Gaming company Roblox has announced a partnership with Sony Music, with the two companies advancing their efforts to bring Sony’s artists into Roblox’s virtual world.

The agreement builds on an existing relationship that included Columbia artist Lil Nas X’s virtual performance on Roblox in November. More than 36m Roblox users tuned into the event, where LNX debuted his single “Holiday” and fans participated in various interactive activities. The gaming giant hosted a launch/listening party for label artist Zara Larsson in May.

“Sony Music truly understands the massive opportunity that the metaverse presents for their artists and we are committed to helping them unlock new creative and commercial opportunities on Roblox,” said Jon Vlassopulos, Roblox Vice President and Global Head of Music. “We are just scratching the surface of what Roblox can deliver to the music industry and to music fans around the world.”

Said Dennis Kooker, President, Global Digital Business and U.S. Sales, Sony Music Entertainment, “Sony Music artists have been at the forefront of engaging the millions of music fans in Roblox’s massive user community. Immersive online environments represent a meaningful opportunity for reaching a growing number of fans who want to use virtual communities to enjoy shared music experiences. Also, we're very excited to have the word 'metaverse' in a press release and feel that very soon we'll be able to use 'tesseract.'"

The popularity of Roblox skyrocketed during the pandemic, counting more than 40 million users for Q1 2021, nearly double the previous year. The company launched an IPO in March, with the stock currently up more than 25% as of today (7/6).