'The lifeblood of matchday': Shoot Music's Tom Roberts & Diederik Van Zessen talk music and sport

Shoot Music, a UK-based agency specializing in the intersection of music and sport, is intensifying its European presence through a strategic partnership in the Benelux region. Led by Diederik Van Zessen from Amsterdam, this expansion aims to elevate the profile of music within sports environments in the Netherlands and Belgium, mirroring the agency’s established operations across the UK.

The agency’s core model involves promoting artists and labels by embedding tracks into sports media platforms, live events, and club environments. This approach extends to curating playlists specifically for matchday stadium atmospheres, alongside leveraging television, radio, and social media channels to reach vast and engaged audiences. Historically rooted in UK football, Shoot Music is now actively cultivating similar opportunities within European football clubs that have yet to harness music as a branding and fan-connection tool.

Van Zessen, with a background as a commentator for AFC Ajax and the Dutch football association KNVB, as well as experience as a music director at Dutch national radio NPO 3FM, has been instrumental in developing formal music policies for clubs like Ajax. His insights highlight a current gap in Benelux football where music has not been fully integrated into the matchday experience, a contrast to the UK where it is considered integral to fan engagement.

Shoot Music’s CEO, Tom Roberts, underscores the company’s evolution into a global player through collaborations with major sports entities like Formula 1 and the Premier League. The firm now targets larger European stages, including the UEFA Champions League, which has become a significant focus following their successful campaigns in the UK. The 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 UEFA European Championship, hosted across the UK and Ireland, are also on their strategic horizon given the growing appetite for curated musical content at large-scale sports events.

The agency’s recent involvement with the 2022 FIFA World Cup offered a blueprint for future initiatives. The World Cup fan zones, which expanded to include a broader mix of international audiences, provided an unprecedented platform for promoting global music acts. Notably, the official World Cup anthem "Dai Dai" by Shakira and Burna Boy, which topped UK and European airplay charts, exemplifies the success of blending sport with music marketing on a large scale. Shoot Music’s partnership with Sony Music’s UK and Benelux offices on this project marks one of their first coordinated global efforts.

Expanding beyond football, Shoot Music is broadening its remit to include other sports such as darts and Super League rugby, with an additional emphasis on increasing visibility in women’s sports. This diversification reflects a strategic understanding of the varied audiences across different sporting disciplines and the potential for music to enhance fan engagement universally.

The agency has also demonstrated effective cross-platform campaigns, as seen in their collaboration with Polydor on Sam Fender and Olivia Dean’s track "Rein Me In." The campaign leveraged sports-based social media channels across the UK and Europe, enabling clubs to use performance footage combined with iconic sporting moments on platforms like TikTok and Instagram without content removal issues. This illustrates Shoot Music's innovative approach to navigating digital rights management while amplifying artist exposure through sports narratives.

In the realm of electronic dance music, Shoot Music Benelux is preparing for an active presence at the upcoming Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE). The event offers fertile ground to showcase and promote electronic artists whose tracks resonate well within stadium settings. The agency’s prior successes include collaborations with prominent acts such as Warner Music’s Blasterjaxx and headline performances like Dimitri Vegas at the EuroLeague Basketball finals.

Looking ahead, Shoot Music plans to intensify on-the-ground activities during ADE 2024, seeking to capitalize on the convergence of DJ talent and sports entertainment opportunities. This aligns with their broader mission to embed music as an essential component of sports culture, enhancing the brand identity of clubs and enriching the fan experience.

As the relationship between music and sports continues to strengthen, Shoot Music positions itself at the forefront of this evolving sector. By tailoring strategies to regional markets while maintaining global ambitions, the company aims to set new standards for how music complements and elevates the sporting spectacle across Europe and beyond.