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VIDEO: What musicians can learn from Fortnite

Fortnite, Fortnite Marketing, Epic Games, Music Business, Music Biz, Music Marketing

The most popular video game in the world, Fornite, has changed the gaming industry forever by relying on simple marketing tactics that keep fans engaged.

Fortnite is unstoppable. For the better part of two years, Epic Games’ runaway hit has dominated headlines and industry performance charts thanks to a combination of fan service and constant innovation. The game has become so popular, in fact, that it has forced competing titles to change their gameplay to mirror what fans of gaming love about Fortnite. That kind of influence is rare, but the marketing behind the game’s success is based in simple ideas that anyone can apply to their creative pursuits.

Above all else, Fortnite engages with and listens to its audience. Epic Games invests heavily in keeping players interested in the world of Fortnite through weekly updates, thematic seasons of gameplay, and a social presence that is second to none in the gaming industry. The company recognizes that fans need to feel as unique as they make the company feel by supporting their title, and because of that, Fortnite has retained its audience far longer more gaming brand without having to create and release a new game every year.

In this episode of Music Biz 101, host James Shotwell breaks down four ways artists can learn from Fortnite to improve their marketing efforts. Whether you’re a garage rock sensation or a hip-hop innovator lost in the depths of Soundcloud, this video will help you get ahead.

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Weezer-themed island arrives in Fortnite ahead of ‘Black Album’ release

With their second album of 2019 arriving March 1, Weezer has become the latest musical act to join forces with Fortnite, the world’s most popular game.

Brand collaborations are a major focus of Epic Games’ smash hit Fortnite. The free-to-play game, which boasts more than one-hundred million players worldwide, has previously partnered with Disney and Marvel to promote Avengers: Infinity War, as well as the NFL. The company also has an interest in music and its role in gamers’ lives, which they made evident by hosting the first in-game concert ever in early February with special guest Marshmello.

On Thursday, February 28, Epic Games and Fornite continued to express their interest in music by unleashing an island dedicated to the band Weezer. The location, which features loads of Weezer branding, offers players to hear the band’s new material from the group’s Black Albumahead of its official release on March 1. You can view a quick walkthrough of the new area below:


Unlike Marshmello’s performance, which was promoted as a one-time event throughout Fortnite’s main screens, players hoping to visit Weezer’s island will need to do a bit more work. First, players will need to select the game’s Creative Mode. From there, users need to find the portal that will transfer them to the limited time island. The portal itself looks like any other, so pay attention!

It’s unclear how long this collaboration will last. Marshmello’s performance lasted ten-minutes and took place two times in one, twenty-four hour period. Weezer Island (our name, not theirs) may only be around until The Black Album arrives in stores on March 1.

The other thing that remains unclear at this time is what Epic Games might have in store for music fans down the road. Between their work with Marshmello and now Weezer the company has showcased a lot of potential for collaborations with high-level talent in the future. Where it all leads from here is anyone’s guess, but we’ll update you as soon as more information becomes available. For now, kick back and watch Weezer’s latest music video.

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Marshmello’s Fortnite concert had 10 million players in attendance

The future of “live” entertainment is upon us, and the potential benefits are crazier than anyone could have predicted.

Following a blitz of news and leaks last week, Marshmello performed at the world’s first in-game concert over the weekend through an exclusive partnership with Epic Games. The performance, held at Pleasant Park in the incredibly popular game Fortnite, drew a crowd of 10 million split across thousands of concurrent gaming sessions. That figure could be much larger, as the number given does not include viewers who watched the performance via Twitch or other streaming services. Here’s how it worked:

When players logged in to Fortnite – which has over 125 million players, according to its developers – they were met with only one competitive game mode available to them. When they chose to join the ‘Showtime Mode’ they were transported to the in-game park, which was modified to feature a performance space. Marshmello appeared on stage at 2 PM EST to share 10 minutes of music accompanied by a wide array of special effects such as lighting and sparks mirroring his real-world concert production.

A video of the performance is available below. The clip has already amassed more than 15 million views on YouTube.

The 10 million concurrent players watching Marshmello’s set is amazing, but what happened after the performance is even more impressive.

Throughout January, Marshmello averaged 37k new YouTube subscribers per day, and about 7.8 million YouTube views per day. On February 3, one day after the concert, Marshmello gained 699k new subscribers (nearly a 1,800% increase from his previous daily gain of 37k). He also amassed over 42.8M YouTube views, an increase of about 500% from his January average of 7.8 million views per day.

But the change in activity online doesn’t stop there.

According to Next Big Sound, Marshmello gained over 147K new Twitter followers this past week, up more than 2,000% from the week before (6,800). His Twitter mentions also increased by more than 1,000% (from 4,800 to 57,500).

Marhsmello’s Fortnite performance lead to a surge of engagement across all social media platforms.

With numbers like this, it is highly likely that additional in-game concerts will happen in the coming months. Epic has not revealed any information regarding the cost of the Marshmello promotion, but the return on investment most likely surpasses the time and money associated with making the event happen.

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Fortnite to host world’s first in-game concert this weekend

Epic Games has recruited EDM star Marshmello to usher in a new era of music promotion.

Music marketing is both easier and harder than ever before. On the one hand, anyone can upload music and share it online with just a few clicks. On the other hand, anyone can upload music and share it online with just a few clicks.

To stand out in today’s marketplace artists need to find original ways to engage their audience. That can be accomplished on a small-scale by interacting with fans on social media. As the talent’s profile grows, however, there comes a point when meaningful growth can no longer be achieved through one-on-one interaction.

This weekend, EDM superstar Marshmello will do something no other artist has before, and in doing so, he might set a new precedent for large-scale music promotion. This Saturday afternoon, February 2, Marshmello will perform the world’s first in-game concert through a partnership with developer Epic Game. The performance will take place at Pleasant Park, a location in the wildly popular game Fortnite.

Rumors of the performance began making the rounds online months ago, but recent information uncovered by dedicated players forced the game to reveal the concert news earlier this week. Here’s what we know:

  • The event will begin at 2 PM ET on Saturday, though it’s not clear how long it will run for.
  • It takes place in Pleasant Park, though you may see the lights/hear the music from anywhere on the map.
  • It apparently will be its own LTM called “Party at Pleasant Park” with respawns enabled, meaning you will probably be able to kill each other during the party.
  • There’s apparently a cosmetic bundle for the event which will include a Marshmello skin, pickaxe spray. No word on pricing.
  • There are some leaked animations that show “DJ dancing” for lack of a better term which would appear to be how Marshmello himself will act on stage.
  • Object leaks have shown speakers, a stage, lights, all of which should be set up on the football field at Pleasant Park, presumably.

With this being the first event of its kind it is hard to know what the impact the performance will have on Marshmello’s career. If nothing else, the concert will expose Marshmello’s music to a larger than any single festival or show could offer here in the real world.

Fortnite is a battle royale game that is free to play. There are several challenge-related games to choose from, but the primary objective is to skydive into an island and kill one’s opponents until only a single player remains. The game boasts more than 200 million registered players worldwide. In November 2018, Fortnite set a record when 8.6 million users were simultaneously engaged in battle.

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