The Chainsmokers are hosting an exclusive virtual concert to celebrate the launch of persistent metaverse world Festival Tycoon on online gaming platform Roblox.

The fully motion-captured performance will start on Friday 9 September at 4pm PT, and will be repeated every hour on the hour throughout the weekend, up to the last showing at 11pm ET on Sunday.

The US duo – Drew Taggart and Alex Pall – are set to perform a five-song set with hits from their So Far So Good album, with each song “transporting fans within its own interactive environment”.

Described as “the first persistent, 24/7, 365 days a year, progression-based artist experience on Roblox”, Festival Tycoon will invite fans to learn the intricacies that go into a festival by unlocking items such as stage design, lighting, lounges, pyrotechnics, merch booths, and music, to build their own stages, campsites, VIP areas, amusement park rides and helipads. Users can also perform on stage virtually alongside The Chainsmokers and other music acts.

“We developed both a concert and a game that allows users to not only watch the concert but create their own music festival”

The experience has been created by one of the leading Roblox developers, Gamefam, alongside the tentpole concert event, marking the first time a concert experience will extend beyond the concert itself and be used to support a persistent Roblox music world.

“Delivering an authentic experience to both a Chainsmokers fan and an avid Roblox user is what Gamefam does best,” says Gamefam CEO Joe Ferencz. “In partnership with the Chainsmokers and our team of citizen creators we developed both a concert and a game that allows users to not only watch the concert but create their own music festival. The result is a first-of-its-kind experience that can reach a massive audience around the world.”

In recent months, Roblox has launched a Spotify Island featuring virtual performances from the likes of Charli XCX, Lizzo and Gayle. Artists including Lil Nas X, Twenty One Pilots, 24kGoldn, Royal Blood, David Guetta and Ava Max have delivered virtual performances on the platform.

Roblox has also made a wave of recent hires, including former executives from Spotify and Meta, in a bid to “push the boundaries of creativity.”

Meanwhile, earlier this summer, it was revealed The Chainsmokers are set to become the first music act to perform at the edge of space after signing up for one of space tourism company World View’s inaugural flights, planned for 2024.

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The Chainsmokers are set to become the first music act to perform at the edge of space.

The US duo – Drew Taggart and Alex Pall – have signed up to get into a pressurised capsule tethered to a stratospheric balloon and play a gig 20 miles above the Earth.

The chart-topping pair are lined up for one of space tourism company World View’s inaugural flights, planned for 2024, and will record a performance from inside the capsule.

Ryan Hartman, CEO of the Arizona-headquartered firm, tells The Associated Press that he hopes linking with The Chainsmokers will capture the imagination of a new generation.

“We have always dreamed of going to space and are stoked to collaborate with World View to have this adventure”

“We think about inspiring new perspectives and how those new perspectives can lead to a radically improved future for our Earth,” said Hartman. “To be able to reach the audience of The Chainsmokers through Alex and Drew’s work contributes to our mission as well. It’s something that I’m personally inspired by and excited about.”

A 2019 Forbes report named The Chainsmokers as the highest-paid act in electronic music, raking in $46 million over the course of the year.

Revealing that his son was a fan of the band, Hartman adds: “I have just seen first-hand and personally how their music reaches a lot of different groups, a lot of different age groups and just how passionate they are about their music and their art. It matches our passion for what we do.”

“We have always dreamed of going to space and are stoked to collaborate with World View to have this adventure and experience,” add The Chainsmokers in a statement. “We know the views of both Earth and space are going to be incredible and inspiring and we hope to leverage this flight for creativity on future projects.”

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Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, says the US state’s health authorities will investigate a drive-in concert featuring the Chainsmokers, held last weekend, for alleged social distancing violations.

In the Know Experiences’ Safe & Sound Hamptons, which took place near Southampton, New York, on Saturday 25 July, had capacity for around 600 cars, and also featured performances by DJ D-Sol and Southampton’s town supervisor, Jay Schneiderman’s, band.

While organisers say the show followed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, according to Reuters, Cuomo is not convinced, claiming video from the event shows “egregious social distancing violations” on the part of attendees, many of whom appeared to have left their cars:

Videos from a concert held in Southampton on Saturday show egregious social distancing violations. I am appalled.

The Department of Health will conduct an investigation.

We have no tolerance for the illegal & reckless endangerment of public health.https://t.co/gf9kggdo8w

— Archive: Governor Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) July 28, 2020

Cuomo, who says he is “appalled” by the video, has ordered the New York Department of Health to conduct an investigation into the show.

According to In the Know, a luxury travel company, the Hamptons concert is the first in a planned series of drive-in concerts taking place “throughout the USA”.

Tickets for the event cost between US$1,250 and $25,000, with profits going to several local charities.

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Electronic dance music (EDM) stars the Chainsmokers, along with manager Adam Alpert, have lent their support to YellowHeart, a blockchain ticketing platform led by music industry executive Josh Katz.

Katz, a former record company executive and the founder of corporate subscription music provider El Media Group, plans to launch YellowHeart next year, as a “socially responsible live event ticketing platform”.

YellowHeart allows artists, organisers and venue operators to set a maximum resale price and dictate how profits are divided.

The platform is fully decentralised and runs on a public blockchain, allowing those selling the tickets to identify and sell directly to fans.

“The plague of the scalping industry is something I’ve talked to artists and friends about for years, and with the unprecedented growth of this underground system, we knew it was time to find a real solution,” says YellowHeart founder and CEO Katz.

“Blockchain offers us the unique ability to track the entire ticketing lifecycle, which means the tickets end up in the hands of the fans, and no one else”

“While technology and secondary ticketing sites are to blame for the growth of scalpers, we believe that technology is also our solution,” continues Katz. “Blockchain offers us the unique ability to track the entire ticketing lifecycle, which means the tickets end up in the hands of the fans, and no one else.”

Alpert, CEO of Disruptor Records and the manager of Alex Pall and Drew Taggart, known as the Chainsmokers, adds that the duo have been “outspoken” about the issue of ticket touting.

“We are excited to partner with YellowHeart to provide a smart and effective solution that gives control back to artists and fans,” says Alpert.

Blockchain is one of a range of new technologies changing the ways tickets are sold. Read more about the different tools ticketing firms are using in IQ‘s International Ticketing Yearbook 2019.

Authenticity, AR, facial recognition: The future of ticket tech

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Live Nation has announced a new partnership with mobile dating app Tinder, providing users of the app with US$30 tickets to concerts by the Chainsmokers, Asap Ferg and more for an “epic first date”.

To access the discounted tickets, Tinder users in the United States must swipe right when they come across a tour profile card. A link will then lead to a landing page featuring all tour and ticket information. The promotion will run until the end of October.

Tickets are available in select US cities for twelve concert tours for shows by the Chainsmokers, Asap Ferg, Logic, Lukas Graham, Meek Mill, Gesaffelstein, Gloria Trevi, Gryffin the Head and the Heart, Sabrina Claudio and Young Thug.

Users can also access discounted tickets for the alchemy tour, featuring Nghtmare and Slander.

The initiative is not the first partnership between the dating app and live music giants. In May, Tinder teamed up with Live Nation and AEG to create “Festival Mode”, allowing users to match with fellow festivalgoers before attending events in the United States, the UK and Australia.

What a match! We’ve partnered with Tinder to give you $30 All-In Tickets. Just use the @Tinder app and find select Live Nation featured tour profiles to access this special offer https://t.co/YPQjAXe4mq pic.twitter.com/TfzBKPjdm6

— Live Nation (@LiveNation) September 3, 2019

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