The Breakdown
e.l.f. Cosmetics · Mirror Mix (second album)
e.l.f. drops an album. Wait, what?
The beauty brand's in-house entertainment arm has released its second album, Mirror Mix, featuring seven rising artists on Spotify, Apple Music and inside its Roblox experience.
The TL;DR (too long; didn't read)
- Second album from e.l.f. Made, with seven artists across pop, R&B, Latin and rock (Marketing Dive).
- Its 2024 album drew 500,000+ Spotify streams and 10 million views, as reported.
- No figures yet for Mirror Mix.
01
Why music?
‘Get ready with me’ is a huge beauty habit, and music is the soundtrack to it. An album gives e.l.f. a reason to be in that moment without a hard sell.
It also opens doors ads can't: playlists, lyric sites (the Genius partnership) and Roblox.
02
Backing new artists
Rising artists bring their own fans and credibility, and they benefit from the brand's reach. Both sides get something.
03
Is 500k streams a lot?
For a brand album, it's a real audience. For music overall, it's modest. Always ask ‘compared to what?’. The fairer comparison is what the same budget would buy in ads.
Read the original reporting
- E.l.f. jams to second music album under entertainment marketing arm ↗
Marketing Dive · 28 Sept 2026
The theory bit
The academic ideas that explain what's going on, with the full reference for your assignments.
Uses & gratifications
Audiences actively choose media to satisfy needs: entertainment, information, identity, social connection. Media that meets a real need earns attention rather than interrupting.
Here: Music meets entertainment and mood needs, so people choose it rather than skip it.
Katz, E., Blumler, J. G. & Gurevitch, M. (1973). Uses and Gratifications Research. Public Opinion Quarterly, 37(4).
Mere exposure effect
Repeated exposure to something tends to increase how much we like it.
Here: Repeated listens create familiarity and liking, with the brand attached.
Zajonc, R. B. (1968). Attitudinal effects of mere exposure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 9(2).
Customer-based brand equity
A brand's value lives in what customers know about it: how aware they are and how strong, favourable and unique their brand associations are.
Here: It adds associations (creative, youthful, culture-savvy) to the e.l.f. brand.
Keller, K. L. (1993). Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity. Journal of Marketing, 57(1).
Over to you
No right answers here. These are to get you thinking. Jot your ideas down or chat them through.
- 1
What activity is your favourite brand connected to, and what's its soundtrack?
Need a nudge?
Getting ready, gym, commuting.
- 2
Is 500,000 streams a success? What would you compare it to?
Need a nudge?
Cost per listen vs cost per ad view.
- 3
What's the risk of a brand making art?
Need a nudge?
Authenticity, cringe, artist backlash.
Optional · about 10 minutes
Your mini task
In 60–120 words: a brand wants to launch an entertainment project (music, podcast, game). Choose the brand and project, explain the everyday moment it fits, and say how you'd judge if it was worth it.