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BEST IMMERSIVE MUSIC EXPERIENCES OF 2021
The COVID pandemic hit the world hard. Every sector of the entertainment industry was adversely affected. They had to adjust. Everything was taken online. From movie releases to the Oscars. Concerts were not left out as artistes wanted to connect with their audience despite the hindrance the pandemic created.
Virtual concerts are not new, not since Duran Duran performed Second Life in 2006. Moving on to 2020, various platforms allow more interactive concerts. A major milestone for Virtual Concerts was reached when The Weeknd hosted one on TikTok that garnered up to two million attendees.
With this, many of those that attended virtual performances have admitted that they would love to attend one again. In 2021, improvements have been made and the potential for more is expanding at a rapid rate. Interactive digital experience presents an opportunity for artistes to bring fans into their own space. An opportunity for them to peep into the mindset of their fans and find out what they actually want, in real time. It allows for intimacy and a personalized experience for each member of the audience.
Here are five of the most exciting and talked about Immersive Music experiences of the past year
#1 FORTNITE: THE GRANDE EXPERIENCE
Ariana Grande had an Immersive concert in Fortnite, the gaming platform. They called it The Rift Tour. Millions of fans attended worldwide from the comfort of their homes. It wasn’t a live performance artiste like Travis Scott and Marshmello did, it wasn’t a concert where Ariana just went around the game gallivanting with other superstars, she had a mini-game experience for each user and her show was later used as a soundtrack for the interactive gaming experience organized by Ariana Grande herself.
Marshmello and Travis Scott had hosted live gigs on Fortnite before this. But theirs was a one-off experience but Ariana Grande’s event is now tied into multiple aspects of the game. The tour which started on August 6th is now over but users find it hard to forget Grande looking like a Fortnite character with her dress made from glass and her glowing eyes.
#2 SECRET SKY
It took off on April 24th. This was a virtual music festival that ran for over ten hours. VR users had access to four immersive environments- Festival Ground, Strixhaven, The Tree, and Cube World.
Attendees could talk to each other and some even threw dance parties during the concert.In total there were over 150,000 users with 8.6 million video minutes streamed. It featured artists like Porter Robinson, Boyz Noize, Bauuer, Rezz, and twelve others.
#3 SPATIALWEB AND BILLIE EILLISH
The Consumer Electronics Show 2021, was supposed to be held in Las Vegas but because of the pandemic, it was recreated online in SpatialWeb.
They even made it so that the sound would be real. Exactly the way it would sound in real life so conversations could be made simultaneously.
#4 POST MALONE AND POKEMON
The 25th anniversary of Pokemon was celebrated online with Post Malone as the headliner. And it was absolutely free for all to attend. The event was aired on YouTube and twitch as an animated version of the artiste was shown. The actual concert on YouTube had over three million views and shows Post Malone being transferred to different aspects of the game.
For the anniversary, the organizers also introduced P25, a series of musical events with Katy Perry as a headliner this time. Also, her new song Electric was originally written for the celebration of the anniversary.
#5 LIVE FROM THE LABEL
Coca-Cola’s Sprite represented the food and beverages section last year with their Live from The Label concert celebrating 35 years of the brand’s association with hip-hop. Special bottles were made available with QR codes giving winners access to the virtual event.
With all these events, VR users were ecstatic and left wanting more. Many VR platforms are already springing up and collaboration with various artistes is ongoing on various levels. Needless to say, this is just the beginning. Music and Virtual Reality, Music in Virtual Reality is here to stay.
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