For more than a decade, fans have debated NCS vs. Monstercat. Now, with both labels celebrating their 15th anniversaries, that long-running community rivalry is becoming a real-world collaboration through a six-week release campaign bringing artists from both catalogs together.
Running from August 12 through September 16, NCS vs. Monstercat: 15 Year Anniversary will see the two labels unveil a series of collaborative releases before culminating in a full compilation on September 16. Each week, both labels will contribute a track inspired by a shared theme, creating a musical conversation between two of the most influential names in internet-born electronic music.
Founded in 2011, NCS and Monstercat quickly became important pillars of online music culture. As YouTube, gaming and electronic music grew alongside one another, both labels developed innovative ways to connect emerging producers with millions of listeners, helping shape the soundtrack of a rapidly expanding creator and gaming ecosystem.
Long before electronic dance music became a dominant force in mainstream culture, NCS and Monstercat were introducing new artists to audiences through gaming videos, creator content and online communities. Their catalogs became closely associated with a generation of listeners discovering electronic music through the internet, while their respective artists built global followings far beyond traditional club and festival audiences.
As those communities grew, so did the overlap between them. Artists appeared across both ecosystems, fans debated which catalog delivered the better music and a friendly rivalry emerged that became part of the culture surrounding both labels.
Fifteen years after their respective beginnings, NCS and Monstercat are turning that history into an official campaign designed to celebrate the communities that helped both labels grow.
“NCS vs. Monstercat: 15 Year Anniversary” begins August 12, with new music arriving throughout the six-week campaign before the complete compilation lands September 16. Each release will explore a shared theme while highlighting both the legacy of the two labels and the artists helping define the next generation of electronic music.
“For the last 15 years, the friendly rivalry between NCS and Monstercat has been one of the internet’s favourite debates. It was never something we created – it was built by the community, fuelled by incredible artists, unforgettable records, and millions of fans championing the label they loved. While we’ve always taken different paths, we’ve shared the same passion for discovering talent and soundtracking the internet. Bringing both labels together for our 15th anniversaries felt like the perfect way to celebrate that history, honour the communities that made it all possible, and look ahead to the next generation of artists and fans,” said Charlotte Lee, General Manager of NCS.
“This partnership feels so unexpected it’s almost taboo, like the kind of fan fiction crossover that would never actually happen. But we’ve been close with Charlotte, Dan and the NCS team for years, and with our 15-year anniversaries falling just weeks apart, it felt like the perfect opportunity to celebrate the rich, interconnected history of two of the internet’s biggest record labels,” added Orri Sachar, Vice President of Monstercat.
For Neils “Nins” Raes, Project Manager of Monstercat, and Jack Davies, Social Media Manager at NCS, the campaign carries an especially personal significance.
“When we first met at ADE 2025, we both joked about doing something together for our 15th anniversaries. When we pitched the idea to our teams, they were immediately on board. We both grew up with the sounds of Monstercat and NCS, so being able to bring a campaign to life that we once dreamed of as community members is a surreal feeling.”
What began as a fan-driven debate has now become a celebration of the shared history between two labels that helped define a crucial era of online electronic music culture. By bringing their artists and communities together, NCS and Monstercat are using their 15th anniversaries to look back at how far the scene has come while turning their attention toward the artists and sounds that will shape what comes next.
NCS vs. Monstercat: 15 Year Anniversary launches August 12, with new releases arriving weekly through September 16.
MONSTERCAT: WEBSITE | SPOTIFY | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE | X
NCS: WEBSITE | SPOTIFY | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE | X