LEGO teams up with Universal Music for creative play
Posted by Huw,
Here's a press release about an exciting new partnership:
THE LEGO GROUP AND UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP JOIN TO EXPAND CHILDREN’S CREATIVE PLAY THROUGH THE POWER OF MUSIC
Exclusive global partnership encourages the world to be more playful with an innovative music initiative, combining passion for music with the iconic LEGO System in Play.
Billund, April 27, 2020 – The LEGO Group today announced an exclusive global partnership with Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s leading music-based entertainment company, that will enable children around the world to explore their creativity through play, by expressing themselves through music.
The partnership is based around the development of a new suite of LEGO products launching in 2021, created to encourage and inspire the next generation of musicians, creatives and fans. This positive and playful initiative aims to reinforce child development and harness the mental and creative benefits of music and LEGO play.
As the global industry leader, UMG shapes culture around the world through the power of music. UMG brings both local and global superstars, along with an unrivalled catalog of recorded music and publishing, covering all genres and languages, to the LEGO Group programs.
Equally, the LEGO Group, which has worked to inspire and develop children through play since 1932, adds to the partnership, solid experience in innovating and developing play for children and their families around the world, generation after generation.
Combining music and the LEGO System in Play, this collaboration will deliver exciting opportunities for children to connect and creatively express themselves, and their love of music. Harnessing immersive, interactive play and safe social experiences, the partnership aims to inspire and support creative development.
Olivier Robert-Murphy, Global Head of New Business, Universal Music Group comments: “Music plays an integral part in every child’s life from the moment they are born and throughout their development. Across the decades, children have continued to explore this passion via vinyl, radio, cassette, music videos, CD’s and streaming. Now through the partnership between the LEGO Group and UMG, we will provide a new interactive way of inspiring the next generation of fans and creative visionaries.”
On the partnership, LEGO Group CMO, Julia Goldin says, “We know music is a huge passion for so many children, it has an incredible ability to engage and unite children and their families, just like the LEGO brick. This partnership will see us celebrate the power of merging music and the LEGO System in Play, providing children with a whole new way to creatively express themselves by bringing to life music in their own world, their own way”.
Fans wanting to learn more about this upbeat initiative should stay tuned until later this year, when full details for this game-changing partnership will be revealed.
What is your response to this announcement and what do you think the products might involve? Let us know in the comments.
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48 comments on this article
Okay. Didn’t see this coming.
...huh. Can't say the press release is doing anything for me but depending on what comes outta this it could be interesting I guess?
So... music making sets, or sets with real life music bands? This was unexpected.
I have no idea what this is going to be. And I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.
Finally, what I've been waiting so long for
Very interesting. We saw the LEGO Ideas piano become a LEGO set, then the LEGO Ideas "Music to our ears" competition, and now this music license.
Some of my predictions are either a CMF series of music celebrities, or a theme of actual music-related things such as instruments, orchestras, concert stage setups, etc.
Also wondering if there's going to be an actual musical/sound element to it, perhaps sound bricks or a tiny working LEGO bluetooth speaker? Imagine that as a Powered Up component.
Wasn't Universal behind the whole 'Bionicle Music' thing back from 2001-2002?^^
I didn't see that coming at all, I wonder if it's sets like the Mario block.
I really hate these "secretive" press releases. You want my money ? Either tell me what the product is or don't waste my time.
I'm not sure "exciting" is the word I'd use for it. At least not just from an announcement of nothing specific beyond a partnership. They had a partnership with the studio that made the Galidor series, too. I believe they've had at least a couple partnerships that fizzled out without actually resulting in any new product. When they actually announce a product that's developed out of this, then we can decide whether or not excitement is warranted.
I wonder if this will use something like the “smart brick” technology introduced in the Super Mario sets...
I want a Lego soundboard, where each, maybe, 2x2 tile I can press makes a different sound haha.
Reading this, I can't help thinking back to an earlier collaboration between LEGO and Universal Music back in 2001, in the form of the 8546-1 Bionicle Power Pack and BionicleMusic.com (archived here: http://biomediaproject.com/bmp/files/sites/bioniclemusic/).
No telling what this new collaboration will be, but in any case, I'm excited to see how LEGO and Universal attempt to bridge that gap between music and LEGO building!
