It’s been one year since we unveiled Spotify Islandon Roblox as an interactive meeting place to bring artists and fans from all over the world closer together. It’s now the ultimate way to create and share music on Roblox, as fans can play, explore, and connect through immersive Spotify Island hubs like Planet Hip-Hop and K-Park. And thanks to exciting new experiences we’re unveiling today, our otherworldly digital destination is in full bloom.
With new audio tools, minigames, and collectibles, we’re inviting fans to become creators, offering them fresh ways to bring their own beats and sounds to life. These include:
Create with Spotify Soundsphere: Featuring whimsical interactive beatmakers, instruments, and equipment, Spotify Soundsphere is all about exploring and having fun. While visiting, players can create their own sounds and share them with friends.
Take control of the Dashboard: While visiting Spotify Island’s studio, players will be able to take the producer seat and create their own unique tracks by mixing a collection of sounds, loops, and one-shots exclusively from Soundtrap, a music-creation tool for beatmakers and songwriters.
Ride the Soundwaves: Players will be able to grab a board and ride the waves of their favorite songs, tracks, Soundtrap mixes, and artist releases, with the waves changing in size, color, and intensity depending on the music. We’ll also give players the opportunity to personalize their boards with custom stickers. Be on the lookout for some fun Easter eggs as you shred.
Adopt a virtual pet: We’re joining the fun with special music-themed pets for players to collect by completing various challenges around Spotify Island. A cross of animals and musical instruments, these pets include Zekeys, Seahorns, Tambos and more.
When it comes to gaming, nothing quite ups the adrenaline—or helps you focus—like playing music. The two go hand in hand, and nothing proves this more than our listeners’ streaming habits in France.
In the last six months, Spotify France listeners have streamed more than 52 million hours of music across Discord, PlayStation, and Xbox. And the players’ genre of choice? French rap. The rapper Jul, who was the most-listened-to Spotify artist in France last year, is the most-listened-to artist streamed on gaming platforms by French gamers. Gamers have listened to his music on the three platforms for more than 42 million hours.
To celebrate the nation’s love for gaming and music, Spotify France hosted an event called Le Van (The Van in English). We invited three popular gamers and three hip-hop stars to the stage to compete in a series of games. Squeezie, Billy RebeuDeter, and Inoxtag represented the gaming community, while Dinos, Soso Maness, and Niska stepped up for the artists.
The best games immerse players in intricate worlds, leaving fans to marvel at the mind that created such carefully detailed settings, characters, and stories. Japanese game creator and head of Kojima Productions HideoKojima is one such mind. He’s been recognized as a leader of cinematic visual expression and storytelling in video games since pioneering the stealth game genre with Metal Gear, and more recently, he gained worldwide popularity for DEATHSTRANDING. Beginning September 8, he’s bringing the creativity behind those games to Spotify in his new podcast, Hideo Kojima Presents Brain Structure.
The Spotify Original podcast, which will be released in both Japanese and English, unravels the genius behind Kojima’s ideas and creative thinking. Fans can tune in for talk show–style discussions on a wide range of his favorite topics, including games, movies, books, art, philosophy, and the social landscape. The guests who will periodically join Kojima to discuss compelling themes will include both local and global leaders as well as top creators from a variety of backgrounds such as business, technology, and entertainment.
“I wanted to share my thoughts with a global audience and felt that Spotify would be the best home to reach all my fans and friends around the world,” said Kojima. “It’s an ambitious approach to release every episode in both Japanese and English at the same time, but I look forward to having a good time getting and sharing creative inspiration with listeners from all over the world.”
The show will also regularly welcome GeoffKeighley, a prominent Canadian gaming journalist and TV host, as he explains the latest updates on gaming and technology in a special segment. Fans of the music of DEATH STRANDING can also look forward to an opening theme song for Hideo Kojima presents Brain Structure created by Japanese music creator MichiharuShimoda, aka SILENT POETS.
“At Spotify, we’ve been focused on working with the best creators to bring to life podcast content that is exciting, offers a new dimension to entertainment, and brings fans closer to what they love,” said ChiekoNishi, Spotify’s Head of Studios in Japan. “Hideo Kojima’s podcasts will allow a broader set of listeners to enjoy his thoughts, whilst at the same time supporting his own desire to reach beyond the boundaries.”
The first episode of Hideo Kojima presents Brain Structure will launch September 8, with new episodes releasing weekly in both Japanese and English Thursdays at 9.00 p.m. JST.
