Content creators have fundamentally changed how music is discovered, shared, and monetised. The evolving music landscape, social platforms, particularly short-form video apps like TikTok and Meta, have shifted influence away from traditional gatekeepers and toward creators who shape culture in real time.

Today, music discovery rarely starts with radio or charts. Instead, it begins with creators: editors, filmmakers, influencers, and independent artists who embed music into content that feels authentic, personal, and native to their communities. Platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram have become launchpads for tracks, artists, and tools, proving that cultural relevance is now creator-led.

Crucially, this shift isn’t limited to emerging artists. Major labels and established musicians are actively leaning into creator partnerships to remain competitive. Viral success stories, from Old Town Road to End of Beginning demonstrate that when creators adopt a track, audiences follow. Influence now flows horizontally through communities, not top-down through traditional marketing channels.

Proof influencers work: Our 2025 partnership with Universal Music

This creator-first evolution is exactly why Universal Music worked with We Are SNS in 2025. With our influencer support, they launched Universal Music For Creators, a subscription platform designed specifically for modern content creation.

Rather than relying on traditional advertising, the campaign put creators at the center of the strategy. We worked directly with selected YouTube and Instagram creators to produce hands-on tutorials that showed how licensed Universal Music tracks could be seamlessly integrated into real-world editing workflows. By connecting creators directly with Universal Music’s team, the content stayed authentic, practical, and community-driven.

The impact went beyond influencer posts. Creator-led content consistently outperformed traditional paid media, while organic social storytelling and targeted Discord activations reached highly engaged editor and filmmaker communities—spaces where music is actively used rather than passively consumed.

The results spoke for themselves:

• 5 creators with a combined following of 148,400
• Over 40,000 impressions from creator-led content
• 10 pieces of organic content per creator over three months
• Discord campaigns reaching 200,000 highly targeted creators.

This campaign wasn’t just a product launch, it was proof that creators are now essential partners in the music ecosystem. Our work with Universal Music in 2025 shows what’s possible when brands meet creators where they already are: building culture, influencing taste, and defining what’s next.

So what does this mean for your brand?

If creators are shaping culture, discovery, and demand, the question isn’t whether to work with them, it’s how. We help brands build creator partnerships that feel authentic, perform better than traditional media, and deliver real business impact.

Let’s talk about how a creator-first strategy could work for you.