Ariana x Fortnite
Courtesy of Epic GamesAriana Grande's rainbow-filled, pastel-hued concert in Fortnite last weekend may have lasted under 10 minutes, but its impact lingered long after the show, helping fuel a spike in streams for the songs included in her set.
During the concert, an avatar version of the pop star performed hits like "7 rings" and "Positions" in a range of enchanted settings, from a swing set in the clouds to a floating marble castle. Titled "The Rift Tour," the spectacle aired five times inside the free-to-play video game between Aug. 6 and 8. Epic Games, Fortnite’s developer, declined to state how many viewers tuned in over the weekend.
Among the five of Grande's songs on the setlist, Dangerous Woman track "Be Alright" was the breakout hit, leading the way in post-show streams. Total on-demand audio and video streams of the song surged 123% between Aug. 5 (the night before the event kickoff) and Aug. 8, from roughly 42,000 streams to 93,000, according to MRC Data. As with most of the songs on her setlist, streams of "Be Alright" steadily rose throughout the weekend: "Be Alright" collected 53,000 streams on Aug. 6; 83,000 on Aug 7 and 93,000 on Aug 8.
The second-biggest gains went to Sweetener’s "R.E.M," streams of which rose 94% from 43,000 on Aug. 5 to 84,000 on Aug. 8. Streams of "The Way," Grande’s 2013 collaboration with Mac Miller, rose 44% from 146,000 to 211,000. Streams of thank u, next standout "7 rings" rose 23% from 446,000 to 552,000. "Positions," Grande’s most recent hit single, gained an extra 10,000 or so streams – from 611,000 to 621,000 – but given the song’s high starting stream count, the surge only accounted for a 2% increase.
Grande’s concert also included a handful of tracks by other artists, which enjoyed streaming gains as well. Australian rock band Wolfmother's "Victorious" saw the biggest percentage jump of all: Streams rose from close to 3,000 to close to 23,000, marking a 663% increase. Streams of the Labrinth, Sia and Diplo supergroup LSD’s track "Audio" jumped 222% from 21,000 to 68,000, and streams of "Come & Go" by Juice Wrld featuring Marshmello rose 35%, from 564,000 to 759,000.
The event doesn’t appear to have made much of a difference on streams of Grande’s total catalog, which actually dropped by 2% between Aug. 5, when her catalog accumulated 7.29 million streams, and Aug. 8, when her catalog collected 7.18 million streams.
"The Rift Tour" was billed as Fortnite’s follow-up event to Travis Scott's "Astronomical" in-game concert in April 2020, but Grande’s streaming gains from the concert pale in comparison to Scott’s – whose entire catalog surged 136% the day after his debut Fortnite concert. So what could account for the gap in streaming impact?
Unlike "The Rift Tour," "Astronomical" included the arrival of a brand-new track: "The Scotts," Scott’s collaboration with Kid Cudi that was live-debuted during the concert and rocketed to No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart the following week. Not counting "The Scotts," streams of Travis’ discography still rose by 38%. But when comparing these events, it’s also worth noting that "Astronomical" took place just a month into the coronavirus pandemic, when music fans across the globe had nowhere else to go but online – and at roughly the same time that Scott would have been headlining the cancelled Coachella 2020, inadvertently framing his Fortnite performance as a replacement. All these factors helped Scott draw a stunning 27.7 million unique players to his concert.
NEWS
Lainey Wilson and performers from KPop Demon Hunters are set to take the stage at Snoop’s Holiday Halftime Party.
The artists will appear alongside rapper Snoop Dogg for the halftime show during the Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions matchup on Christmas Day 25.12.25.
While revealing the lineup for the broadcast, which will stream on Netflix, Snoop shared a new mashup of Deck the Halls and Drop It Like It’s Hot and declared: “We about to light up this Christmas. Come on in!”
Snoop’s Holiday Halftime Party will stream on Netflix as part of the game coverage, which follows the earlier Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders clash.