Every fall, League of Legends fans from around the world come together for the year’s biggest moment in esports: Worlds. The month-long competition, starting October 5 and running through November 6, 2021, is a display of the very best competitors in the game—and it all begins with a major musical moment worthy of the tournament.
This year, Spotify and Riot Games are bringing an all-new Worlds Anthem digital experience to fans along with music-inspired activations and elevated audio experiences throughout the tournament. The Worlds Anthem drop is League of Legends’ biggest music moment, and this year, the Anthem will be “Burn It All Down” by PVRIS.
The fan experience includes:
Worlds Anthem digital experience: Dive even deeper into this year’s Worlds Anthem with the stories around the featured pros, creative, and music. The digital experience lets fans explore the regional clubhouses featured in the 2021 Worlds Anthem, including in Shanghai, Seoul, and Berlin, and discover tracks curated by League of Legends pros such as ShowMaker and JackeyLove. Some site visitors will also be given an opportunity to generate their own personalized 2021 Worlds Spotify playlist based on the music they love as they navigate the clubhouses. The microsite can be accessed in all markets where Spotify is available across both desktop and mobile.
League of Legends Official Playlist: Curated by the professional League of Legends teams representing their regions at Worlds this year, this playlist highlights each team’s play style and the song that best matches them. It includes:
“Industry Baby” by LilNasX feat. JackHarlow picked by 100 Thieves
“Can’t Stop” by Red Hot Chili Peppers picked by MADLions
Exclusive weekly podcast: Hosted by Travis Gafford and EmilyRand, Rift Reaction is a Spotify-exclusive weekly podcast that covers the biggest storylines in the League of Legends competition every week, keeping fans up-to-date on all Worlds news this year. Tune in during the competition for special, of-the-moment episodes. The Official Playlist, Rift Reaction, and more can all be found in the League of Legends hub, available exclusively on Spotify.
Behind Worlds each year is a stellar team of creative individuals who help craft each decision, including the creation of the Worlds Anthem music video—a story in and of itself. One such person is CarrieDunn, Marketing and Creative Director, Riot Games. For the Record spoke with Carrie about the choices behind the song, sound, and video, as well as what Worlds means to her.
Another year, another Worlds, and another Worlds Anthem. What factored into the sound, lyrics, and story behind this year’s “Burn It All Down” by PVRIS?
For Worlds 2021, we really grounded ourselves in this idea of “make/break.” It’s the dichotomy of Worlds that makes the competition so utterly compelling; for every stunning victory, there is a crushing loss. In order to make the future, you have to be willing to break from the past. We took that to heart, both in the stories we’re telling and in the way we chose to tell them.
For the lyrics of the Worlds Anthem, we wanted to tell the story of someone who didn’t feel like they belonged in the stereotypical box of how a “hero” looks or acts or thinks—to examine how it feels when precedent and expectations become exclusionary or confining. And then follow our protagonist as they rise up against this society—she finds her strength and stops attempting to fit into old systems. Instead she chooses to “burn it all down” and create a better world. It’s a tough journey, not without bruises and sweat and tears, but in the end it’s exhilarating and triumphant and worth it.
The sound of the Worlds Anthem came from the heart of that story. It sonically embodies “breaking the past to make the future.” It starts with a foot planted firmly in the past; those contemplative piano melodies are intentionally crafted to evoke former Anthems. We wanted fans to think they knew where this song was going. Then, as we hit that chorus and our protagonist decides to “burn it all down,” we leave the past behind. We move into the explosive, energetic, modern chorus that can’t be contained.
We’re heading into the second decade of Worlds. The greatest curse of success is a fear of innovation. But at LoL Esports, innovation has always been in our DNA. So this Anthem acts as a promise; we will always be willing to break the past to make the future.
Tell us a little more about the song, music video visuals, and how the artist was chosen.
As soon as the initial nugget of the concept of the song was formed, PVRIS was a constant reference on our team. She was our muse as we explored both lyrics and the sonic landscape. Vocally, we needed someone who could channel both emotional vulnerability and explosive power. She was the whole package. And it must have been meant to be, because when we reached out, she was wildly enthusiastic about the project. As soon as she entered the studio with our team, the energy was seamless. There was a genuine passion for the song and the story. It was a perfect partnership.
The music video visuals are the other, very important, side to this whole coin. Again, it all started with “make/break.” I looked at the landscape of LoL Esports globally, and I saw a sport on the brink. Our first decade was finished, and the second decade was waiting to be written. Some of our biggest names were retiring and a new generation, so hungry to make their mark, was rising. And I knew that was the visual story we needed to tell in the music video.
