Have you ever really wanted to go see and experience your favorite artists concert but it was too far away or the cost of the tickets were WAY out of your budget? Well, the company MelodyVR and artists such as Kelly Clarkson and Wiz Khalifa have worked to make this possible. Through an Oculus VR headset you are able to witness the concert itself, the stage, behind the sound booth, backstage and even the experience of being onstage with the band all on the comfort of your home through an app on your IPhone or Android device.
This type of technology is available now using a pay-per-view model starting at $1.99 per song and around $10 for the whole concert. These prices vary greatly from those concerts like Post Malone, Billie Ellish and Harry Styles whose ticket prices begin at $150. Imagine being able to see a whole concert for $10! However, there are drawbacks as there is to every type of technology such as the price of the Oculus itself running at about $400 plus the prices that come with the app. You won’t be able to take pictures and actually experience the thrill of seeing your favorite artist in person and making memories with friends over actually attending a concert. Also, the artist isn’t gaining as much profit considering people are much more willing to pay $10 than $150 plus gas money, snacks, and parking that are all wrapped up into going to a concert. But on the bright side, if you pay a certain monthly subscription you get unlimited streaming access to concerts.
This type of technology is revolutionizing the entertainment industry in a whole new perspective that I would’ve never thought of before. Using VR to encapsulate and make experiences available to those that wouldn’t have access to it otherwise redefines ways in which people are getting said entertainment. Maybe this company will even go as far as to live stream and make avaiable huge events like the New Year’s ball drop in NYC, music festivals like Coachella and major news events accessible via VR.
Source:
Sing, Nathan. “How Virtual Reality Is Changing the Live Music Experience.” CNN, Cable News Network, 27 Feb. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/02/27/tech/vr-live-music-intl/index.html
While using VR to watch a “live” concert seems like a fun gimmick to sell virtual reality systems, I do not think it is possible to truly replicate a live performance and that it also takes away the human side of attending a concert. Yes, ticket prices for concerts are currently way too high. It is unfortunate that high school students have to think about saving up in order to see their favorite act in their town, but I think that that is part of the concert experience so many of us love. I can remember saving up to see Kendrick Lamar in Pittsburgh, and because you save up for a few weeks and anticipate the show, your expectations of the night are so high and cause you to, in a way, enjoy the show even more. While this is a big step in VR tech, I do not think this will dissuade people from paying the exorbitant price to see their favorite musicians live.
I have actually never heard of this advancement in VR technology! Personally I am obsessed with concerts and have spent so much money on not only the concert tickets, but also transportation to get there and various other expenses. It is crazy that now people are able to save so much money and experiences great concerts right from their homes whenever they want. Any conflicts on the dates of a concert are no longer a problem. I was also thinking about how beneficial a creation like this can be for those with disabilities. There are people in our world who are physically incabable of going to concerts for one reason or another. It is so awesome that now they can basically enjoy a concert from their home. This new advancement in VR saves people time and money and allows a greater number of people to enjoy an amazing concert from a location of their choice. This step is totally different than just a simple YouTube video or recording of the concert, which I think is so cool and I am really interested to learn more about it.
It is a great idea for people to use VR to watch a concert. Although it still needs 10 dollars to watch the whole concert, it is much cheaper than the tickets for live concerts. Watching concerts at home should be boring without the lighting and atmosphere in live concerts, however, with this VR technology, customers still have the feelings at home, so it is a good use of VR in our daily lives, to provide the opportunity for us to experience things we cannot access easily.
This example also reveals the bright future for VR using in the future, the geography and economy should not be the hinder for us to experience anymore.
Some people may think it will reduce the times for individuals come to the physical live shows, and reduce the incomes for singers earned in concert as well. VR experience is useful for people who want to stay at home, but it can’t replace the status for live shows in reality. We still need to use our senses to feel the whole environment by ourselves.