@Atuin said:
"Wasn't Universal behind the whole 'Bionicle Music' thing back from 2001-2002?^^"
That's right! Indeed, Universal Music Group, in partnership with Lego, was behind a few techno tracks released as a set in 2001, the infamous BIONICLE "PowerPack", set 8546. The set includes a buildable Tohunga (as they were then known) villager figure named Hafu (who was a sculptor, not a musician, so not sure on the logic of his inclusion there), a chrome silver Kanohi Hau mask, and a CD-ROM that, aside from PC content exploring Po-Wahi (Hafu's village), contained three songs. They were "The BIONICLE Music", "Hura-Mafa Flow", and "Kumo Rocks". Additionally, there was a separate website on UMG's page where one could sample and make their own BIONICLE-influenced music. It was a really cool promotion that also fleshed out the new world of BIONICLE.
In 2002, a so-called "BIONICLE: The Album" was due to be released, but I'm not sure what UMG's role would have been, if any. This was to be a more traditional pop LP, with promised artists such as Zev, Cold, and Rob Zombie. It was never released.
This new team-up unfortunately probably won't resurrect this cool aspect of BIONICLE's past, but I'm sure it is part of the new partnership Lego cooked up with Universal after the contract with Warner Brothers expired. Universal, aside from owning UMG, also has the rights to all those classic monster movies, as well as the Back to the Future films. Maybe we'll get that Creator Expert DeLorean after all!
I realise that those born profoundly deaf can sense vibrations and some with hearing impairments go on to become accomplished musicians but to claim that ‘[m]usic plays an integral part in every child’s life from the moment they are born’ (Olivier Robert-Murphy, Global Head of New Business, Universal Music Group) either demonstrates callous insensitivity or bewildering ignorance. Which is it, Mr Robert-Murphy?
Maybe they'll be using the Mario technology for something more music-related?
Can't really imagine this thing succeeding in any shape or form. And Universal's top artists (Gaga, Post Malone,Drake, Eilish etc) are not kid firendly so anything with current artists > minifigs is not happening. My guess is it is another app with the use of boost & sensors integration to create brick-built music. It is better though they are trying this than waste time and money on yet another unnecessary licenesed theme.
It’s probably a line of sets with sound blocks you can arrange to make different tunes.
I wish Lego would focus on regular system sets rather than more gimmicky-sets, but I guess they bring in new customers.
Great, great.
Buuuut...
No posts about the seemingly official pics out there for 2nd half of the year for Creator, Dots, Jurassic World, City, etc etc.?
@chrisaw said:
"Great, great.
Buuuut...
No posts about the seemingly official pics out there for 2nd half of the year for Creator, Dots, Jurassic World, City, etc etc.?"
They’re in the database, but the pictures are too low quality and quantity to make a big deal of. I imagine there’ll be posts when additional, HD images become available.
I’d love to see a playable piano out of LEGO, but I couldn’t really care less... and I’m a bit of a musician myself.
Also I know a lot of Universal’s artists (e.g Gaga, Drake etc.) aren’t the most kid friendly out there. So I don’t think we’ll see figures of those anytime soon.
@Zander said:
"I realise that those born profoundly deaf can sense vibrations and some with hearing impairments go on to become accomplished musicians but to claim that ‘[m]usic plays an integral part in every child’s life from the moment they are born’ (Olivier Robert-Murphy, Global Head of New Business, Universal Music Group) either demonstrates callous insensitivity or bewildering ignorance. Which is it, Mr Robert-Murphy?
"
So what would be a better way to word that, without sounding too PC to the point of an eye roll ?
Another "What the heck is the marketing folks in Billund on?" moment. I just kinda don't get just what can be done with this. If it's just music blocks, did it even need the licensing?
The majority of the acts I listen to are on Nuclear Blast, so I don't see anything I'd want coming out of this.
Frankly, this reminds me of the partnership between TLG and Ikea...and I don't remember that anything much emerged from *that* combination. Unless TLG is planning a reboot of its "Lights and Sound" feature, and means to use this venture to ensure it never runs out of appropriate sounds for the sound bricks, I don't really see the point.
Admittedly, I'm not very good at lateral thinking. Here's hoping TLG has cooked up something unexpected and mindblowingly delightful!