Netflix has also suggested that the show could feature additional surprise appearances.
In a press release, the streamer teased: “You’ll have to wait until Christmas Day to see who else joins Uncle Snoop for this jolly halftime show. You’re in for a holiday treat!”
Snoop added in a statement: “NFL, Netflix and your uncle Snoop on Christmas Day? We’re servin’ up music, love and good vibes for the whole world to enjoy. That’s the kind of holiday magic Santa can’t fit in a bag.”
Snoop and Wilson will share the spotlight with KPop Demon Hunters performers Ejae, Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna, collectively known as Huntrix.
Kelly Clarkson will launch the celebrations earlier in the day, performing Underneath the Tree ahead of the Cowboys and Commanders game.
In 2024, the inaugural NFL Christmas Day Halftime Show was led by singer Beyoncé.
During that performance, Beyoncé welcomed Post Malone and Shaboozey to the stage for the Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans game at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.Lainey Wilson and performers from KPop Demon Hunters are set to take the stage at Snoop’s Holiday Halftime Party.
The artists will appear alongside rapper Snoop Dogg for the halftime show during the Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions matchup on Christmas Day 25.12.25.
While revealing the lineup for the broadcast, which will stream on Netflix, Snoop shared a new mashup of Deck the Halls and Drop It Like It’s Hot and declared: “We about to light up this Christmas. Come on in!”
Snoop’s Holiday Halftime Party will stream on Netflix as part of the game coverage, which follows the earlier Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders clash.
Netflix has also suggested that the show could feature additional surprise appearances.
In a press release, the streamer teased: “You’ll have to wait until Christmas Day to see who else joins Uncle Snoop for this jolly halftime show. You’re in for a holiday treat!”
Snoop added in a statement: “NFL, Netflix and your uncle Snoop on Christmas Day? We’re servin’ up music, love and good vibes for the whole world to enjoy. That’s the kind of holiday magic Santa can’t fit in a bag.”
Snoop and Wilson will share the spotlight with KPop Demon Hunters performers Ejae, Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna, collectively known as Huntrix.
Kelly Clarkson will launch the celebrations earlier in the day, performing Underneath the Tree ahead of the Cowboys and Commanders game.
In 2024, the inaugural NFL Christmas Day Halftime Show was led by singer Beyoncé.
During that performance, Beyoncé welcomed Post Malone and Shaboozey to the stage for the Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans game at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.Lainey Wilson and performers from KPop Demon Hunters are set to take the stage at Snoop’s Holiday Halftime Party.
The artists will appear alongside rapper Snoop Dogg for the halftime show during the Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions matchup on Christmas Day 25.12.25.
While revealing the lineup for the broadcast, which will stream on Netflix, Snoop shared a new mashup of Deck the Halls and Drop It Like It’s Hot and declared: “We about to light up this Christmas. Come on in!”
Snoop’s Holiday Halftime Party will stream on Netflix as part of the game coverage, which follows the earlier Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders clash.
Netflix has also suggested that the show could feature additional surprise appearances.
In a press release, the streamer teased: “You’ll have to wait until Christmas Day to see who else joins Uncle Snoop for this jolly halftime show. You’re in for a holiday treat!”
Snoop added in a statement: “NFL, Netflix and your uncle Snoop on Christmas Day? We’re servin’ up music, love and good vibes for the whole world to enjoy. That’s the kind of holiday magic Santa can’t fit in a bag.”
Snoop and Wilson will share the spotlight with KPop Demon Hunters performers Ejae, Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna, collectively known as Huntrix.
Kelly Clarkson will launch the celebrations earlier in the day, performing Underneath the Tree ahead of the Cowboys and Commanders game.
In 2024, the inaugural NFL Christmas Day Halftime Show was led by singer Beyoncé.
During that performance, Beyoncé welcomed Post Malone and Shaboozey to the stage for the Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans game at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
