MUMBAI: Universal Music Group (UMG) and online social music gaming company Conduit Labs have inked a partnership that provides users of social games as Music Pets, Super Dance and Loudcrowd access to UMG’s library of music.
This catalog of licensed music enables Conduit to unite the excitement of social game play with the widespread appeal of music discovery.
Conduit Labs develops free-to-play social games for the web in which users can purchase virtual items to further enhance and personalize their experience. Through this agreement with UMG, and within the context of the company’s various properties, Conduit Labs can now offer its over 1 million users the chance to discover, collect and recommend tracks from many of the world’s most prominent artists. This business model benefits participating record labels through direct sharing of virtual goods revenue, with additional opportunities for users to separately purchase digital downloads and other products.
"Conduit has created a truly dynamic platform for consumers to discover and enjoy music. And no one is better positioned to take full advantage of the many opportunities unfolding in social gaming than UMG. Our incredible roster of chart-topping artists and deep catalog provide our partners and consumers with a wealth of well known artists and brands that create real value and provide for a more engaging experience," said UMG’s eLabs executive vice president of business development and business affairs David Ring.
The social gaming industry has seen incredible growth over the past year, with virtual item sales in North America estimated to exceed $1.6 billion in 2010, according to Inside Networks. This growing ecosystem – over 100 million daily active users among the top 20 Facebook applications alone – lacked a breakout success in the music games genre before Music Pets, which surpassed one million users less than 30 days after its launch.
"We are excited to offer the fans of such a wide variety of artists the opportunity to turn music discovery into a fun and social experience again. Partnerships like this will help us continue towards our goal of building online games and music discovery experiences with social value beyond game play," said Conduit Labs founder and CEO Nabeel Hyatt.
