The COVID-19 pandemic affected every sector of the economy. The live music industry also suffered as concerts slowed to a halt. According to a report by Pollstar, the concert and live performance industry lost nearly $30 billion during the pandemic in 2020 alone. As many fans were unable to see their favorite artists live in concert, an alternative form was created: online, digital concerts. Even once the pandemic ends, it’s possible that Metaverse concerts may become the future of live music.
From Travis Scott to Ariana Grande to Justin Bieber, a plethora of famous artists are holding virtual concerts in the metaverse, and many more are preparing to join the new virtual concert trend. The effects and feelings of live concerts can be reproduced in a metaverse as technology develops. However, the metaverse has several unique features that change the concert experience. Each concert is not limited by real-world restrictions, such as effects, wardrobe changes, and venue size.
You can easily interact with the artist’s avatar and engage in ways that aren’t possible outside of the metaverse; the possibilities are endless. Distance, cost, and even the pandemic cannot limit you from visiting the virtual world of your favorite artists when it comes to metaverse concerts.
What Is a Metaverse Concert?
Metaverse concerts not only imply a virtual performance where the artist and the audience are represented by avatars but also an immersive experience where there is a connection between the performer and the attendees.
Many large corporations are either building their metaverses or partnering with platforms to enjoy the derivable benefits of the metaverse. Facebook’s name was changed to Meta and has committed itself to building a metaverse in order to facilitate social experiences where people can interact, connect and work together, just like in the real world, but without a carbon footprint. Similarly, Microsoft acquired a social virtual reality company, AltspaceVR Discord, to create a mesh mixed reality where teams can have meetings and collaborate in the metaverse.
Virtual reality platforms like Fortnite and Wave have already held virtual concerts which attracted millions of individuals globally. Minecraft and Roblox are also taking the front seat when it comes to metaverse shows; the latter has hosted successful concerts where there were more than 30 million viewers across the world.
What Does this Mean for Artists?
Many artists are accepting metaverse concerts as the new reality. These artists and their teams create a whole new world from the comfort of their homes and meet their audience while impressing them with their performances.
Travis Scott Astroworld Tour on Fortnite
Fortnite, an online game created by Epic Games, hosted Travis Scot as he performed a 9-minutes concert from his tour, Astroworld. Travis created a skyscraper-sized avatar of himself for the performance titled Astronomical. His audience of about 30 million people was grouped into a set of 50 people, represented by their aviators, in order for them to have easier interaction with the artist. The performance captivated the audience and brought people together at the height of the pandemic.
Nether Meant Festival on Minecraft
The concert was held in the American Football’s virtual world where the real world live concert was recreated in the Minecraft metaverse. The concert was organized by Open Pit featuring American Football, Baths and Anamanaguchi and attracted thousands of viewers. As a covid-relief concert, it raised $8000 and pulled people out of their homes into the virtual universe. However, constant jamming of the server prevented many people from joining the metaverse and they had to live stream in 2D. Digital interference is something that needs to be considered for digital concerts going forward.
Lil Nas X on Roblox
From the seamless scene transformations to the themed avatar release and the release of new singles, Lil Nas’ concert on Roblox was an astounding success. It was a new experience for both the artist and the metaverse. Viewed by more than 33 million people, the concert was a huge success when the metaverse was just taking off and highlighted the potential of digital concerts. Furthermore, it created an avenue for the brands involved in the performance to showcase their ability to exist in the metaverse, and also provided Lil Nas X, the artist, an opportunity to interact with his fans.
Ariana Grande’s Rift Tour on Fortnite
Also hosted by Fortnite, Ariana Grande’s concert was not a short one-day performance like that of Travis Scott, but rather was held over a several day stretch. The tour was a collaboration between Ariana’s team and Fortnite to bring the entertainment to Fortnite’s virtual universe. Ariana Grande performed some of her hit songs in various 14-minute concerts. Each performance also involved certain Fortnite game activities that blended the concert and the game seamlessly. From her digital wardrobe, to the effects to the ever-changing scenery, the concerts, titled Moment of Togetherness, highlighted the potential of virtual concerts in a way that had not been seen before.
Justin Bieber’s Justice Album on Wave
The metaverse concert held by Justin Bieber and hosted by Wave was the first of its kind for the artist. Many described their experience with the metaverse concert as enjoyable and surprising. The 30-minutes concert featured the artist’s avatar in a mo-cap suit shaking his legs to the tune of the music and the audience sending different colored lights to him. Whilst basic, Bieber’s performance did help promote the potential of metaverse concerts.
Benefits of Metaverse Concerts
While the metaverse concert is still in its developmental stage, it is clear that it will bring a lot of advantages to the artists, music producers, marketers and the industry at large. It could be true that soon the days where artists travel for months on end, to different parts of the world, on a music tour are done. With the metaverse, different locations can be virtually recreated to enter different categories of audience.
Artists Can Increase their Fan Base Through Metaverse Concerts
With more than 3.2 billion gamers on the internet today, it is easy to add gamers to the number of an artist’s existing fans. Since both gaming and concerts are happening simultaneously on the same platform, artists can expand their fan base to include players.
Increased Market for NFTs
Virtual merchandise associated with metaverse concerts can be made into NFTs and sold to the audience of a metaverse concert. Artists can perform for just 30 minutes and make millions in ticket and merchandise sales. Various metaverses serve as a means of generating revenue for the artists.
Final Notes
Just like crypto enthusiasts and tech-savvy individuals, music artists are making waves on the metaverse. Snoop Dog is building a mansion on the metaverse and inviting people to buy tickets to enter and view his NFT collection. There are many reasons artists hold concerts on the metaverse. What are you waiting for?
Featured Image: Megapixl