@Zander said:
"I realise that those born profoundly deaf can sense vibrations and some with hearing impairments go on to become accomplished musicians but to claim that ‘[m]usic plays an integral part in every child’s life from the moment they are born’ (Olivier Robert-Murphy, Global Head of New Business, Universal Music Group) either demonstrates callous insensitivity or bewildering ignorance. Which is it, Mr Robert-Murphy?
"
I'm rather offended you chose to focus only on deaf children. What about those babies who only live a few minutes or those who are stillborn? They don't get to experience music either, why did you deliberately choose to exclude them?
Your comments demonstrate either callous insensitivity or bewildering ignorance. Which one is it Zander?
I'm intrigued by this. But why not post articles about all of the new summer 2020 sets recently released . . . Marvel, Jurassic World, City . . . ? They made there way to the database, but if I wasn't looking, I never would have found them.
I come to Brickset mainly to find news on upcoming sets and find it disappointing that you don't highlight more set releases/announcements.
@Snazzy_Bricks said:
"I have to say, I do not know any children who are using vinyl or cassette tapes."
I'm 23 and; I have a few cassettes and an old (and pretty small, by 1960s standards) Philco AM/ radio turntable combo that runs on 4XAAs, but it plays a small 45 RPM record that's very hard to find, but the AM radio has the best reception and range of any it's size I have had. Not bad for a 55 year old piece of tech that cost me five bucks.
I don't know what this entails, and I'm no audiophile or musical artist, but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what LEGO does with this! I wouldn't be surprised if technology was involved here like how it was with LEGO Super Mario.
I, too, own the Bionicle Power Pack (still got the CD, Hafu and the chrome Hau), but I wasn't aware it was from a partnership between LEGO and UMG. I didn't pay much attention to the fine print back then.
@SinKiller_Nick said:
"I'm intrigued by this. But why not post articles about all of the new summer 2020 sets recently released . . . Marvel, Jurassic World, City . . . ? They made there way to the database, but if I wasn't looking, I never would have found them.
I come to Brickset mainly to find news on upcoming sets and find it disappointing that you don't highlight more set releases/announcements. "
I mentioned this above too; Brickset was my 1 Lego news site back in the day but nowadays it seems it’s more of a ‘feature article’ website, and now I use it for the set database more than anything.
Lego ideas piano? Heh? :D
I'm glad Lego is always coming up with new concepts. Although some have not done very well, others have done tremendously well.
I would much rather this as opposed to just sticking with the same thing set after set.
The Mario sets for example, those seem amazing.
My son is looking forward to what could possibly come of this.
Cheers Lego, and thank You for trying new ways of exploring your amazing creation.
I wonder if somehow they can link this to the ideas piano and make it play licensed music
Playable Lego instruments? More Mario type of figures that play sounds? I'm confused.
Everything is awesome.
Cor more toys for kids
Ok... It sounds promising, I guess? But if it turns out to be another overly gimmicky line like Super Mario, I will most likely not be interested in it.
At least, it's not Disnex Records. Or Sony Music.
@elangab said:
"So what would be a better way to word that, without sounding too PC to the point of an eye roll ?"
'in most children's lives' or 'in many children's lives'
@Snazzy101 said:
"I'm rather offended you chose to focus only on deaf children. What about those babies who only live a few minutes or those who are stillborn? They don't get to experience music either, why did you deliberately choose to exclude them?
Your comments demonstrate either callous insensitivity or bewildering ignorance. Which one is it Zander? "
Mr Robert-Murphy's statement is exhaustive: 'every child's life'. My point was not. There are indeed other categories to which his claim does not apply such as one of your examples, children abandoned at birth in extreme poverty who are raised by older siblings, or children who can hear but are born to hearing-impaired parents. Not having listed every possibility is neither insensitive nor ignorant. Asserting that every child gets to enjoy music is. You should direct your criticism to Mr Robert-Murphy.
Possibly some sort of modular production, where bricks are used to symbolise bars/beats of music. Combine them across a tile interface, just like a DAW.