So we created the “Make/Break Society”—an underground society with secret clubhouses in regions around the world. The metaphorical manifestation of our sport’s very real rising generation—meant to show how they are constantly working to grind, to push, to test, to experiment, to evolve our sport into a new era. All so they can break the past and make their future.
What is the power of Worlds to bring gamers all over the globe together? Why is this so significant?
Worlds doesn’t just bring gamers all over the globe together. It’s a cultural moment that makes everyone realize that gaming is so much larger than a game. It breaks boundaries—living in expressions of sport, music, fashion, and entertainment. Worlds is this uncontrollable force that doesn’t fit in a single box; that is what makes it so damn exciting. On any given day, you never know what will happen next.
And of course Worlds is the pinnacle of competition. These pros from all walks of life, with all kinds of personalities and stories, are brought together at the highest-stakes moment. You never know who will rise, or who will fall; who will make, or who will break. The only guarantee is that five icons are about to rise in real time before our eyes, cementing their place in history.
This year, Spotify and LoL have put together an all-new digital experience that dives even deeper into the new Worlds Anthem music video by expanding on the stories around the featured pros, creative, and music. What can fans look forward to?
The world we created for the music video was too rich to convey in just a 3:20 film. We had an unprecedented number of pros in the film, these custom-designed regional clubhouses, and a deep story. It literally couldn’t all fit. So we partnered with Spotify to create a rich digital experience where fans could enter and explore that world.
In the Spotify digital experience, you can explore the LEC, LCK, and LPL clubhouses—diving into the hero pros, the key storylines, and all of the fun easter eggs. You’ll also be able to follow the creation process of our Anthem, with quotes and behind the scenes videos with PVRIS, our songwriter, and our composer. And of course there’s awesome sneak peeks of the artwork and process of designing the characters, the clubhouses, and the fight scenes.
What is your favorite part of the Worlds tournament? How should fans tune in?
Is it a cop-out to say my favorite part of Worlds is “whatever’s happening right now?” Worlds is so compelling because the format is constantly changing things up as the tournament progresses. It’s this quickly evolving story, each with something different to offer. What I will say is . . . do not miss finals. We have some amazing surprises planned.
Tune in to Worlds, live from Reykjavik, Iceland, at lolesports.com, and stream the League of Legends Official Spotify Playlist below.
Music is a huge part of the esports experience—and that’s especially true when it comes to Electronic Arts (EA) Games’ FIFA series. The dynamic, state-of-the-art multiplayer game allows fans to play as their favorite footballers and football teams—and listen to great tracks at the same time. The series has even been credited with helping to elevate some artists and songs to more listeners.
The next version of the game, FIFA 22, is set to debut October 1, 2021. So ahead of its eagerly anticipated launch, the team has put together not only an official FIFA 22 Soundtrackon Spotify, but an accompanying FIFA 22 VOLTA Soundtrack celebrating all the flair and style fans can bring to the pitch and to street football playgrounds all over the world.
To celebrate the official soundtrack release—and get fans hyped up for the game debut in less than two short weeks—we spoke with SteveSchnur, Worldwide Executive & President of Music, EA Games, about his team’s approach to music within the game and on the two official soundtracks.
You’ve been in the music industry a long time. What’s your earliest video game music memory? Have music and video games always had such a strong connection for you?
I’m an OG—original gamer—from the generation when a pocketful of quarters meant everything. Back then, the video arcade was as important to me as record stores, which I initially assumed was for very different reasons. Soon I began to realize that dropping the needle on my favorite BlackSabbath album or hearing that first quarter trigger the Pac-Man theme could quicken my pulse in very similar ways. All true gamers/music fans understand the connection instinctively.
You credit your team with being able to get ahold of artists prior to their breakouts and utilize their songs in your games. You have a notorious “no radio” stance. What are some of the tools you use to find new talent?
If it’s on the radio, it’s too late. Our job is to find, secure, and deliver the best new songs, hottest new artists, and most exciting new music trends that will move the needle for the year to come.
The EA Music team—which, by the way, is only six people—does it via a simple formula: great ears, gut instincts, and unmatched relationships with artists, managers, publishers, and producers all over the world. We listen to music together. We get passionate about it. We argue. We find new bands and songs that we love and then actually get to share it with millions of our friends via our soundtracks.
And the day a new FIFA edition is released, we’re already at work on the next one.
What’s the biggest misconception you’ve observed about the type of music sports fans and e-gamers will like? How did you debunk it?
