LiveXLive Announces Rising Indie Pop Artist Stefan Benz

Rhea-AI Summary

LiveXLive Media (NASDAQ: LIVX) announces the winner of its online music contest Self Made, Stefan Benz, a 14-year-old pop artist from South Africa. Benz's single, "Cool 4 Me," hit number one in South Africa, and he has garnered significant social media reach, including over 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify and 9.5 million YouTube views. The contest attracted over 22,000 audience votes, increasing engagement by 17.4%. Benz will receive a $100,000 A&R Starter Pack to launch his career and a spot in LiveXLive's upcoming festival.

Positive

• Stefan Benz, the winner of the Self Made contest, has significant popularity, with over 10 million monthly Spotify listeners.
• The contest attracted over 22,000 votes, showcasing strong audience engagement, up 17.4%.
• Benz will receive a $100,000 A&R Starter Pack, including a distribution deal to promote his music across various platforms.

Negative

• None.

LOS ANGELES, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LiveXLive Media (Nasdaq: LIVX) ("LiveXLive"), a global platform for livestream and on-demand audio, video, and podcast/vodcast content in music, comedy, and pop culture, and owner of PodcastOne, Slacker Radio, React Presents, and Custom Personalization Solutions, announced today the official winner of its recently launched online music contest Self Made. LiveXLive congratulates rising pop artist Stefan Benz, who hails from South Africa and is currently residing in Los Angeles.  

Stefan Benz was one of the final eight contestants alongside JAYO, Kees, Lexis Jenkins, Lip Candy, NYIKO, Perris Jones and SZNS. At age 14, Benz has been hailed by Us Weekly and Entertainment Weekly as "One of the youngest rising stars to watch in music right now" and has been called the industry's next Bieber as both a songwriter and singer. 

Having dropped multiple singles in the last few years, Stefan is expected to release his first EP in July. His single "Cool 4 Me" became the number 1 hit song in South Africa making him the youngest artist in the country to hit the milestone. As a rising global superstar, he has performed on "Good Day NY," "Radio Disney," and opened the US Open ceremonies in 2019. Stefan's social media reach includes over 9.5M views on YouTube of his music, over 10m monthly listeners on Spotify, approaching  200k Instagram followers and an overall growth across platforms in the last year of more than 115% year-to-date. 

Each contestant competed in three challenges during the competition and submitted to compete for audience votes in late March 2021, which gained over 22,000 votes and an average of 900 votes per hour. This voting traffic increased LiveXLive's engagement rate by 17.4% and drove over 4 million impressions to the contest. The second installment of the successful digital broadcast competition show will take place this August on the LiveXLive platform. 

Stefan Benz, the Grand Prize winner, will receive an "A&R Starter pack" worth $100,000 to help launch his professional career that includes distribution, publishing, and a record deal. The distribution deal will promote Stefan's music through LiveXLive's flywheel, including digital radio and curated playlists, VOD, podcasting on LiveXLive's PodcastOne Network, NFTs creation and live streaming. These associated businesses encourage the interaction between audiences and artists to listen, watch, attend, engage and transact. In addition, an exclusive merchandise line will be created around his win and the show. Stefan and the other seven contestants also earned a spot in LiveXLive's annual "Music Lives'' Festival which premiered in late March. 

Andy Vick, Head of Programming, EVP StudioOne, commented, "Stefan is that rare talent who has captured the interest of major artists like Charlie Puth, DJ Khaled, Jennifer Lopez, and Shawn Mendes for his songwriting and performance skills. We are confident Stefan has the ambition and talent to grow his career with our team and mentors. We intend to support his win by providing visibility across LiveXLive's audio, video, podcasts and vodcasts and merchandise - and with live music returning in full, we will be closely aligned with his future touring schedule and integration into live streaming." 

Created by Ash Pournouri, the former partner of the late global superstar Avicii, "Self Made" is an online music competition, community, and platform built to discover and launch the artists of tomorrow. Unlike its competitors, it is not another "American Idol" or "X-Factor." This is a democratized competition built around social media engagement. LiveXLive is bringing this movement to the international stage via their talent relationships, promotional prowess, and comprehensive streaming platform.

