Image credit: Oberon Copeland @veryinformed.com

Independent music distributor have signed a deal with Roblox, but to who’s benefit? Not the artists who won’t be paid.

Roblox is a megahit in the gaming world, predicted to make $3.5 billion this year. They’ve long allowed music to be played in the game in a variety of way. A new partnership looks to expand that, but all is not as it seems.

Independent music distributor DistroKid has signed a partnership with Roblox to make their artists’ music available to Roblox’s 80 million daily active users. This sounds like fantastic potential for the independent artists who use DistroKid to release their music.

However, it’s revealed that artists will earn zero earnings from the plays their music receives in the game. Music Business Worldwide (MBW) obtained the signup form for artists to join what is currently a beta program. They reveal that the opt-in form reads: “Music on Roblox is currently not monetized; you are granting rights for Roblox developers to use your music on a gratis basis.”

Artists who sign up to the deal are also not guaranteed that their music will be available on Roblox. So, what are artists actually gaining from the deal? There is the potential for huge exposure with a massive platform like Roblox, but whether use in a community game translates to real-life fandom is uncertain.

Roblox have been hosting listening parties since 2021 allowing players to put music in the background of their games. More recently, they’ve hosted virtual concerts for huge artists like BLACKPINK, creating an interactive hub where players can explore and listen to their music. All three major labels have also been involved in events and promotions within Roblox.

What do DistroKid gain from their partnership with Roblox? It hasn’t been revealed whether staff at DistroKid will be benefiting from the partnership monetarily. DistroKid’s VP of Marketing, Amanda Ferri told MBW: “DistroKid is always looking for new ways artists can be discovered and make their music available.”

Ferri continues: “Working with Roblox aligns perfectly with that mission. We’re stoked about our collaboration with Roblox and can’t wait to reveal more soon.” Perhaps they will reveal some form of compensation for artists music as the partnership evolves.