Fnatic launches music label and releases lofi hip hop album

09 November 2022

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Fnatic Music
Image credit: Fnatic

European esports organisation Fnatic has launched its own music label, simply called Fnatic Music.

The organisation’s debut album, Fnatic Island Vol. 1, features 31 lofi hip hop tracks in collaboration with 40 artists. According to a release, the album is designed to be an accompaniment to casual gaming.

The announcement is yet another attempt by Fnatic to expand its opperations as a gaming lifestyle brand. Fnatic’s music venture joins its pre-existing lineup of gaming peripherals, merchandise and college partnership scheme. The album launch also builds on the organisation’s previous dive into music, following its collaboration with UK hip-hop artist Che Lingo in April.

This venture will see the organisation combine dozens of artists with a combined 18m monthly Spotify streams in an album. Fnatic has previously proven its ability to curate social reach using multiple influencers already using Fnatic Network, its micro-influencer programme. The programme features 70 mostly unpaid creators but has a combined social reach of over 8.1m.

Fnatic is by no means the first esports organisation to venture into music. Gen.G is currently advised by Korean American artist Jay Park, meanwhile, T1 teamed up with k-pop group THE BOYZ for Worlds 2022 — an event that saw Lil Nas X perform at the opening ceremony.

The project was driven by Fnatic’s Head of Marketing, Joshua Brill, drawing on an extensive career in the music industry, which includes time at MTV and the Warner Music Group.

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On the launch of a music label, Brill commented: “Fnatic’s positioning as the leading esports performance brand is built around competing at the highest level alongside our commitment to inspire, empower and level up all gamers. Music is yet another catalyst for us to do just that, continuing to cast our net wider beyond esports into wider gaming segments.

“We chose the lofi genre for our debut album because of its already intertwined relationship within gaming and esports; from its anime roots to the way it is already consumed en-masse by Gen Z and millennial gamers. An “internet phenomenon” would be an understatement.”

Fnatic isn’t the first organisation to announce the launch of a music label. Earlier this year, G2 Esports launched a record label alongside its debut single ‘our way’.

Patrick Walker
Patrick is a freelance writer for ESI based in London, reporting on esports marketing and partnerships trends. He's currently playing VALORANT and Overwatch but always looking for the next big thing in competitive gaming.
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