Music and sports have always had a unique relationship, because they’re culturally connected. When we broke the soundtrack mold 20 years ago, we knew that sports game music needed to stop sounding like AC/DC or Queen and instead start reflecting the next generation. As athletes began to assert their individual identities on the court and the field, music needed to do the same. We believed that gamers would not only be open to new artists and music but also become fervent supporters of each annual soundtrack. We’re now two generations into not only being a global destination for new music discovery, but also as creators of new music cultures for millions of gamers and fans worldwide. And whether it’s Madden, NHL, or FIFA, we’ve helped change the way people hear and experience sports.
What can fans look forward to with the new FIFA game and soundtrack release? Which featured artists will they recognize? Whom are you excited for fans to discover?
FIFA 22delivers an unprecedented 122 songs representing 27 nations. The spirit of the 52-song menu soundtrack can be felt in the stands at the Etihad or the sands of Tulum, a genre-spanning festival of bold, uplifting rhythms featuring new music from international superstars like Swedish House Mafia, Polo & Pan, Glass Animals, Little Simz, girl in red, Jungle, and U.K. singer-songwriter Sam Fender. And just as anticipated by fans is this year’s showcase of newcomers, including NYC vocalist Casper Caan; Australian alt rockers Bloodmoon; Brazilian vocal phenom CAIO PRADO; London soul singer Hope Tala; unique Congolese collective KOKOKO!; French Jamaican singer-rapper Hendrix Harris; Israeli trip-hop band Garden City Movement; Ireland’s number one indie rockers, Inhaler; and South Africa’s “future ghetto punk” Moonchild Sanelly featuring U.K. duo Sad Night Dynamite.
The gritty underground vibe of the VOLTA FOOTBALL Soundtrack can be felt in scuttling trainers on packed dirt lots in neighborhoods from Lagos and São Paulo to Los Angeles and Rome. These 70 songs deliver a quintessential mix of global hip-hop, grime, electronic, and beyond, including a new record from Parisian producers DJ SnakeandMalaa, U.K. drill rapper Headie One featuring afroswing duo Young T & Bugsey, buzzing Atlanta hip-hop duo EARTHGANG, and U.K. singer-songwriterJohn Newman with a remix of his number-one breakthrough hit, “Love Me Again,” from FIFA 14.
On Spotify, we have seen that listeners come to the platform to stream the music they hear in video games. How does EA leverage Spotify?
From the very beginning, we knew that we wanted our soundtracks to flourish on platforms outside the games themselves. Spotify’s enthusiastic support of our playlists—including premieres, exclusives, etc.—has been key to this.
Originally, FIFA soundtracks reflected world culture. Then they began to influence culture. Thanks in large part to Spotify, FIFA soundtracks have now become culture.
Ready to kick back with the official soundtrack? Head to the FIFA profile on Spotify or stream the playlist below.
Jay-Ann Lopez is passionate about her video games. She’s currently very into Spellbreak—a multiplayer action-spellcasting game where players can wield fire, ice, toxic objects, poison, and stone. Her “wind-down” game is a calmer one, Spiritfarer, and she’s looking forward to gathering some friends to play Apex Legends season seven with her as well. Yet, as a Black woman, Jay-Ann is not who most people think of when they think of a gamer—which is precisely what she’s trying to change. There are countless women of color playing video games and looking for community. So she took it upon herself to make it happen and founded Black Girl Gamers.
For the Record spoke to Jay-Ann about creating space for Black women gamers, the representation that is yet to come, and the music on her Start Select gaming playlist takeover.
In 2015 you founded an online community called Black Girl Gamers. Can you tell us about the need that you saw for such a space?
It wasn’t a need that I saw. It was a need that I experienced. I’ve been gaming from a young age, but during that time, there were a couple of things that I experienced that led me to start Black Girl Gamers when I was in university. The first experience was not feeling represented in games. Another was just that lack of visibility for Black women who game. A lot of my friends that I was gaming with were white men. Eventually, I’d hear a sexist joke or a joke that is based in African-American vernacular English—and I’m not even American.
I tried starting my own channel. I then abandoned that, because I was like, I’d rather ‘do for everyone’ than just ‘do for myself.’ Now it’s taken off. We have 7,000 women in the group globally; in America, the UK, Asia, Caribbean, Europe. Wherever you think there’s a Black woman—she most likely games.
At the turn of the millennium, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video games brought together the best of the gaming and skateboarding worlds. And while the series was popular for letting anyone land a virtual ollie or kickflip, it also became known for its soundtrack. So when news broke that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 would be remastered and released later this year, skaters, gamers, and audiophiles rejoiced.
