Virtual Spaces Are Driving The Future Of Live Music Experiences – Forbes

LOS ANGELES, - APRIL 23: A view of Fortnite featuring Travis Scott Presents: Astronomical on April ... [+] 23, 2020 in Los Angeles, United States. Travis Scott + Cactus Jack have partnered with Fortnite to produce Astronomical, an in-game experiential performance and the world premiere of a new song. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Live music is facing unmatched disruption this year as pandemic lockdowns keep venues closed and performances online. Industry donations and federal funding have provided some financial relief, though most artists are still struggling to supplement lost income and fan engagement.

Gaming, virtual reality (VR) and social media are proving to be powerful spaces for music this year, especially when it comes to promotion and engagement. Looking into the new year, music artists and labels are planning to leverage gaming and social media to release new albums, engage with music and ancillary products and create new, immersive experiences like this years Fortnites Travis Scott performance (45.8 million viewers) and Lil Nas Xs Roblox concert (attended 33 million times, according toThe Verge).

Now were seeing more entertainers trying to maximize revenues, and we are working with a number of partners who create the digital content in which they can place the analog, or the entertainer, for us to distribute to consumers, saysBarry Allen, CEO of PureWeb, whose company's cloud-based streaming technology this past summer enabled millions of people around the world to experienceBurningMan's Infinite Playa through various devices.

Were talking about projects where there are hundreds of thousands of people online locally at any given time, events that launch once are being made available live for weeks, events that you can get into from anywhere in the world that broadly increases the reach of the entertainerand we are going to see more of that, Allen adds.

As game creation facilitates the development of more interactive virtual events, Allen explains that gaming software and tools like those of Epic Games (Fortnite) are being used to create realistic virtual environments, or photorealistic worlds. Interestingly, these spaces are completely unlike the cartoonish experiences that dominated the early days of gaming.

Allen says that, as technology improves, it will become more mainstream for music fans to create a personal avatar to enter virtual concerts where they can view, talk to and interact with up to 200 peers. Virtual nightclubs are also adopting the technology to allow guests to import 3-D body images of themselves and engage with other people in real time on screen.

The pandemic has accelerated innovation in the virtual event space, according to Allen, who explains that younger generations now expect to have the ability to collaborate and control the real-time virtual experiences that they engage in.

Were really excited about the trend. This digital journey, its a very interactive experience, and thats the type of thing that people are looking for is the interactivity, the human touch, which will continue post Covid-19, Allen says. People now want the socially-active, not passive, experience.

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 16: In this photo illustration, John Legend is seen on a smart phone ... [+] performing on Instagram Live during the coronavirus outbreak on March 16, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. The tourism and entertainment industries have been hit hard by restrictions in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 and many celebrities are moving to streaming performances instead of live shows. (Photo illustration by Sarah Morris/Getty Images)

This past June, John Legend used VR to perform a live social media concert as an avatar on YouTube and Twitter. American rappers T-Pain and Snoop Dogg have made a place for themselves in social media, according toNewsweek. Though T-Pain began live streaming on Twitch years ago, this past summer he made his new beats available for Twitch streamers to use on their channels.

Cole and Cody Hock, co-founders of Up North Management Group talent management firm representing top gaming and e-sports creators and streamers, and professional athletes in the digital space,are now also working with music artists and labels seeking promotion deals in games. The duo helps artists create and grow fanbases across social platforms as well as tap into and turn gaming audiences into fans. They are also helping performers monetize music while touring is on pause through virtual subscriptions, bits and donations.

Diversified content opportunities include hosting weekly live shows, question and answer sessions, subscriber-only content and producer opportunities showcasing beat making and producing techniques. Performers are also playing games directly with fans, collaborating with gamers to explore merch and make other products available through links on stream, Twitch profiles and more.

Gaming and social collaborations are also helping artists lead live, direct conversations with fans, which builds their personalities and develops deeper relationships and core superfan audiences. Built-in data and analytics serve to anticipate fan and viewer behaviors and preferences.

I saw early signs of how music and gaming were very similar and the intersection was coming together and there was this idea that collaborations could come from it, Cole says. With all eyes on gaming, I think that one place to start is the licensing world. More than ever, its probably important for publishing companies and labels to be looking at games as a real driver for breaking new music.

According to Cole, games are the new hangout spot, and artists and labels will need to stay creative in order to compete. He points to Columbia Records and the opportunity that the record label might have to take over parts of games by, for example, operating a nightclub within the space. It is important to note, Cole says, that gamers are recurrent fans, which means that performers might have an opportunity to interact with them up to several times per day.

While virtual performances will not replace live concerts, the music industry is quickly learning that they are here to stay. If artists and labels can approach gamers authentically and creatively, they can enjoy a new monetization and engagement opportunity accessible to people around the globe.

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Virtual Spaces Are Driving The Future Of Live Music Experiences - Forbes