Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) China partnered with League of Legends publisher Riot Games in China to host a songwriting camp under the theme of “esport spirit”.
The partnership follows UMPG’s appointment in May 2020 of Joe Fang as its first ever Managing Director in China who was tasked with developing UMPG China at its new headquarters in Beijing.
Through the collaboration, six songs from the camp will be produced for promotional use for the upcoming 2020 League of Legends World Championship, which, in 2019, attracted over 100 million viewers, with the the final round seeing a peak of 44m concurrent viewers.
Shanghai Municipal Government and Riot Games recently announced the 2020 League of Legends World Championship will take place entirely in Shanghai this year.
It will start from September 25 with the final game taking place on October 31 in the Pudong Football Stadium.
The participating UMPG songwriters included Matzka, Gong, CHIYO, Moi Yang, NIA Yang, Tian Mi, JunFeng Xiao, Rtruenahmean, JZlee, Daniel Kim, Dru Chen, Laird Yu, Chris Lyon and Rabitt.
Songwriters participated both in studio and virtually. The camp was held from July 24-27 in GUM Studio Shanghai.
“I am honored to be partnering with Riot Games on this initiative to create songs to win the heart and mind of the Chinese esport community and celebrate this world-renowned event.”
Joe Fang, UMPG China
Joe Fang, Managing Director of UMPG China, said: “Music and gaming are activities of no boundary. When matching them well, possibilities are endless.
“I am honored to be partnering with Riot Games on this initiative to create songs to win the heart and mind of the Chinese esport community and celebrate this world-renowned event.
“It showcases a valued mechanism of producing quality music for institutional users.”
“I look forward to empowering and celebrating the 10th World Championship of League of Legends with music of power and of various styles, through working with UMPG.”
Leo Lin, Riot Games China
Leo Lin, Head of Riot Games China said: “When music meets and mixes with gaming, it is simply exciting.
“I look forward to empowering and celebrating the 10th World Championship of League of Legends with music of power and of various styles, through working with UMPG.”
“We set up our Beijing office with this in mind, appointing a best in class local management team with a shared goal of focusing on developing the rich potential of Chinese songwriters and allowing them to shine.”
Andrew Jenkins, UMPG Australia and Asia Pacific
Andrew Jenkins, President, UMPG Australia and Asia Pacific, added: “China is a key creative priority for UMPG and we are providing the impetus to bring the diverse range of local original talents to a global audience.
“We set up our Beijing office with this in mind, appointing a best in class local management team with a shared goal of focusing on developing the rich potential of Chinese songwriters and allowing them to shine.
“Putting songwriters first, allowing originality and artistry to shine, and providing a natural platform for creative people to collaborate were the key goals for the Shanghai song camp.
“Thank you to all the amazing songwriters who took part, your songs themselves are the most eloquent expression of how much we succeeded.”
“As a gaming company that values music experiences, Riot Game we are very happy taking this exploring journey with world leading music publisher UMPG to level up the ‘gaming x music’ creation.”
Thomas Tang, Riot Games China
Thomas Tang, Head of IP & Creative of Riot Games China, said: “This is a spark in bloom in Shanghai at this special occasion, as a result from colliding gaming and music for nearly a year.
“As a gaming company that values music experiences, Riot Game we are very happy taking this exploring journey with world leading music publisher UMPG to level up the ‘gaming x music’ creation.
“We hope Riot Games and UMPG continue this journey from here together to bring more beautiful music experiences to LoL players in China and around the world, as we always put player experiences first.”
“We’re excited about this partnership and the opportunity to create music for our Chinese fans.”
Toa Dunn, Riot Music
Toa Dunn, Head of Riot Music, said: “We’re excited about this partnership and the opportunity to create music for our Chinese fans.”
Music Business Worldwide