For original fans, the game will have a familiar look, feel, and sound—but there will also be some major modern upgrades. The soundtrack includes a lineup of throwbacks from the original game and newer songs from up-and-coming artists. And with genres spanning rock, punk, and rap, there’s sure to be a little something for everyone.
“I think that the new game is going to make fans remember why they enjoyed this series in the first place,” Tony Hawk told For the Record. “Since many of us have been stuck at home, people have told me they’ve busted out their old consoles to play our video games, especially the first two, because it brings them back to a time they remember fondly. When they see what we’ve offered them in the new game, in terms of upgrading, remastering, and the new music, I think they’re going to love it. I can already feel the excitement and people haven’t even gotten their hands on it yet.”
The new game launches September 4, but the wait for the soundtrack lineup is over. On July 28, Activision teamed up with Noisey for an exclusive virtual concert where the set list for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 was revealed. The show featured performances by some of the game’s new musical additions, includingCHAII, Merkules,Machine Gun Kelly, andRough Francis.
Alongside these new artists, the soundtrack will also feature iconic songs from the original game including Bad Religion’s “You” and Goldfinger’s “Superman.”
“I get a lot of feedback about the game’s music, specifically ‘You’ and ‘Superman,’” says Hawk. “People tell me that was the starting point for their musical interest when they played the game during their formative years. I’m thankful that these bands are still performing and that they’re still supporting us in this remaster.”
For the Record also caught up withBad Religion’sJay Bentley andGoldfinger’s John Feldmann to talk about the new game and find out why they think music and skateboarding go hand in hand.
Other than appearing on the Tony Hawk soundtrack, does your band have a personal connection to skate culture?
Bentley: We were recordingSuffer,No Control, andAgainst the Grain around the same time that camcorders were becoming popular. A lot of people used them to shoot skate videos. People started asking us if they could use our songs in their videos, and we would always say, “Yeah, of course!” I don’t think any of us realized at the time that we were part of a culture bubble that was growing so exponentially.
Feldmann: I discovered so many bands likeT.S.O.L.,Social Distortion, andDead Kennedys through skate culture, mostly through the skateboarding magazine Thrasher. There was also a connection between our band and the culture itself. I remember this one show we played where the audience was just okay. Then we played “Superman” and the crowd went ballistic. We didn’t know what was going on. After the show we realized that the song was in the Tony Hawk game and that’s how all these people discovered our band.
Speaking of, can you give us some background on “Superman”? Did you expect it to still be popular 20 years later?
Feldmann: I wrote “Superman” in 1994 in my Santa Monica apartment in probably 15 minutes. It was too late to make it onto the album we were working on at the time so when Tony Hawk’s team asked us for an unreleased song, it was just sort of there. I never thought much of the song at first, but I’m grateful that it’s still relevant.
What do you think was key to the popularity of the Tony Hawk soundtrack when it was first released and also today?
Bentley: I think when people hear something at a specific time in their life, like playing video games over summer vacation, those memories stick with you. You always have that good feeling when one of those songs comes on.
Feldmann: I just think that music and skateboarding go hand in hand, it always has. Even when I was a kid, we would make our own soundtracks on cassettes based on whatever we were listening to at the time and play those while we skated.
How do you think your band has changed from your first album to your most recent?
Bentley: I remember years ago, [guitarist and songwriter] BrettGurewitz said that one of the hardest things for him was to express a lifetime of emotion in two minutes. That’s something that we’ve always strived to do. I think as a band, we’ve gotten better at putting out our feelings in a way that’s easier to understand.
Feldmann: When I started, I never listened to anybody. I just made records that I wanted to make and I wrote songs that I thought were interesting. I’m still making music for myself, but now I’m also thinking about what kind of reaction songs are going to have live and how much fun I’m going to have playing them at shows.
Is there an artist or a band that has inspired your sound that fans might be a little surprised to learn?
Bentley: When we started, we each had our own favorite band. I came in lovingThe Clash, Greg was really big on theU.K. Subs, and Brett was into theRamones. Between all of us, we discovered that the only artist that we all liked wasElvis Costello. I don’t think that we tried to replicate his sound, but more his attitude and style.
Feldmann:The Police are my favorite band of all time.Coldplay has also had a huge influence. Their sounds are so lush and they’re incredibly cinematic.
Why are you, personally, excited for the new Tony Hawk Pro Skater playlist?
Feldmann: This game is going to be incredible. But for me, people are going to play it and our song’s going to be in it. What more could I ask for than having a song that’s survived so long that’s going to come back around again? “Superman” was never a song that was on the radio or a big hit, but on an underground level, I don’t think there’s anything bigger.
Stream songs from the Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 soundtrack now, available on Spotify.
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