Self Made will be the first talent show to offer NFTs as part of its offerings to audiences. They will be made available when the second installment launches this August. To stay tied into this new creative platform follow @GOSELFMADE on Instagram or @GetSelfMade on TikTok. Further details can be found by following @livexlive or go to LiveXLive.com/SelfMade.

To Listen to Stefan Benz music, visit: Stefan Benz. 

About LiveXLive Media, Inc.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, LiveXLive Media, Inc. (NASDAQ: LIVX) (the "Company") (pronounced Live "by" Live) is a leading global all-in-one streaming artist-first platform delivering premium music and entertainment content and live-streams from the world's top artists, expertly curated streaming radio stations, podcasts, and original video and audio-on-demand content, as well as personalized merchandise, connecting artists to millions of fans every day. The Company has streamed over 1,800 artists since January 2020 and has created a valuable connection between bands, fans, and brands by building long-term franchises in audio, video, podcasting, pay-per-view (PPV), live-streaming, and specialty merchandise. LiveXLive is available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire, and through OTT, Samsung TV, STIRR, Sling, and XUMO, in addition to its own app, online website, and social channels. The Company's wholly-owned subsidiary PodcastOne, generates more than 2.25 billion downloads per year with 400+ episodes distributed per week across a stable of hundreds of top podcasts. The Company's other major wholly-owned subsidiaries are LiveXLive, Slacker Radio, React Presents, and Custom Personalization Solutions. For more information, visit www.livexlive.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter at @livexlive.

Forward-Looking Statements
All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are "forward-looking statements," which may often, but not always, be identified by the use of such words as "may," "might," "will," "will likely result," "would," "should," "estimate," "plan," "project," "forecast," "intend," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "seek," "continue," "target" or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including: the Company's reliance on one key customer for a substantial percentage of its revenue; the Company's ability to consummate any proposed financing, acquisition or transaction, the timing of the closing of such proposed event, including the risks that a condition to closing would not be satisfied within the expected timeframe or at all, or that the closing of any proposed financing, acquisition or transaction will not occur or whether any such event will enhance shareholder value; the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; the Company's ability to attract, maintain and increase the number of its users and paid subscribers; the Company identifying, acquiring, securing and developing content; the Company's intent to repurchase shares of its common stock from time to time under its announced stock repurchase program and the timing, price, and quantity of repurchases, if any, under the program; the Company's ability to maintain compliance with certain financial and other covenants; the Company successfully implementing its growth strategy, including relating to its technology platforms and applications; management's relationships with industry stakeholders; the effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic; changes in economic conditions; competition; risks and uncertainties applicable to the businesses of the Company's subsidiaries; and other risks, uncertainties and factors including, but not limited to, those described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on June 26, 2020, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on February 16, 2021, and in the Company's other filings and submissions with the SEC. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligations to update these statements, except as may be required by law. The Company intends that all forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Press Contact:
LiveXLive
aileen@livexlive.com
917.842.9653

The Rose Group
LyndaDorf@therosegrp.com
424.645.4620
Brittany@therosegrp.com
614.226.9542

LiveXLive IR Contact:
ir@LiveXLive.com
310.601.2505

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SOURCE LiveXLive Media, Inc.

FAQ

Who won the LiveXLive music contest Self Made?

The winner of the Self Made contest is Stefan Benz, a rising pop artist.

What is Stefan Benz known for?

Stefan Benz is known for his single "Cool 4 Me," which became a number-one hit in South Africa.

How many votes did the Self Made contest receive?

The Self Made contest received over 22,000 audience votes.

What is the significance of LiveXLive's Self Made contest?

The Self Made contest aims to discover and launch new music talent, enhancing audience engagement and visibility for artists.

What will Stefan Benz receive as the winner of Self Made?

Stefan Benz will receive a $100,000 A&R Starter Pack to help launch his professional music career.