The Rolling Stones to livestream star-studded 2012 gig
The Rolling Stones have announced details of a virtual concert event to celebrate the release of their new ‘GRRR Live!’ live album.
Earlier this month the band announced the new live album, which celebrates a special live show from their 50th-anniversary tour ’50 and Counting’ that happened a decade ago.
The show, which took place in December 2012 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, was originally broadcast as the pay-per-view event The Rolling Stones: One More Shot.
‘GRRR Live!’ was described as “the definitive concert film, recorded on one of the most memorable shows in the band’s history”
It has now been re-mixed and re-edited for a new release, which will be released as a triple-album vinyl and a double-album CD. ‘GRRR Live!’ will also be released on DVD and Blu-Ray.
The show was notable for its long list of special guests, which included Lady Gaga, The Black Keys, Bruce Springsteen, John Mayer and Gary Clark, Jr.
On 2 February 2023 the entire show will be broadcast online via live stream company Kiswe, marking the first time that it’ll be available to watch in more than a decade.
In a statement shared to social media, ‘GRRR Live!’ was described as “the definitive concert film, recorded on one of the most memorable shows in the band’s history”.
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First concert announced for Africa’s metaverse
Africa’s largest mobile network operator MTN Group has announced it will host the first virtual concert in the continent’s metaverse, Ubuntuland.
The event will be held on 30 November in partnership with talent search programme The Mic: Africa.
Earlier this year, MTN Group became the first African company to purchase land in Ubuntuland with a vision to create dedicated environments for creating unique immersive experiences for its customers.
“The MTN Group’s presence in the African metaverse will be known as altMTN,” says Bernice Samuels, MTN Group executive, group marketing. “altMTN allows us to further support our ambition to lead digital platforms and support African innovation, and will, over time feature live events, shopping, gaming and learning.
“The metaverse holds a wide array of opportunities to further enhance and showcase African innovation”
“To welcome everyone to altMTN, we will leverage our partnership with The Mic: Africa to host Africa’s first virtual music concert in the metaverse to drive awareness and adoption of this new space.”
MTN will be running a competition for its launch event, giving customers a chance to win exclusive tickets to the concert.
“Many people still see the virtual worlds and environments as confusing and inaccessible, and so we are very proud to bring the altMTN experience to market in a way that can be accessed via mobile, tablet, PC or VR handset” adds Samuels. “We believe that by tapping into a key passion on the continent, namely music, we can actively draw our customers into the environment to not only experience it first-hand, but also to help us to improve altMTN as this developing technology increasingly interconnects and matures, to unlock the full benefits for our customers.
“The metaverse holds a wide array of opportunities to further enhance and showcase African innovation and we are excited to be pioneers of this journey on the continent.”
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The Chainsmokers launch metaverse world on Roblox
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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Metaverse Music Festival launches in South Korea
Korea’s leading mobile operator SK Telecom has launched the world’s first live virtual concert to use volumetric image capture technology.
The Metaverse Music Festival kicked off yesterday (27 June) and is being held at the Volumetric Concert Hall via SK’s Ifland metaverse platform every day from 8pm until 3 July.
Aju Business Daily reports the festival involves eight artists and an avatar girl group, as well as featuring live avatar performances and fan meetings.
The publication notes that audiences can enjoy the festival by moving 360 degrees to their desired location at the sphere-type hall, and can freely float in the air on a flying skyboard.
“We used volumetric technology that simultaneously captures 360-degree images of people with more than 100 cameras and creates a three-dimensional image based on live action”
“At the Ifland Metaverse Music Festival, we used volumetric technology that simultaneously captures 360-degree images of people with more than 100 cameras and creates a three-dimensional image based on live action,” says SKT, as per Korea IT Times. “Thanks to this, the audience can see the K-Pop star as huge as a building.”
The festival is part of SKT’s project to incorporate metaverse technology into K-pop content targeting Generation Z.
SKT, which demoed the content at MWC 2022 in Barcelona earlier this year, says that further volumetric concerts will be held in August.
Last October, virtual blockchain-based world Decentraland unveiled the world’s first multi-day festival in the metaverse – a virtual world made up of permanent, shared, 3D virtual spaces.
