Monstercat will soon become the first record label to launch a video streaming service.
EDM.com has learned that the renowned electronic music tastemaker is planning to announce a dedicated video streaming service called Monstercat+, preparing to lock horns with nascent OTT media platforms such as Peacock and Discovery+, among others.
Electronic music duo Half An Orange, who have released a triptych of EPs called Mostly We Grow on Monstercat, took to Twitter yesterday to announce their own branded reality show, inadvertently revealing Monstercat+ before deleting the tweet within minutes.
A since-deleted tweet mentioning Monstercat+, shared by dance music duo Half An Orange. [Screenshot by EDM.com]
Half An Orange (via Twitter)
Following the deletion of Half An Orange’s tweet, Monstercat opted to alert fans via its mobile community, wherein the brand provides updates about forthcoming projects via SMS. The label sent a message today, March 31st, addressing the alleged leak.
“We’ve received a lot of inquiries about some news that a Monstercat artist accidentally leaked yesterday,” the message reads. “Unfortunately, this information wasn’t intended to be shared yet, but it’s an exciting next chapter in the Monstercat story, so stay tuned for more details soon! Thanks!”
![Screenshot of a message shared in Monstercat's SMS community addressing the rumors of Monstercat+. [Screenshot by EDM.com]](https://edm.com/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700/MTc5OTk1NzgyNjg0ODc4MTY4/img_9774.jpg)
Screenshot of a message shared in Monstercat’s SMS community addressing the rumors of Monstercat+. [Screenshot by EDM.com]
Monstercat’s Co-Founder and CEO, Mike Darlington, went on to publish a tweet that alluded to the launch of the video streaming service. “Getting ready to launch a new project soon, might be cool,” he wrote. “Time will tell +.”
When EDM.com reached out to Monstercat for comment, a label representative—who asked to remain anonymous—confirmed the streaming service but refrained from divulging a concrete launch date.
When publicly confirmed, the video streaming platform will be the latest in a spate of ambitious ventures from Monstercat that have elevated the brand from record label to media powerhouse. Last summer they teamed up with Roblox, a massive game development corporation that Barron’s recently valued at $29.3 billion, for a licensing deal that enabled the platform’s players to use Monstercat’s music in their games for free.
Monstercat followed by announcing a partnership in late 2020 with the popular vehicular soccer video game Rocket League, teaming up with prolific DJ and dance music producer Kaskade to release exclusive in-game music. The tracks were ultimately compiled into the artist’s scintillating Reset EP, which the label released in March 2021.
The music from Kaskade’s Reset EP was available to be played within Rocket League.
The partnership between Monstercat and Kaskade went on to reach its pinnacle last Friday, March 26th, when the latter performed a concert inside Fortnite, the crown jewel of gaming giant Epic Games. In May 2020 the developer reported 350 million registered players on Fortnite before tweeting in December that the game attracted a staggering 15.3 million concurrent players in its “biggest event ever.”
The label rep also provided a short teaser video purportedly developed to promote Monstercat+. While we are unable to confirm the service’s planned shows at this time, the clip features a number of longtime label linchpins, signaling original programming from the likes of Conro, Dexter King, A.M.R., Vicetone, Saxsquatch, and Half an Orange.
You can watch the teaser below.