UMG'S WISH FOR GENIES: AVATARS

Genies, an avatar technology company, will develop avatars and digital wearables for Universal Music Group artists. They’ve already worked their magic on J Balvin, Rihanna, Shawn Mendes and Migos.

Through a global partnership, UMG and Genies will equip artists with official virtual identities and enable them to release exclusive avatar wearables,

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

Jake Becker, Head of Talent Relations at Genies, added, “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.”

Amid all the talk of Web 3.0, Genies CEO Akash Nigam noted, "This next era of the Internet is about empowering people with more ownership and capabilities.”