The music and digital entertainment industry at large has recently seen an increase in fashion-related virtual partnerships.
In December, Warner Music Group in partnership with digital fashion retailer DRESSX, allowing its artists to design their own virtual fashion lines.
epic gamesthe developer of Unreal Engine and the hit game Fortnite, recently invested at CLO Virtual Fashion, a provider of digital apparel solutions.
Now Snapchat has introduced a collection of virtual “Band Tees” for Bitmoji, the avatars used by Snapchat users.
(Bitmoji is a personal avatar creation platform that allows users to create personalized cartoon-like avatars that represent themselves. The platform was developed by Bitstrips and later acquired by Snapchat in 2016.)
For the first collection of derivative products, Snapchat teamed up with Archives of the Republic to release six new “digital merch tops”.
The first collection features six digital merchandise tops from artists like Greta Van Fleet, Jonas Brothers, Kim Petras, Lil Wayne, Metro Boomin and Nicki Minaj.
According to Snapchat, the virtual band’s t-shirts give fans “a new way to show their support for their favorite artists.”
Snapchat also claims that the new feature gives artists a promotional platform.
Snapchat users can get Band Tees collection merchandise for their Bitmoji by going to their profile screen, selecting Bitmoji, and tapping “Change Outfit.”
The Band Tees collection will be available under the Outfits, Tops, and Outerwear tabs in the avatar creator’s Bitmoji Fashion section.
With the launch of the new collection of Band Tees for Bitmoji, Snapchat claims it “expands the overall music experience” on its app “by opening up a tremendous new opportunity for artists and record labels to reach a new, highly engaged audience on Snapchat” and all other apps that integrate Bitmoji.
“This new collection of digital merchandise, in partnership with Snapchat and Bitmoji, is a great example of how artists can build an even deeper connection with their fans.”
Tim Hrycyshyn, Republic Records
Commenting on Snapchat and Republic Records’ latest move, Tim Hrycyshyn, SVP Digital Strategy at Republic Records, said, “This new collection of digital products, in partnership with Snapchat and Bitmoji, is a great example of how artists can build an even deeper connection with their online fans in a personal and unique way.
“Whether it’s supporting the release of a new album or music video, we love the opportunity to surprise and delight fans with powerful and fun new ways to express their love for their favorite artists.”
The Jonas Brothers, one of the featured artists in the Band Tees collection, said, “We are thrilled to launch our new Band Tee for Bitmoji product on Snapchat and can’t wait to see our fans around the world wearing their Bitmoji style. just before our new tour!
“We’re thrilled to present our first-ever collection of band t-shirts for Bitmoji in partnership with Republic Records.”
Manny Adler, Snapchat
Manny Adler, Head of Music Strategy at Snapchat, said, “We are thrilled to present our first-ever collection of band t-shirts for Bitmoji in partnership with Republic Records.
“This is a new way for our community to show support for their favorite artists, and expands opportunities to promote the artist on Snapchat and all other apps that integrate Bitmoji. We look forward to working with other artists.” in the future.
Adler added that the new feature gives Snapchatters new ways “to express their fandom for their favorite artists on Snapchat, whether it’s adding a sound to a Snap they send to their friends or combining music with our signature AR lenses.”
Snapchat rolled out its Sounds feature in 2020, allowing users to add licensed music to their photo and video Snaps, as well as music combined with AR lenses to deliver immersive music experiences.
Snapchat recently extended its augmented reality Partnership with nation live to include 16 festivals such as Governors Ball in NY and Lollapalooza Paris.
The new deals come as Snapchat has reached over 750 million monthly active users. The social media platform now also reaches over 75% of 13-34 year olds in over 20 countries.
On average, according to the company, more than 5 billion Snaps are created every day and more than 250 million people use Bitmoji every day. To date, over a billion Bitmoji avatars have been created worldwide, and 74% of Snapchatters dress their Bitmoji in the same brands they wear in real life.
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