@SinKiller_Nick said:
"I'm intrigued by this. But why not post articles about all of the new summer 2020 sets recently released . . . Marvel, Jurassic World, City . . . ? "
Unlike other websites that rely on publishing every little snippet of news on the home page for their traffic, we don't need to. New sets go in the database where they belong. They can be seen in the home page side bar and are easy to find in the set listings. When something particularly significant is added we will mention it in the news but don't feel the need to do so all the time.
You can keep fully appraised on what's been added to the database via RSS: https://brickset.com/feed/activity
Cool. I would like to see something where joining together different types of electronic bricks (or just placing them close to each other) causes them to interact and product interesting sounds, and connecting the bricks in different ways changes the sound, like an analogue synthesizer or a Reactable. I want a set containing a couple of dozen Duplo-sized bricks containing different waveform generators, oscillators, filters, effects etc and one brick with a speaker or some way of connecting to an external mixer.
@Ayliffe said:
"...huh. Can't say the press release is doing anything for me but depending on what comes outta this it could be interesting I guess?"
Yeah, the press release needs another heavy pass from an editor. Redundant treacle.
@TheWackyWookiee said:
"I’d love to see a playable piano out of LEGO, but I couldn’t really care less... and I’m a bit of a musician myself.
...
It's not a piano, but check this out:
http://www.henrylim.org/Harpsichord.html
@EvilTwin:
Check out the sets in the 33xx range from this query:
https://brickset.com/sets?query=music
Paul
@Agent00Z said:
"Very interesting. We saw the LEGO Ideas piano become a LEGO set, then the LEGO Ideas "Music to our ears" competition, and now this music license.
Some of my predictions are either a CMF series of music celebrities, or a theme of actual music-related things such as instruments, orchestras, concert stage setups, etc.
Also wondering if there's going to be an actual musical/sound element to it, perhaps sound bricks or a tiny working LEGO bluetooth speaker? Imagine that as a Powered Up component. "
If they do famous celebs. I would like to see an NF Minifigure. His music is pretty clean so its kid friendly. Also a bluetooth speaker would be cool.
@Lego_Lord_Mayorca:
They may not have really defined who the musicians were that early in product development.
@LegoSonicBoy:
I think I ended up buying three of them. The chrome Hau was just too awesome to stop at one. I know one I bought to keep stock, and another I ended up using to make my Mata Nui MOC after beating the MNOLG. I think the third one ended up on Akamai or something.
Well as a musician I was pleased to see this.
Its nice to see Lego embracing music rather then all these stupid apps, videogame rip offs, drones/quad-copters etc. Something educational, timeless and beneficial for all.
On that note, whoever said that music isnt an integral part of all chldrens lives is clearly living in a lego brick bunker.
Music influences all childrens lives, sure one may not take up an instrument (although all good parents should encourage this), but the lyrics or melody of a song may influence a person at any age, & I dont think theres any children who dont listen to SOME kind of music (well, if one can call this modern rot music), at least occasionally. Music is a large part of films and TV as well. Music SHOULD be a huge part of childrens lives, especially in this increasingly insular, sometimes quite depressing world.
And since your so politically correct, remember that many battles for equal rights and recognition have been through music!
Sadly I fear this will be either some childish xylophone thing like place the bricks to create really basic rhythms. Otherwise it will just be modern music which sucks. If they include Dead Sherrans Lego House (which made no sense) I shall rage quit lego.
Id love to have a music CMF series but sadly again theyd probably just do stupid modern top 10 artists that are forgotten after 2 months rather then educating children about important musical figures. Im not just talking classical, but various jazz, blues and early pop/rock artists (especially of African-American background) who deserve credit.
Just on classical though, Bach's wig is something Ive struggled to capture with the LDD parts available. The only part that kind of looks right is the judges wig but it still isnt right.
I just hope we finally get some more lego musical instruments! Many are quite hard to do in minifig scale, like a violin or tuba.
Id love to see a Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra, kind of like a city people pack that educates children about the orchestra and instrument families etc. as well as providing us AFOLs and TFOLs with a parts pack for musical MOCs!
I'm assuming this will be a bunch of sets (hopefully in the $10-15 range) that depict different music instruments. There could be some really fun builds with that.
I could also see sets based off of real life musicians, either busts or mosaics or CMFs. As unlikely as it may be, I've got my fingers crossed for some Rebecca Sugar representation. Her music style in Adventure Time and Steven Universe really defined the latest generation.