“Play gigs! Buy records! Fill the dance floor & become a Superstar DJ.” But enough about Music Ally’s ambitions for December. No, this is the introductory blurb for a new mobile game called Mixmstr, launched by developer Youth Control Games. It’s the latest music-rhythm game for smartphones (“tap to beat to mix records like a mixmaster”) with the twist that the music comes from real artists and labels. This being a modern mobile game, it’s free to download, and makes its money from an in-app economy.
Players can buy virtual gems to spend within the gameplay, and they can also buy music packs – among those listed on the App Store are ‘EDM Anthems Vol 1’ (which costs $2.99), ‘House Party!’ ($8.99) and ‘Radio Hits! Vol 1’ ($19.99). The developer is thus pitching the game to labels and artists as a source of revenues, rather than just promotional value.
“Mixmstr can introduce huge, global audiences to artists, labels and brands, generate significant new revenue streams and still create exciting, dynamic content for our users,” is how CEO Timo Juuti put it. “This is a brand new opportunity for the music and gaming industries but to make it work we need to evolve beyond traditional business models and find new ways to work together.” His company is interesting, too: an offshoot from Youth Control, a Finnish label, publisher, artists agency and events firm.
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