The event, Metaverse Festival, featured more than 80 high-profile artists and personalities across four days and five stages.
In addition, Electric Daisy Carnival promoter Insomniac Events partnered with leading 3D platform Unity earlier this year on a “brand new, persistent metaverse world”.
The link-up, which promises to create “the next generation of live entertainment”, will focus on expanding dance culture from the physical world to the virtual, teaming Insomniac’s vision and creativity with Unity’s cutting-edge technology.
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Roblox secures 24kGoldn for next virtual concert
Roblox and Sony have announced a virtual concert experience starring Billboard chart-topping recording artist, 24kGoldn.
The 24kGoldn El Dorado Concert Experience will feature the rapper’s debut performance of new single In My Head, as well as metaverse-spanning pre-concert quests and exclusive verch (virtual merchandise).
The American rapper and singer follows in the footsteps of artists such as Lil Nas X, Twenty One Pilots, Royal Blood, David Guetta and Ava Max
“I grew up on Roblox and have been a big fan my whole life,” says 24kGoldn. “It’s been amazing to be a part of the full experience to make this virtual concert come to life. From coming up with the storyline and transforming my hometown to designing verch, I wanted to give my fans a one-of-a-kind experience.”
Jon Vlassopulos, VP, global head of music, Roblox, adds: “It was so exciting to see how passionate Golden was to extend his creative vision to Roblox where he also grew up playing.
“Roblox is changing the game for artists, freeing them to express themselves in a way they can’t do on any other platform and allowing them to connect with millions of fans who would never be able to get to see them play in the real world!”
“[Roblox allows artists] to connect with millions of fans who would never be able to get to see them play in the real world”
The 24kGoldn El Dorado Concert Experience will also feature a full storyline pitting 24kGoldn against an evil version of himself in a battle to save the city of ‘San Dorado’ which is inspired by a mashup of 24kGoldn’s hometown San Francisco and El Dorado, the city of gold.
During the concert, 24kGoldn will take fans through the overgrown city, perform at reimagined iconic locations, and give each song a unique, creative backdrop.
Pre-concert quests that include 24kGoldn-related themed challenges are available starting today. Fans can access the quests via portals to popular Roblox experiences where they can collect badges redeemable for prizes in the 24kGoldn El Dorado Concert Experience and acquire 24kGoldn’s unique verch items. Each day, two more portals will open.
Fans who collect all badges and attend the concert experience will get to unlock a special limited-edition emote after the premiere performance.
The virtual concert will kick off at 16:00 PDT on Friday (25 April) with additional performances re-airing every hour after over the weekend with the last show airing at 23:00 PT on Sunday (27 March).
Roblox’s VP, global head of music, Jon Vlassopulos, is due to appear at this year’s International Live Music Conference (ILMC) as part of The Metaverse & live music workshop.
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Roblox reveals most popular concert of 2021
Twenty One Pilots delivered the most popular music concert experience on Roblox in 2021, according to a new report.
The experience, which took place last September in collaboration with Warner Music Group, included a five-song set from the Grammy-award winning duo with the first-ever fan-dictated setlist.
Pre-concert quests, exclusive custom-designed virtual merchandise, behind-the-scenes footage and a Q&A were also included in the experience.
Fans in over 160 countries joined the virtual event, with nearly 70% of attendees joining from outside of the US – the game’s most engaged market.
Twenty One Pilots’ offering also earned second place on the top 5 events (both music and otherwise) that engaged over 30% of visitors in the 17+ age group, according to Roblox’s end-of-year report.
The only other music-related event in the top 5 was KSI’s launch party which saw the YouTuber and rapper perform songs from his chart-topping debut album ‘All Over The Place’.
Roblox’s daily active users increasing from 32.6 million in 2020 to nearly 50 million across 180 countries in 2021
Roblox’s report also showed stratospheric growth for the platform, with daily active users increasing from 32.6 million in 2020 to nearly 50 million across 180 countries in 2021.
The median daily active user visited 55 unique experiences over the course of 2021, the report reveals, and the fastest-growing demographic is 17-to-24-year-olds.
Roblox describes itself as “an online community where people come together to play, create and explore millions of 3D virtual worlds together”.
