiences by building and experimenting across evolving ecosystems. This partnership with Gamefam sees WMG creating a place for artists and audiences to come together to define and contextualize their communities within living spaces.”

The immersive experience combines the three enterprise’s innovative XR technologies to boost artist visibility to fans.

Photo of Warner Music Group’s (WMG) metaverse space Rhythm City. PHOTO: WMG/ The SandBox

Users can join as dancers, producers, or DJs to interact with others and participate in music-themed competitions. It will also offer virtual concerts and events from WMG’s category of artists.

Joe Ferencz, Founder and Chief Executive at Gamefam, added his company was “thrilled” to combine “our passion for developing authentic, highly-engaging metaverse content.”

He added: “WMG has been a brilliant partner in pushing innovative strategies, and together with our expertise, we’ve channeled that into production excellence creating a new community for music lovers in the metaverse.”

The news comes as WMG rises in the XR community as a major competitor for hosting bespoke music and entertainment events. The company has hosted Roblox concerts from massive artists in the space, including Twenty One Pilots, Dave Guetta, Ava Max, Why Don’t We, and Royal Blood, among others.

Those interested in joining WMG’s latest and upcoming events can access Roblox on 4 February on most platforms such as Android, Mac, iOS, Windows, and Xbox One.

WMG-Music Metaverse Ties Deepen

The news comes after WMG inked a huge collaborative deal with OpenSea to organise Web3 tools for creatives and artists. The platform will host non-fungible tokens (NFTs) with Web3 partner Probably Nothing to provide engagement tools and digital assets for WMG artists.

It will serve artists with digital product drops and content promotion, landing pages, storytelling, and other content solutions. Fans can interact with their favourite artists to announce limited-edition NFT drops and develop best practices for Web3 governance.

The media giant also partnered with The Sandbox in a similar platform debut to showcase brands and artists in the Metaverse. It also leverages digital assets such as NFTs across the platform to promote artists’ creative content.

The initiative offers fans a “combination of a musical theme park and concert venue,” the Sandbox said in a statement. WMG provided artists such as Camilla Cabello, Green Day, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, and others with a bespoke musical metaverse stage to host real-time 3D (RT3D) concerts.

The platform also currently hosts Snoop Dogg’s Snoopverse, which holds 122 digital LAND plots and 67 premium spaces for those seeking real estate in the Metaverse. Snoop Dogg previously collaborated with Outlier Ventures, Dedmau5, Shaun Neff, and Cathy Hackl to advise people on their XR startups.