Snapchat teams up with Republic Records to launch virtual ‘Band Tees’ merch

The music and wider digital entertainment industry has recently seen a rise in virtual fashion-related partnerships.

In December, Warner Music Group [2,448 articles]" href="https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/companies/access-industries/warner-music-group/">Warner Music Group partnered with digital fashion retailer DRESSX, allowing its artists to design their own virtual fashion lines.

Epic Games [79 articles]" href="https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/companies/epic-games/">Epic Games, the developer of Unreal Engine and hit game Fortnite, recently invested in CLO Virtual Fashion, a provider of digital garment 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 custom cartoon-like avatars that represent themselves. The platform was developed by Bitstrips and later acquired by Snapchat in 2016.)

For the first merch collection, Snapchat has teamed up with Republic Records [182 articles]" href="https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/companies/universal-music-group/republic-records/">Republic Records to release six new ‘digital merch tops’.

The debut collection features six digital merch tops from artists like Greta Van Fleet, Jonas Brothers, Kim Petras, Lil Wayne, Metro Boomin and Nicki Minaj.

According to Snapchat, the virtual band tees give fans "a new way to show their support for their favorite artists".

Snapchat also claims that the new feature provides artists with a promotional platform.

Snapchat users can get Band Tees collection merch for their Bitmoji by navigating to their Profile screen, selecting Bitmoji and then tapping on ‘Change Outfit.’

The Band Tees collection will be available under the Outfits, Tops, and Outerwear tabs in the Bitmoji Fashion section of the avatar builder.

With the launch of the new collection of Band Tees for Bitmoji, Snapchat claims that it is "broadening the overall music experience" on its app "by unlocking a tremendous new opportunity for artists and record labels to reach a highly engaged new audience on Snapchat" and all other apps that integrate Bitmoji.

"This new digital merch collection, in partnership with Snapchat and Bitmoji, is a great example of how artists can build an even deeper relationship 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 digital merch collection, in partnership with Snapchat and Bitmoji, is a great example of how artists can build an even deeper relationship with their fans online in a way that feels personal and unique.

"Whether it's in support of a new album release or a music video, we love the ability 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 acts in the Band Tees collection, said: "We’re so excited to launch our new Band Tee for Bitmoji merch on Snapchat and can't wait to see our fans around the world wearing their Bitmoji style just ahead of our new tour!"

"We’re excited to introduce our first-ever collection of Band Tees for Bitmoji in partnership with Republic Records."

Manny Adler, Snapchat

Manny Adler, Head of Music Strategy at Snapchat, said: "We’re excited to introduce our first-ever collection of Band Tees for Bitmoji in partnership with Republic Records.

"It's a new way for our community to show their support for their favorite artists, and expands the artist's opportunity for promotion on Snapchat and all other apps that integrate Bitmoji. We’re looking forward to working with more artists in the future."

Adler added that the new feature offers Snapchatters new ways "to express their fandom for their favorite artists on Snapchat, whether it be adding a Sound to a Snap they send their friends or combining music with our iconic 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 expanded its augmented reality partnership with Live Nation [465 articles]" href="https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/companies/live-nation/">Live Nation to include 16 festivals such as Governors Ball in NY and Lollapalooza Paris.

The new offerings come as Snapchat has reached over 750 million monthly active users. The social media platform now also reaches more than 75% of 13 to 34 year-olds in over 20 countries.

On average, according to the company, more than 5 billion Snaps are created every day and over 250 million people use Bitmoji every day. To date, more than 1 billion Bitmoji avatars have been created globally, and 74% of Snapchatters dress their Bitmoji in the same brands they wear in real life.

Music Business Worldwide