The platform’s first foray into in-game concerts was a virtual concert with Lil Nas X in November 2020 which garnered 35 million visits.
In January 2021, Roblox’s global head of music told IQ that one of the platform’s missions was to “double down on what we were already doing and grow our music offering significantly so music becomes an organic part of our users’ daily experience on Roblox”.
Other notable music experiences that took place on Robox last year include Royal Blood’s virtual concert and a concurrent virtual edition of EDC (Electronic Daisy Carnival).
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Pokémon GO announces Ed Sheeran concert
Pokémon Go has announced an exclusive performance from Ed Sheeran, slated to appear in the AR mobile game next week.
Sheeran’s pre-recorded set, which includes hits such as ‘Bad Habits’ and ‘Thinking Out Loud’, will be available in the News section of the app from 22–30 November.
The singer’s favourite Pokémon, Squirtle, will also appear in the game, along with branded ‘=’ sweatshirts that players can dress their avatar in.
In-game events have proved to be big business for Niantic, with this year’s Go Fest event reportedly bringing in $21m
In-game events have proved to be big business for Pokémon Go developer Niantic, with this year’s Go Fest event reportedly bringing in around $21 million in revenue over the course of two days, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower.
With the Ed Sheeran event, Niantic appears to be moving in the same direction as Fortnite and Roblox, which have been leading the way for in-game music events.
Pokémon’s previous in-game music events include a virtual concert headlined by Post Malone, which was part of the franchise’s 25th-anniversary celebrations.
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Justin Bieber partners with Wave on virtual experience
Global superstar Justin Bieber is partnering with virtual concert company Wave for an ‘interactive virtual experience’ in the metaverse.
Wave’s technology will allow Bieber to transform into a digital avatar (pictured) and perform songs from his chart-topping album Justice for the first time in the metaverse.
According to a statement, the show will give fans a “futuristic look into the metaverse, merging gaming, real-time motion-capture, and live musical performance into an immersive interactive experience”.
Fans will also have a chance to appear live on stage alongside Bieber during dedicated fan moments, and influence his performance and environments in real-time.
“Justin is paving the way for artists to incorporate a virtual ‘tour stop’ to reach audiences who can’t attend in-person”
“Justin Bieber is not only one of the world’s biggest artists, he is also one of the most forward-thinking. This partnership allows for limitless, virtual opportunities for him and his fans,” says Adam Arrigo, CEO of Wave.
“By combining Wave’s technology with Justin’s creativity, we’ve created a unique, interactive experience that complements his upcoming physical tour. Justin is paving the way for artists to incorporate a virtual concert ‘tour stop’ to reach new audiences who can’t attend in-person or want a different kind of live music experience.”
Wave has hosted virtual experiences for blockbuster artists such as The Weeknd, John Legend, Dillon Francis, Tinashe and more.
Fans can sign up on wave.watch to experience the ‘Justin Bieber – An Interactive Virtual Experience’ for free on 18 November at 18:00 PT/21:00 ET. Rebroadcasts will follow on 20 and 21 November for audiences worldwide.
In other metaverse-related news, Roblox has today announced the first virtual concert fully designed by community developers.
Burgeoning US star Tai Verdes will appear in avatar form to perform in a virtual venue designed by Roblox studio, Melon – a mainstay developer on the platform responsible for previous launch parties for the likes of Ava Max, Why Don’t We, Zara Larsson, and KSI.
Unlike previous Roblox launch party venues where artists appeared on a video screen, Verdes will appear in his avatar form and perform from his Venice Beach-inspired boardwalk on Roblox.
The exclusive space, which is open today, features the “latest technological advancements available to developers” and will showcase a live Q&A with Verdes after the first concert performance on Saturday morning.
“Roblox has always been about empowering our developer community to build next-generation experiences”
“Tai Verdes is at the top of his game right now and we are thrilled he’s performing his new single on Roblox,” says Jon Vlassopulos, Vice President and Global Head of Music for Roblox.
“Roblox has always been about empowering our developer community to build next-generation experiences on the platform for the global community to enjoy.”
Roblox has previously hosted virtual events for Lil Nas X, Royal Blood, Twenty One Pilots, KSI and Electric Daisy Carnival.
