Image Credit: Roblox

Gaming platform Roblox now hosts listening parties for artists to promote new releases, with singer Poppy leading the way. Could your music on Roblox bring you a host of new fans?

Gaming platform Roblox has just launched Roblox Listening Parties, which are a brand new way for artists to integrate and promote their music on Roblox. Over the weekend singer Poppy became the first artist to get involved, hosting a Listening Party with her label Sumerian Records for new album Flux.

Unlike a Roblox concert where the artist is performing virtually in front of players, a Listening Party puts an artist’s music in the background of Roblox games.

For her Listening Party, Poppy’s music toured around different games. This put her album in front of a potentially huge audience – Roblox has over 50 million monthly active users.

Jill Pedone, Chief Strategy Officer at Sumerian Records, said: “We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to help our artists break through the noise and reach fans where they already are. Poppy already has an existing fanbase on Roblox so it was a natural place for us to host her Listening Party.”

What is Roblox, anyway? Roblox offers a combination of gaming and social media aimed at under 18s, but open to everyone. Friends gather as online versions of themselves, creating games and playing against each other, or just hang out. It’s free to play, although users can also buy Robux to spend on the platform.

As part of the Listening Party, Poppy also joined in as a player herself, playing games whilst taking part in Q&A sessions about the album and offering free virtual merch.

Roblox vice president and Global Head of Music Jon Vlassopulos said: “Allowing Poppy’s fans to enjoy her new album Flux where they are already spending time with their friends seemed like a no-brainer, and our developers have jumped at the opportunity to participate.”

For artists, Roblox is a unique space in which to promote your music. Royal Blood and Twenty One Pilots have performed concerts on the platform, and Lil Nas X’s concert was watched 33 million times. Artists who are active across a lot of platforms and tuned into multimedia experiences are a natural fit for Roblox. With Robux, there’s the potential for players to buy virtual merch such as band posters to decorate their spaces, or new skins for their avatar.

With its giant userbase, music promotion on Roblox could be useful to savvy artists and labels who can think outside the box and are looking to embrace every possible promotional opportunity for their music.