Universal Music Group, Republic Records, & STYNGR Bring Boombox to Roblox - Pioneering Opportunities for Labels and Players

18 March 2024 - Press release

For the first time ever, all in-platform streams will count towards the Billboard charts

 

Universal Music Group (UMG) and Republic Records are proud to announce the launch of Boombox - the first scaled music product across the Roblox platform. An industry and platform first, Boombox, which is designed and powered by Styngr represents the foremost opportunity for labels to dynamically launch playlists and integrate them into the gaming space. Boombox launches with South Korean sensation TWICE on their TWICE Square experience, which is the most visited music experience in Roblox history.

Boombox presents a pioneering opportunity for music labels to curate, distribute, and monetize their offerings on Roblox. This is achieved via STYNGR’s innovative ad-supported portable music player, which also plays a significant role in augmenting the digital personas of the players - a crucial element within the evolution of gaming identity.

The result of an extensive, year-long collaborative effort involving UMG, Roblox, STYNGR, and Super League (Nasdaq:SLE) teams, the development of the backend technology for Boombox represents a remarkable step forward and marks an industry milestone.

With recent success on the Roblox platform following UMG’s launch of groundbreaking music hub Beat Galaxy and Republic Records and TWICE’s launch of TWICE Square - Boombox is set to evolve the way that superfans engage with their favorite music, artists and labels - with the company continuing to pioneer metaverse-native music discovery.

Boombox will initially launch within Republic’s TWICE Square - introducing a distinctive social multiplier effect in the gaming environment. Players can share and collectively enjoy music, with each instance of music playback being a monetizable event for the contributing labels and artists with Billboard eligible play events via STYNGR’s integration with Luminate.

Whilst Republic’s TWICE Square holds the distinction of being the inaugural adopter of Boombox, the strategy includes a phased rollout across some of the most engaging experiences on the platform over the forthcoming year, reaching across 3,500 experiences using Super League’s developer tools.

TWICE, a globally recognized girl group represented by JYP Entertainment, have always sought to bridge the gap between themselves and their international fans. This collaboration with UMG, Republic Records and Roblox achieves that by breaking geographical boundaries and integrating music, technology and fan interaction.

For labels, Boombox encapsulates the future of fan interaction - whilst for developers and advertisers, this addition will ensure reach and engagement with new audiences across the Roblox platform.

“By integrating Boombox, UMG solidifies its position as a vanguard of music innovation within the gaming sector. This integration not only enhances super-fan experiences on the platform but does so with an extensive array of fully licensed music from UMG's global roster of artists and labels, setting a new standard for how music can be integrated into the platform for the entire sector,” said Alvaro G. Velilla, Senior Vice President, New Business at UMG.

“As we continue to build creative marketing and innovative concepts for our artists, it's important to identify fan connections and elevate their experiences with new technologies. This Boombox partnership was a logical next step in helping fans discover the music they love, all the while, ensuring artists are properly recognized for their art in this space. We’re incredibly proud of our efforts with STYNGR, Roblox and Super League, and of course TWICE and our partners at JYP Entertainment, to bring this innovative technology to life,” said Tim Hrycyshyn, SVP, Digital Strategy, Republic Records.

“Republic Records and TWICE have built a wildly entertaining Roblox experience that has captured the attention of their fans. Our goal with Boombox is to expand the immersive capabilities of music within TWICE Square and any experience within Roblox that wants to leverage the power of major label music. Additionally, thanks toour partnership with Luminate, this will be the first time play events in gaming experiences will count towards the Billboard Charts,” added Alex Tarrand, COO of STYNGR.

As Boombox will be unveiled in TWICE Square, fans are invited to join the launch and be among the first to experience this innovative collaboration with their own Boomboxes. For more information about the product release and the TWICE Square event, please visit the official Republic Records website or TWICE Square on Roblox.