The Tai Verdes Concert Experience is set to premiere this Saturday (13 November) at 11:00 PT exclusively on the Roblox platform and the show will repeat each hour through Sunday 14 November at 23:00 PT.
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Virtual concerts startup Stage11 attracts superstars
Immersive music experience startup Stage11 has announced partnerships with world-famous artists Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Snoop Dogg, Ne-Yo and Akon.
The news follows a €5 million seed round led by Otium Capital, a European venture capital fund backed by Stage11 founder and CEO, Jonathan Belolo.
Belolo is the co-owner of French record label Scorpio Music, which has a 45-year history in the music industry.
Belolo is joined by co-founders Jean-Philippe Braud and Gregory Dhonner, the co-founder and director of business development for Profirst, a luxury event agency for brands in fashion, beauty, and art (Armani, Chanel, Kering, L’Oréal, LVMH).
Also joining as co-founder is Mani Nordine, the president of American Artists Company, specialising in managing A-list artists and celebrities bookings (Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Nas & Lady Gaga).
Stage11 is using the funds to onboard strategic hires, sign key artist and brand partnerships and build its technology platform
Stage11 says it will use the funds to onboard strategic hires, sign key artist and brand partnerships and build its technology platform.
Amongst those new hires are executives who have previously worked for the likes of Assassin’s Creed, Facebook Oculus, Ferrari, Happy Feet, LVMH, Marvel Avengers, Microsoft Kinect, Nike, and Virgin.
Founded in 2020, with offices in both Paris and LA, Stage11 aims to tap into several of today’s fastest-growing markets including gaming, AR/VR, virtual events, and digital goods.
The company claims that it’s “setting out to redefine the interactive music experience” by combining gaming, mixed reality, and digital collectables.
It will achieve this by “building a new creative canvas for artists, allowing them to invite fans to live, play, and create inside their performances and musical worlds”.
We are combining genres, realities and cultures to build something bold, thrilling and timeless
“These worlds combine immersive gameplay sequences, life-like performances, cinematic narratives and exclusive digital collectables,” according to Stage11.
“Fans can not only discover and collect but actually use these interactive NFTs to create and share unique personalised content and even perform with their favourite artists.”
Stage11 can be accessed on desktop and mobile and the company’s first music experience is set to debut in 2022.
“As a gamer and sci-fi nerd, It feels like I’ve been dreaming about the metaverse my entire life,” says Belolo.
“Now that as a society we’re on the cusp of making it real, I find myself blessed to be part of an incredible team setting out to explore the new frontier. Building immersive music events and experiences is just the first step.
“We are on a journey together to reimagine the way artists and brands connect, even co-create, with their fans and audiences. We are combining genres, realities and cultures to build something bold, thrilling and timeless — yet accessible and fun.”
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Fortnite plans virtual concerts for new Soundwave Series
Epic Games has announced the next set of immersive virtual performances coming to Fortnite, under the banner ‘Soundwave Series’.
The series will kick off on 1 October with Egyptian musician Mohamed Hamaki, who has previously been featured on Fortnite Radio.
Hamaki’s show will repeat non-stop for 48 hours so that so it can be accessed at any time over the period. The experience will feature the first performance of his new song ‘Leilt Elomr‘ (‘the night of the order’) and a special emote created just for the first show of the Soundwave Series.
Other acts slated to perform during the Soundwave Series include Australian singer-songwriter Tones And I, Brazilian rapper Emicida, Japanese pop artist and music producer Gen Hoshino, and French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura.
“The Soundwave Series will introduce incredible crossover artists from around the world to millions of new fans”
“Music transcends any language, and has been a beloved part of Fortnite’s journey since our first in-game concert in 2019,” says Nate Nanzer, VP of global partnerships at Epic Games.
“The Soundwave Series continues that legacy and will introduce incredible crossover artists from around the world to millions of new fans inside Fortnite Creative, where there are virtually no limits on what can be designed by our community.”
The Soundwave Series builds on the success of Fortnite‘s recent Rift Tour with Ariana Grande, as well as Travis Scott’s record-breaking Astronomical concerts.
Marshmello, Travis Scott, Steve Aoki, Deadmau5, Easy Life and J. Balvin have also delivered virtual concerts in Fortnite.
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