Gaming
The Score: Mapping Epic Games’ future music strategy
March 28 2023

It took nearly one whole year for the independent music community to see some initial fruits from Epic Games’ acquisition of Bandcamp.

Starter Packs
Starter Pack: Music in virtual worlds
March 06 2023

Music’s potential in virtual worlds is much more than just a game.

Gaming
The Score: More game studios experimenting with virtual K-pop groups
February 15 2023

Following the growing interest in music and gaming, we’re excited to announce a new format for The Score: A monthly newsletter distributed for free to all Water & Music newsletter subscribers. Each issue will round up and analyze the biggest music and gaming stories of the month, through Water & Music’s unique industry lens — forever curious about the latest tech innovations and eager to dive into the weeds, while also pulling out actionable insights grounded in music-industry needs and challenges.

Starter Packs
Starter Pack: New tech, old rights
January 09 2023

A new series unpacking essential foundational concepts for navigating music and tech.

Gaming
The most underrated music and gaming collaborations of 2022
December 15 2022

Highlighting the most impressive music and gaming collaborations you might have missed in 2022 — including the key features that made these collaborations so remarkable, how they were activated and monetized, and what you can learn from them.

Gaming
The Score: How Beatstar generated $73M in revenue — including $16M to rightsholders — in year one
November 21 2022

In September 2022, Space Ape Games announced that its mobile rhythm game Beatstar had generated $73 million in revenue — and shared over $16 million of its income with rightsholders, in a revenue-share model that is almost unheard of in the video game industry.

Gaming
The Score: What are the licensing opportunities for independent artists in video games?
October 23 2022

There’s been a significant rise in music and gaming collaborations across mobile games, rhythm games, virtual world platforms, and more. But the barriers to entry remain high for most independent artists.

Gaming
The Score: Is Lil Nas X’s League of Legends collaboration his smartest play yet?
September 26 2022

Riot Games, the studio behind League of Legends, has collaborated with Lil Nas X on the 2022 League of Legends World Championship (Worlds) Tournament anthem, “Star Walkin.’”

Gaming
The Score: Was Justin Bieber’s first in-game concert a success?
September 12 2022

Justin Bieber played his first-ever in-game concert in Garena Free Fire, a battle-royale game exclusive to mobile devices, on August 27, 2022. Did it generate the buzz and results that we expected!

Careers
CC: Hiring trends across community management, TikTok strategy, metaverse affairs, and more
September 07 2022

Introducing our new, collaborative editorial vertical about the future of work in the music business. On a biweekly basis, our research team highlights the most interesting jobs emerging in music — “interesting” defined as involving new technologies, skill sets, strategic priorities, and cross-industry synergies like in gaming, fitness, and podcasts — as a vector for charting potential futures for the music industry as a whole.

Gaming
The Score: Blackpink, PUBG, and the rise of virtual concerts in mobile games
August 29 2022

Introducing our new, collaborative editorial vertical exploring the intersection of music and video games.

Metaverse
Choose your own adventure: A music metaverse path finder
July 13 2022

A self-directed guide for artists and their teams to explore the diverse set of entry points into musical metaverse experiences.