LiveXLive Announces Rising Indie Pop Artist Stefan Benz

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.

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Press Contact:
LiveXLive
[email protected]
917.842.9653

The Rose Group
[email protected]
424.645.4620
[email protected]
614.226.9542

LiveXLive IR Contact:
[email protected]
310.601.2505

SOURCE LiveXLive Media, Inc.