The metaverse helped promote independent artists, here's how
TheSoul Publishing has won Metaverse Star of the Year at The Drum Awards for Metaverse. Learn from the award-winning case study.
TheSoul Publishing created TheSoul Music to support and promote independent digital artists, with a focus on Polar, the label's fastest-growing artist. The goal was to create a relatable persona that a younger audience could identify with, like a real-life pop star, and to provide a unique metaverse experience. The strategy included ambitious key performance indicators (KPIs) for Polar's first foray into the metaverse:
Achieve 1 million views on YouTube for Polar’s first music video (Close To You).
Partner with a metaverse gaming platform to enable Polar's "live" song premiere.
Gain 1 million followers on social platforms in the first year.
Have at least one song make the charts, crossing the barrier between the metaverse and the real world.
Achieve real-world publicity through high-profile interviews with traditional media.
Polar exceeded all KPIs and more, rapidly growing her fanbase. The strategy involved partnering with Believe, the world's largest independent music distributor, to give Polar's music priority and access to additional platforms. The collaboration with Lockwood Publishing, makers of Avakin Life, led to Polar's debut in a three-day launch party in the metaverse. The strategy included cross-pollination of audiences from existing channels, creating viral content on TikTok and YouTube, and targeting traditional global media for interviews.
Results:
Polar's launch party in Avakin Life was watched by more than 660,000 players, leading to the music video topping one million views on YouTube within 19 days.
Polar headlined Avakin Life's Solar Sounds Festival, receiving over 2.2 million player visits and more than 100,000 combined hours of watching her perform.
Polar's TikTok account grew to over one million subscribers, with over 1.6 million followers on TikTok and more than 10,000 followers a day.
Polar broke through the one million subscriber barrier on YouTube, with her song Close To You gaining over 8.3 million views.
Polar's songs, Close to You, Fire, and Euphoria, made it into the charts five times in Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Latvia.
Polar ranked in the Top 10,000 pop artists, Top 10,000 artists, and Top 1,000 Latin & Caribbean artists in the world according to Chartmetric.
Polar's success led to media interviews with top-tier outlets such as Reuters and recognition as a 'global icon' by Pocket Gamer.
The metaverse launch was a huge success, and plans include performances across multiple metaverse platforms and turning her hologram performance into a world tour.
Polar and her creators are actively transforming the entertainment space, with no signs of slowing down.