"Moshi Monsters signs record deal with Sony"

TECHNOLOGY»SOCIAL MEDIA

Moshi Monsters, the popular British children’s gaming website, has signed a record deal with Sony Music.

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At 36, Michael Acton Smith has three internet ventures to his name including Moshi Monsters

Mind Candy, the company behind the game played by 60 million children aged between five to 12, has signed an agreement with the record label to release a series of albums.

The debut 12-track album, Moshi Monsters, Music Rox, features songs from popular characters such as Dr Stangeglove, Big Bad Bill and Sweettooth.

Jason Perry, head of Moshi Music and a former producer for McFly and The Pussy Cat

dolls, told The Telegraph: “Moshi Monsters has never released an album before so this is a big opportunity. The thinking behind it is that we don’t want the company to just be a computer brand. We want to turn it into the number one children’s brand."

Sony will handle all of the production, sales and distribution aspects of Moshi Monster’s forthcoming music releases. The first CD will go on sale in shops and be available on iTunes from April 2.

Perry said that Mind Candy decided to partner with Sony because it has past experience of transforming reality stars from shows such as The X Factor, into major music stars.

“We feel this is the next generation of that – taking these Moshi Monsters, which are internet stars, and making them into popstars,” explained Perry.

Moshi Monsters is now played by one in every 1.4 children in the UK.

The game is the brainchild of British entrepreneur Michael Acton. The idea is a simple one: young people from five can adopt a monster of their choice, and their task is to look after it, entertain it, and solve puzzles along the way. Earning points, they can buy food or furniture for it. Monsters include Diavlo, cute but explosive, to Poppet, cute and pink, or heart-shaped Luvli. Each has its own language.

The child-players can communicate online, and Smith argues that in some ways the site is a “Facebook for kids”. He told The Telegraph last year: “Parents feel very comfortable with our environment because it’s controlled. We record every single message, every single mouse click, every single interaction. We’re not encouraging kids to upload photos or say where they are – this is about playing games and doing puzzles. Sharing and showing off online.”