Universal Music Group is expanding its superfan strategy with a new multi-year partnership with EVEN, a direct-to-fan platform designed to help artists sell music and build deeper relationships with their audiences.
Through the agreement, EVEN becomes a resource UMG labels and artists can use to connect directly with their most engaged fans. The platform provides tools for early access releases, exclusive content drops, and community engagement built specifically around superfans.
The partnership also opens the door for UMG artists to sell physical music and merchandise through EVEN, tapping into the company’s existing global infrastructure for direct-to-consumer sales, vinyl production, and merchandise fulfillment.
The move fits into a broader push by UMG to expand revenue beyond traditional streaming models.
Just weeks earlier, the company acquired a minority stake in the superfan platform Stationhead. Around the same time, UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge used his annual memo to staff to make clear that superfan monetization would be a major focus heading into 2026.
“In 2026 we will accelerate these efforts both by working with our established DSP partners on the launch of enhanced premium tiers for superfans, as well as by working with emerging platforms that are focused on special events and products for superfans, both virtually and in the physical world,” Grainge wrote.
For EVEN, the partnership significantly expands its footprint inside the major label ecosystem.
The platform launched in April 2024 and says it has already onboarded more than 500,000 artists through direct signups and distribution partnerships with over 3,000 labels and distributors across more than 110 countries.
EVEN also supports more than 30 global payment methods across 140 currencies and reports album sales to Luminate, allowing purchases on the platform to count toward Billboard chart eligibility.
