Left to right: Genies for Quavo, Kim Petras, J Balvin and Lil Huddy

Expansive Agreement Builds on UMG and Genies Early Artist Metaverse Collaborations

LOS ANGELES (December 9, 2021) – Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, and Genies, a leading avatar technology company, today announced an expansive global partnership to develop avatars and digital wearables for UMG’s iconic artist roster, building on the companies’ early collaborations to bring recording artists into the metaverse.

UMG and Genies will equip artists with official virtual identities for use in Web 3.0 and the shifting age of the Internet, providing a persistent virtual representation of themselves across the metaverse to engage with fans in expressive and authentic ways. In addition to virtual activations, UMG’s artists will have the ability to release exclusive avatar wearables for their fans to collect and use to outfit their own avatars in the metaverse.

The agreement builds on earlier collaborations to create virtual identities for some of the world’s most influential and successful recording artists including Justin Bieber (Def Jam), J Balvin (Republic), Rihanna (RocNation), Shawn Mendes (Island) and Migos (Quality Control/Motown), among many others.

In making the announcement, Celine Joshua, UMG’s Executive Vice President, Commercial Innovation & Artist Strategy, said, “UMG continues to lead and unlock what is possible with Web 3.0 and virtual economies. With our Genies partnership, we created an ideal framework and toolkit to empower our artists in the evolving digital universe.”

“We’re not bringing culture to NFTs and crypto. Genies and UMG together are bringing the power of NFTs and crypto to culture,” said Akash Nigam, CEO of Genies. “This next era of the internet is about empowering people with more ownership and capabilities. UMG’s roster of talent represents some of the world’s most entrepreneurial pioneers, and by equipping these iconic artists with their own Genie avatars, we’re excited to help them realize even more potential in Web 3.0.”

“Our successful track record of working with artists has boiled up into this moment where the leading music company in one of the most culture-defining industries is embracing the future of virtual identities,” said Jake Becker, Head of Talent Relations at Genies. “We’ll be working hands-on with UMG and their incredible roster to define what it really means for an artist to build and establish a virtual identity. It’s hard to imagine a more impressive group of cultural tastemakers and we can’t wait to help them realize their full potential in Web3 – for themselves, for music & culture and for their new and existing fans all around the world.”

About Universal Music Group
At Universal Music Group, we exist to shape culture through the power of artistry. UMG is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content. Featuring the most comprehensive catalogue of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. For more information, visit www.universalmusic.com.

About Genies, Inc.
Genies is the world’s largest avatar technology company, bringing the power of NFTs and crypto to culture through its mission to own the “virtual being identity layer.”  The company has set the foundation for swift, widespread adaptation of avatars as virtual beings in society through its consumer-first future vision coined “Decentralized Disney of the metaverse.” Genies provides consumers and celebrities with the tools to create high-quality avatars, enabling anyone to own their digital identity and express themselves across metaverses. The technology features an avatar wearables/skins marketplace built with Dapper Labs, API integrations, and a consumer app. Investors include Bond, NEA, Breyer Capital, CAA, and Tull Investment Group. The company has 99% celebrity avatar market share through its partnerships with Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, NFLPA, MLBPI, NBPA, and individually with thousands of celebrities like Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Rihanna, Migos, Cardi B, and J Balvin. Pre-order the Genies app here. For more information, please visit https://genies.com/.

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