Citation:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/27/tech/vr-live-music-intl/index.html
Applying the technology of VR to live music is a very interesting idea. Like in the field of music, this technology has also been widely applied in the field of performance art and art exhibition, create the new concept of “online gallery.” Instead of actually go to a museum, people can just put on the VR equipment to “walk” into a gallery and enjoy all the artworks without being surrounded by crowds. Also, the technology of VR also opens up more possibilities for contemporary artists, which they can utilize this Visual reality to create more in-depth visual experiences for the audiences. And there are already some examples about this, the first virtual art gallery has opened in Berlin around 2018, displays Marc Lee’s series ‘Same but Different’ and ‘Non-place’, in which the artist fuses her art with multiple digital effects created by VR, leading the contemporary art into a new phase.
Nina Siegal, “Virtual Reality Lets Rare Works of Art Take a Field Trip.” New York Times,
March 10, 2018
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/10/arts/virtual-reality-art.html
I think this is such a big step in the virtual reality technology. This is a feature that will attract all generations. I think it would be so cool if they can somehow make it so that people can watch artists concerts that have passed away as well. The only drawback to this is that the price for the VR is 400 dollars which is so expensive. This is very expensive but in the long run it is cheaper than paying to attend several concerts. I also think for the younger generations this may cause a social issue, where “going to a concert” may not be a normal activity anymore, and that can also damage the artists profit. This could be a positive for the artists depending on how they set up the revenue aspect though. I still think this is a really cool feature for VR, because people that are disabled, physically ill, or can not travel to a concert are able to experience it in the comfort of their own home. A downside is that you would have to watch the concert alone unless you have friends that also own the technology, so that could be lonely if you are a person like me who likes to enjoy concerts with the company of friends that also enjoy the music. I personally would pay the 10 dollars for a concert if I had this technology, but being a college student I simply cannot afford to purchase the VR set. This is just the beginning of an era where VR is a common way to attend not just concerts, but other live events such as presidential debates, or sports entertainment.
Sing, Nathan. “How Virtual Reality Is Changing the Live Music Experience.” CNN, Cable News Network, 27 Feb. 2020, http://www.cnn.com/2020/02/27/tech/vr-live-music-intl/index.html
Using VR technology to make fans be able to access live performance is a great idea since the lower price can make more people access to their idols and these performers can also make more money by doing this. I also found that VR technology can be applied to other types of activities, such as football matches or other types of TV shows. I believe that in the future, VR technology will take up the market for live performances or live matches. However, the rise of technology also brings some problems; for instance, if the price of accessing live performance is low for those VR users, who would willing to go and join the live performance in reality?
In addition to that, how would the performance be displayed to audiences? Can VR users choose their seats freely or based on the price they pay? Also, does the low price for VR show generate more profit than the live performance in the long-term?
Source:
https://www.wired.com/brandlab/2017/07/live-concerts-take-virtual-virtual-reality/
This idea is so interesting to me, I absolutely love attending live performances, so then thinking about VR concerts I see a lot of positives and negatives. The VR systems are great and this technology is amazing to be able to see performances that might not be making a tour stop by you or being able to witness an event that is one night only. But, I believe there is something so special about attending live music, surrounded by people who also enjoy that music and getting to feel present in the moment and have that be all that matters. I think that with VR a lot of this gets taken away. Especially the social aspect, at live performances I have had some of the best connections with strangers I had just met because of the artist we have in common. The price I feel, would even out eventually due to the prices of live performances ranging so widely. I think it is a great idea and it is amazing that we have this type of technology, but I don’t think that it will ever truly match a live performance.
The use of Virtual Reality to “attend” live music events is a revolutionary idea in my opinion. Even though the Oculus itself is expensive, I think the idea of the concert only being around $10 will attract a lot of attention. Especially for those who attend many concerts already, spending $400 once is making an investment that in the long run might save them money.
It seems as though the music industry is relying on the growth of VR in order to increase its revenue. In 2001, music sold physically was generating over $23 billion which a significant difference to the $5 billion it made in 2018. This is a major reason why artists turned to tour in order to make more money from ticket sales. So now introducing VR concerts is opening an entirely new realm of revenue for the music industry. Now the issue with sold-out concerts or those who don’t feel comfortable in those environments is no longer as significant of an issue.
Chandler, Simon. “Why The Music Industry Is Banking On The Growth Of VR Concerts.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 4 Oct. 2019, http://www.forbes.com/sites/simonchandler/2019/10/04/why-the-music-industry-is-banking-on-the-growth-of-vr-concerts/#6d6c103e2ead.