MP3 LABS has officially launched as a new communications and growth agency serving artists, festivals, venues, and creative brands. Founded by publicist and strategist Franz Hilberath, the agency expands on the foundation of MP3 PR into a broader platform centered on narrative development and long-term cultural positioning. The company’s model is structured around three core pillars—public relations, marketing, and partnerships—designed to support sustained visibility rather than short-term promotional cycles.
The agency’s launch roster includes established touring acts such as GRiZ, Of The Trees, DJ DIESEL (Shaquille O’Neal), Detox Unit, Kayzo, and Eli Brown, alongside rising artists including Levity, Tape B, and Alleycvt. MP3 LABS also works with festivals and institutions across the live and recorded music ecosystem, including AEG Presents Rocky Mountains, Hulaween, North Coast Music Festival, Cascade Equinox, Sacred Acre Alaska, Monstercat, Deadbeats, Memory Palace, and Kompass Music Group.
According to the company, MP3 LABS is designed to operate across music, culture, lifestyle, business, and technology media, building campaigns that extend through press, social platforms, DSPs, and live experiences. Rather than centering campaigns on individual announcements, the agency emphasizes narrative sequencing and long-term positioning tied to cultural context.
Integrated Model Across PR, Marketing, and Partnerships
MP3 LABS’ structure combines traditional editorial public relations with social media strategy, DSP consulting, and sponsorship development under one integrated framework. Its public relations services include editorial outreach, long-form storytelling, platform consulting for services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube, and overarching brand strategy. Marketing services focus on social content direction, creator and influencer amplification, and platform-specific campaign design. The partnerships division concentrates on sponsorship strategy and brand alignment within music and festival culture.
The agency operates across release campaigns, live events, and brand collaborations, working with artists, management teams, labels, promoters, and festivals. Recent placements associated with MP3 PR and MP3 LABS include coverage in outlets such as Los Angeles Times, Billboard, Rolling Stone, SPIN, PAPER, DJ Mag, and Pollstar, as well as national television appearances on FOX31 Denver, KTLA, CBS Las Vegas Now, and FOX32 Chicago.
MP3 LABS also announced internal leadership appointments alongside its launch. Ashley “Riley” Lopez has been promoted to Vice President of Public Relations, bringing experience from INFAMOUS PR and festival operations across international campaigns. Lee Harmon joins as Head of Partnerships and Sponsorships, transitioning from athlete sponsorship work at Excel Sports Management into music and festival brand development.
Founder Background and Agency Direction
Franz Hilberath’s career began in editorial journalism, contributing to outlets including USA Today, EDM.com, Creative Loafing, and CULTR before transitioning into public relations and brand strategy in 2019. His work has included campaigns for artists such as DJ Snake, Zeds Dead, GRiZ, Kaskade, Claude VonStroke, and Excision, as well as releases tied to labels including Deadbeats, Monstercat, Memory Palace, and Gravitas Recordings.
Through MP3 LABS, Hilberath positions storytelling as the foundation of growth strategy, connecting press, content, platforms, and partnerships into a unified structure. The agency describes its approach as prioritizing long-term relevance over transactional publicity, with tiered retainers designed to support strategic advisory, narrative development, and full-scale campaign execution.
MP3 LABS launches with an active roster spanning artists, labels, festivals, promoters, and creative brands, and will operate from its base as a strategic communications and growth partner focused on narrative clarity, cultural timing, and sustained audience development.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
