Are Video Games Like ‘Beat Fever’ the Future of Marketing?

The popular mobile game Beat Fever came out in August 2017 and took the mobile platform by storm. The game boasts 8.6 million players around the world who tap to the beat of their favorite songs.  Once they complete their game, users receive a prompt to listen to the full track on Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube, and other music services.

This method of promoting music is through their marketing platform. It’s connecting artists and fans in an innovative way to combine their game’s reach with fun accessibility, and it works. The game tells Digital Music News that the average player hits 34 plays per song, and the game accumulated over 49 million outbound clicks so far.

Steve Aoki’s track Azukita saw a 61% increase in Spotify streams, adding 2.3 million more plays since its release in the game. This bodes well for other artists on the platform, like R3HAB, Zeds Dead, 3LAU, Marshmello, Grandtheft, and Ekali. The artists can enjoy the exposure, while fans enjoy their music, all from the convenience of their cell phones.

What does this mean for the future of music marketing?

Spotify is considerably one of the ground-breaking platforms, setting itself apart from other streaming services by being access-based. It pairs well with the game by allowing an incentive to play. Those who complete the challenges get to hear and possibly discover music. Who really wins from this kind of deal, the music or the game?

The partnership between streaming platforms and mobile games make a fun combination that’s sure to be rewarding. It’s caught the attention of labels like Monstercat Records, who announced in February they released exclusive tracks on the game. With an audience like 8.6 million players, they’re likely to get their artists into the ears of many EDM fans.

Since the Marketing Platform’s beta launch, they’re hoping to expand it to 200 other spaces like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and more. With a “Featured “section in the game’s main menu to push notifications, the game offers serious promotion like never before. Ultimately the artists and streaming services take home a win from being featured on the game. Whether or not copycats will capitalize on the action is uncertain.

Interested in playing along to some of your favorite tracks? Download it from iOS and Google Play, and check out their Spotify playlist here!