Gabriele Luchetti
Prime drink is quickly becoming one of the biggest names in energy beverages. Will they target the music industry for new sponsorship opportunities?
Meteoric rise of Prime drink
Entering the market in 2022, Prime has become one of the newest, fastest growing sports drinks. Divided under the labels of hydration and energy drink, Prime was the fourth highest selling sports drink in 2023. These high sales earned themselves a spot on the Mount Olympus of beverages amongst Red Bull, Monster and Gatorade.
YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI created this new beverage to, “fill the void where great taste meets function” and have undeniably found success. Whether they found a legitimate market gap or used their audience and marketing tactics to reach these sales, it’s likely that you can find Prime drink nearby at your favorite corner shop.
To find Prime in your area, check out their where to buy page. Or if you’re feeling lazy, order from Amazon to purchase one of their fifteen different flavors.
Another win for Prime drink – sports partnerships
Thanks to their fame as influencer boxers, Logan Paul and KSI are sealing some important deals with major sports clubs and leagues. In fact, Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and the entirety of the UFC have active partnerships with Prime. Additionally, its influence is visible in their recent collab with the LA Dodgers. This collaboration presents the coconut-flavored version with a baseball inspired design.
Other than clubs and leagues, world-class athletes like Erling Haaland, Patrick Mahomes, and Israel Adesanya have their own deals, too. All shockingly impressive for a brand barely a couple years old.
Current landscape for music industry sponsors
Prime’s influence in sports is well-documented. However, is there opportunity for them in music?
After diving into SponsorUnited’s 2022 Music Festivals & Artists Report, we find some promising signs. First thing I’m looking for is precedent. Have other sports and energy drinks found success in endorsing artists and festivals?
Let’s take a look.
Music Festivals
Starting with music festivals, the top ten most active brand sponsors are drinks. Of the most active, Coca-Cola, Red Bull and Tito’s Vodka are the top contenders. This is a promising sign seeing that festivals are already open for deals with similar brands. Not to mention, some festivals have numerous sponsors, like Kappa Futur with over twenty, so it’s not out of the question to see Prime front and center stage in years to come.
Artist sponsorships
Some artists are scooping up dozens of sponsorships – like Snoop Dogg with twenty four different collaborations. From the report, “music artist endorsements are becoming increasingly popular across almost fifty unique subcategories, led by non-athletic apparel, audio, visual & wearable, and soft drinks.” Although some non-traditional businesses are getting into the fray, like Call of Duty teaming up with Steve Aoki, brands like Monster have many artists they are collaborating with.
On this front, Prime has made some moves. From an Instagram post a few days back, Central Cee was announced as part of the team. In a similar way of connecting with young talent in sports, there is certainly potential for Prime drink to partner with more influential artists.
Opportunities beyond music sponsorships
Although Prime drink has firmly planted themselves in sports, there is little evidence that they’re going to make a similar splash in music. However, there could be opportunities apart from teaming up with festivals and musicians.
Most notable of these are music platforms, like the ones from Red Bull. Sounds of Red Bull for example is a platform that gives you original soundtracks for your videos. This, included with the Red Bull Music Academy and Red Bull Records label, their involvement is more than legit. Granted, with Prime drink being a newcomer, I wouldn’t expect them to pursue anything like this for some time.
Will Prime drink take over the music industry?
Returning to the original question, is Prime drink set to become the next big music sponsor in 2024? It’s unlikely. Especially since the largest festivals already have their sponsors locked in a year in advance. The earliest we could see Prime drink becoming a major player would be 2025 – and even that would be a longshot.
Looking farther into the future, the opportunity is ripe for Prime. Currently, it’s uncertain how much Logan Paul and KSI spend on sponsorships. However, it should be mentioned that Prime’s total revenue in 2023 was a jaw dropping $1.2 billion. Combine this with the founders following a strict business model in which they serve as the only source of marketing, it stands to reason that Prime could outbid the titans of old in sponsoring high profile artists and events.
Will Prime follow in the footsteps of Red Bull or even surpass their involvement in music and urban culture? Only time will tell.
Looking for more industry insights?
We don’t chase social media algorithms. Join our Telegram Squad to keep up to date with all things music industry.
This article includes affiliate links & we earn from qualifying purchases.
