The stage lights dim. The performer’s name is announced in a loud booming voice and excitement builds. Once the performer is on stage, the lights burst back to life once again. For the next few hours, fans watch in awe as their favorite artist performs hit song after hit song. Then, the concert’s over.
However, instead of filing out of the venue, all the concertgoers need to do is take off their VR headsets and they’re back at home.
This is the future those in the music industry envision for live music as virtual reality gains attention in the music world.
While the relationship between music and the virtual world has long since been explored following a 2006 virtual performance by Duran Duran, the use of headsets to create a more immersive experience is still a recent idea. The first modern conception of the VR concert was initially released to the public in 2014 after VR company Jaunt VR recorded Paul McCartney performing.
With the headsets, viewers get more benefits than they would simply be watching a virtual performance, creating a new kind of concert experience. Users can attend the concert in the shape of an avatar that they’re able to accessorize however they’d like.
Once they enter the virtual stadium, VR users get the opportunity to view the concert from places they wouldn’t be able to in a live concert experience. The viewers can watch the show from the point of view of someone on stage whether it be the point of view of the guitarist or even the singer.
If users choose to “sit” in the crowd, the 360-degree camera allows them to interact with other VR concertgoers. Users can look around and speak to each other as the concert is playing. When the concert is over, those that attended can replay it, allowing them to relive the moment how many times they like.
One of the leading VR companies dabbling in VR concerts is AmazeVR. Since its creation in 2015, the company has gathered $30.8 million in funds, announcing an additional $15 million today for VR concert development.
According to the Co-CEO of the company, Ernest Lee, the company has been able to gain traction in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on live music.
“The music industry is due for a paradigm shift, and many companies have been trying to innovate the next big thing. The pandemic only accelerated this shift as we’ve seen many endeavors spanning from livestreams to virtual concerts to Fortnite shows,” Lee said in an interview with TechCrunch.
The company’s latest venture is a collaboration with Grammy-winning artist, Megan Thee Stallion. The project allows fans to view a one-on-one VR concert featuring Megan Thee Stallion in certain AMC theatres across the U.S. once it makes its debut in the spring.
“It’s Meg herself, able to extend a personal invitation to fans that come into her music and join her on this journey,” Lee told the Grammy Museum. “The early footage has been coming out — it’s going to be pretty incredible.”
