Ozzy Osbourne to star at Metaverse Music Festival
Virtual blockchain-based world Decentraland has announced details of the second Metaverse Music Festival (MVMF), which will include a virtual performance by Ozzy Osbourne.
Set for 10-13 November, the free four-day event will feature “uniquely curated community genre stages” and Web3-enabled, immersive music experiences, presented by digital asset platform Kraken.
The first 100 acts have been confirmed for the festival – a virtual world made up of permanent, shared, 3D virtual spaces – which debuted last year. Performers will include Vladimir Cauchemar, SNH48, Spottie WiFi, Atarashii Gakko!, Amadis & The Ambassador, FMaija Kauhanen, Handshaking, Akira the Don, DJ Eddy Temple-Morris’ band Losers, 2AM, Erika Krall and Lian Gold, who will star on the centrepiece Tower of Babel stage, set in “a cyberpunk city of the future”.
Music festival Ozzfest is also coming to Decentraland, featuring Osbourne himself and other acts soon to be announced, while music brand Limewire will host one of the main stages with an exclusive avatar performance and music video premiere from Soulja Boy. The artists playing at MVMF have worked with community designers in Decentraland to create one-of-a-kind swag options and soon-to-be-announced specials.
The inaugural Metaverse Music Festival, held in October 2021, attracted 50,000 unique attendees
The inaugural Metaverse Music Festival, held in October 2021, attracted 50,000 unique attendees to see artists such as Deadmau5, 3LAU, Paris Hilton, RAC, and Alison Wonderland.
Producer, songwriter and DJ Dillon Francis has also collaborated with Vegas City to bring a state-of-the-art Dillon Francis mega club to Decentraland. Francis will open the festival with a special set that will be projected on several screens throughout the club all weekend.
In addition to a variety of new metaverse experiences, other attractions will include a Jerry Garcia Acoustic Stage, MultiNFT Techno Parkour Stage, a pop-up nightclub by web3 music network MODA DAO and the OG stage featuring Decentraland’s most prolific musicians and event promoters.
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Modern Sky plans virtual version of China’s biggest festival
Chinese powerhouse Modern Sky Entertainment is planning to launch a virtual edition of its Strawberry Music Festival.
Launched in 2010, the annual event takes place across cities in China each spring. The Beijing edition is the largest music festival in the country.
The digital version of the festival will feature digital versions of real-life artists, as well as wholly virtual artists from Modern Sky’s new virtual artist label No Problem.
Virtual idols have been thriving in China over the years, with its market value reaching 3.46 billion yuan (US$540 million) in 2020, up 70.3% from the previous year, according to the consultancy group iiMedia. The metaverse hype was expected to push its market value to nearly 107.49 bn yuan ($16.8 bn) in 2021.
Modern Sky revealed that developing virtual artists will be a key part of its strategy for 2022 along with organising virtual music festivals and selling original digital works in the form of NFTs (non-fungible tokens).
Thc company, launched in 1997, already comprises a number of sub-labels, covering music publishing, artist management, live music, visual and product design, retail and performance venues, recording and production, media, design hotels and other sectors.
Tencent Music last month launched TMELAND – dubbed ‘China’s first interactive virtual music festival’
Modern Sky isn’t the only Chinese entertainment conglomerate making moves in the music metaverse. Tencent Music last month launched TMELAND – dubbed ‘China’s first interactive virtual music festival’.
The Chinese tech giant is also planning to acquire gaming smartphone manufacturer Black Shark in a move that could help the company build its own metaverse.
The company already owns a stake in video game company Epic Games – the maker of Fortnite which has hosted virtual concerts from the likes of Travis Scott, Ariana Grande, Marshmello, Steve Aoki, Deadmau5, Easy Life and J. Balvin.
The company also entered into a strategic partnership with Roblox, in May 2019, in which Tencent holds a 49% stake. Last year, Tencent filed for two Metaverse-related trademarks.
Modern Sky and Tencent follow in the footsteps of Decentraland and Roblox which have helped pave the way for festivals in the metaverse.
Virtual blockchain-based world Decentraland hosted the ‘world’s first multi-day festival in the metaverse’ last October.
In that same month, Roblox and event promoter Insomniac, meanwhile, brought one of the largest electronic music festivals in the world – Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) – to the metaverse.
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Pioneering festivals set to launch in metaverse
Virtual blockchain-based world Decentraland is preparing to host the world’s first multi-day festival in the metaverse – a virtual world made up of permanent, shared, 3D virtual spaces.
The event, simply titled ‘Metaverse Festival’, will feature more than 80 high-profile artists and personalities across four days and five stages.
Deadmau5, RAC, 3LAU, Nina Nesbitt, 3Lau, Alison Wonderland and Aluna (of AlunaGeorge) are all scheduled to make appearances.
The festival organisers have even secured Paris Hilton – whose in-game avatar was designed by avatar technology company Genies.
Alongside music, Metaverse Festival will also offer a funfair, games, merch stands, a VIP lounge, chill-out zones, a psychedelic sculpture garden and – in a world-first – virtual portable toilets.
“Every festival needs portable toilets – even in the metaverse”
According to festival coordinator, Sam Hamilton, “every festival needs portable toilets – even in the metaverse”.
“These are no ordinary portable toilets. Every toilet contains a different experience. Some good, some bad, some mind-blowing. Definitely worth your while checking them out,” he adds.
Hamilton says festivalgoers wanting to ‘experience’ the virtual toilets will have to “queue up like everyone else”.
“But the toilets change with each visit. No two Dump ‘N’ Pump experiences are the same,” he adds.
The central theme of the Metaverse Festival is Evolution and the event will “transform” throughout the four days, from Water on day one, to Earth, Space, and finally, Metaverse.
This metamorphosis will be visible in the main Evolution stage, presented by Bitcoin trading platform Kraken, which is sponsoring the event, along with drinks brand Heineken and crypto-exclusive fund Metapurse.
“The beauty of the metaverse is you never know what you’ll find”
“This is our way of expressing human evolution – emerging from the water onto the land, reaching space and of course the next big leap which is a pioneering exploration of the metaverse,” explains Hamilton.
The line-up will be added to up until the last minute, which Hamilton says is “the beauty of the metaverse – you never know what you might find”.
The event runs from tomorrow (21 October) until 24 October and is accessible through the festival home page or Decentraland Events page.
Elsewhere, Roblox and event promoter Insomniac today announced they will bring one of the largest electronic music festivals in the world – Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) – to the metaverse.
Taking place concurrently with EDC in Las Vegas, Nevada, sets will be streamed on Roblox after the in-person shows
The event will be the first-ever music festival hosted in Roblox and will take place in a virtual space dubbed the Insomniac World Party.
Taking place concurrently with EDC in Las Vegas, Nevada, sets will be streamed on Roblox after the in-person shows – mirroring the real-life festival – and artists will join the experience in Roblox after their sets to hold ‘meet and greets’ and interact with fans.
The festival will capture the environment that EDC is known for, replicating the event’s iconic stages and featuring interactive activities like dance battles. Joining the event will also give attendees the chance to win real and virtual merchandise.
EDC will be held in the metaverse from 22–25 October with the virtual space opening on 19 October.
Today’s news comes days after Facebook announced it plans to hire 10,000 people to develop a so-called metaverse, as the race to build the ‘next iteration of the internet accelerates.
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