New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Upon a casual glance, this topic may not make much sense. After all, music and online gambling do not seem to have any direct relations. How can popular music charts have any influence on the online casino business?
The keyword to focus here is "popular" - music charts give us a clear indication of what the consumers like listening to. And those consumers are important because they are a shared resource among both industries. People love music, and many of them also love to gamble online.
If you put those two together, then you get an idea why casinos may want to try and add a musical component to their attractions. And this idea has been around way longer than online casinos. Even before the days of the internet, Vegas casinos were using popular musicians to draw crowds to Sin City.
The city of Vegas is currently one of the hottest destinations in the world for live music concerts and gigs. It was not always like this. There was a time when Vegas was considered the final destination for musicians - a place where you go for a fat paycheck when your star is on the wane on the charts and in the concert games.
But it had its great moments too. In the 1940s and 50s, Jazz and Blues greats like Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and Harry Belafonte all had their resident shows in the city. Sinatra first arrived in the 1950s, and he never left, performing for well over 40 years!
The city continued to host great acts in the 1950s and '60s, including a quick couple of shows by the legendary Beatles at the peak of their powers. By the 1970s though, music's association with the city would hit its peak. Both Elvis and Sinatra had their shows in the city in those years.
But the 1980s onwards was a time of decline, with a recession and the rise of Atlantic City dimming the fortunes of Vegas a bit. The casino circuit soon became host to a procession of old greats, like Cher, Chuck Berry, and Hal Linden.
This would change in the 2000s when Celine Dion started her recently concluded show, followed by others like Prince, Bruno Mars, Mariah Carey, Guns & Roses, Def Leppard, and Shania Twain. These days, you can find Britney Spears, Beyonce, and JLO performing at the casinos there. Casino gambling has reignited its old flame with popular music yet again.
How Different are Online Slots With Their Music
Bricks and mortar casinos are expensive to build and run. But on the flip side, they also have massive budgets to hire expensive music stars. Online casinos are far cheaper to establish and run. Besides, they do not need to attract their customers to travel to play.
These casinos can be accessed anywhere. So, there is no point in them having to hire chart-topping musicians to bring in the crowds. Their association with mainstream music happens in more subtle ways.
The biggest money spinners for online casinos are a category of games called online video slots. Like the slot machines you see in Vegas and other casinos, these games have spinning reels, attractive graphics and animation, and of course, music and sound effects as well.
Slots are very versatile as they can be kitted out in any way you want, using different themes, stories, and characters. Online casinos usually stock hundreds of different slots, each with its unique theme, like Greek Gods, Vampires, Fantasy, African Safari, Egyptian tombs, and many others.
While those are generic themes, many games developers also buy licenses from popular franchises on TV and movies, like Jurassic Park, Narcos, and Game of Thrones, to create slots based on these stories. The same principle can also be applied to music artists, which allows a casino to attract fans of that musician to play at their website.
There is no point in an online casino providing slots that showcase an obscure artist or band. Usually, only the best songs and artists have been incorporated into online slots which can be played for free on sites like NoDeposit365.com. This way, the casinos can attract the widest possible number of fans to their slots.
The most popular, iconic artists are the ones who are most sought after in the world of online slots. Think names like Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson, the King and the King of Pop - both have slots licensed by their estates. The highlight of these slots, aside from the use of pictures of these stars, is the inclusion of their popular songs as background music.
Another legend who gets a slot in his name and likeness is Jimi Hendrix, and he is not the only one from rock n roll to get in on the slots action. Glam, Heavy, and popular rock bands like KISS, Motorhead, and Guns & Roses all have famous slots games in their name at major online casinos.
Other famous musicians with slots honoring them include Elton John and the bearded band ZZ Top. While these are all famous across the world, some lesser-known music acts deserve a mention in this context as well.
Slots developers often design their games to cater to specific markets. And outside the big, English-speaking areas like USA and UK, there are a huge number of online casino players in northern Europe, in places like Sweden and Finland. This is why some bands based in these countries get to have slots games.
One particular band that comes to mind is Sabaton. This Swedish metal band is not world-famous, but they have a hardcore fan-base all over the world, and especially in the Nordic countries. Their power metal songs often focus on themes like historical battles and great generals and conquerors.
Making it Work for Their Business
Online casinos are always on the lookout for ways in which to attract new players. And chart-topping music acts and legendary bands give them a chance to tap into the pool of music fans who love to play slots.
Many slots are based on old bands and artists, mainly because gambling is more popular among people of those generations. It is certainly a concern that newer musicians and bands are not getting their share of attention from slots developers.
But as things stand, music certainly has a massive impact on the way online casinos do their business. And we can expect it to continue as long as people listen to music. Music is the food of love, so there's no reason why slots shouldn't be a part of it!