Canadian esports organization Luminosity have announced a breakthrough partnership with the Canadian arm of Universal Music and have launched ‘Gaming Hip Hop’.
Luminosity say it is the first partnership between a record label and an esports organization, and will “formally connect music and the ever-growing gaming world.”
Luminosity has some of the biggest names across esports within their organization, both competitive/professional players as well as streamers.
In total boasting over 60 million social media followers, Luminosity fields teams in Call of Duty, Counter-Strike and SMITE, plus some of the biggest names in streaming including Tyler “Ninja” Blevins.
The partnership with Universal Music may have been inspired by Ninja’s groundbreaking stream with Drake, who is signed to Republic (a division of UMG), which smashed Twitch viewing records.
Professional gamers and streamers are often playing music when live streaming, mainly Hip Hop, and so the partnership’s first project is the ‘Gaming Hip Hop Playlist’. UMG Canada President & CEO Jeffrey Remedios recognized the opportunity that music has in gaming:
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“We are always looking for new ways to reach music fans and Luminosity Gaming is the answer. Music is an essential part of esports and gaming as the two worlds are very much intertwined.
We’re very proud to forge a local connection with a global reach between two Canadian organizations located in Toronto.”
And it will not just be ‘gaming’ playlists, as the partnership also hopes to get gamers and LG fans “closer” to artists, with “exclusive contests, breaking news, sneak previews, events and more.”
The companies want to ‘cross-promote’ by developing content which can be shared through live streams, not just by gamers but by artists too – so maybe another Drake and Ninja stream on the way?
Luminosity founder Steve Maida said the partnership was another example of the expansion and opportunities of esports.
“Our pairing is a natural fit and I’m looking forward to seeing how we can further integrate music into gaming. This partnership with Canada’s leading music company is only further proof esports is multi-faceted and has no boundaries.”
You can check out the ‘Gaming Hip Hop’ playlist here, available on both Spotify and Apple Music.