From Friday nights at Fabric to iconic music events such as Glastonbury and Notting Hill Carnival having to cancel for the first time, we’ve watched the reality of the pandemic unfold as every rave, club night, concert, gig and festival has been either cancelled or postponed to protect people’s health from COVID-19.
Social media has played a huge roll in keeping spirits high and uniting people and communities through the power of music. Our feeds are being bombarded with a huge number of streams to tune into that play host to live DJ sets and exclusive new shows and performances. But could virtual reality take those experiences to the next level?
UK duo, Koven have recently announced they will host a virtual live show at their animated venue, Another Home to showcase the release of their new album. The digital arena will act as an immersive raving space where musicians can perform exclusive live sets to millions around the world. We are still waiting on a date but the show can either be streamed via Twitch or fully explored as a ticketed event through the VR platform, Sansar (UKF 2020).
Koven has been one of the first acts to go all the way with VR but other music and event brands have been hosting virtual club nights since the start of lockdown. One of the biggest record labels in house music, Defected Records has been throwing online festivals and Ibiza club nights with live DJ sets and dancers, and Boiler Room quickly pulled together a Streaming from Isolation series of broadcasts that present both live shows and classic sets from over the years.
However, this hasn’t been the first time we’ve seen artists experiment with VR. In 2017, virtual band, Gorillaz broke boundaries with a VR music video for Saturnz Barz - Youtube’s biggest debut for VR video. International festivals such as Ultra in Miami and Tomorrowland in Belgium have also experimented with virtual festival experiences, where you can watch acts perform on stage with a 360-degree view.
More recently, the reality of Covid-19 has inspired a new surge in virtual concerts. The online video game Fortnight has been used as a forward-thinking streaming platform for artists. Over 12 million players logged in for Travis Scott’s animated concert, and International DJs, Dillon Francis, Steve Aoki and Deadmau5 premiered Party Royal, where each artist performed a set alongside flashing lights and trippy visuals.
It could take years for the music industry to fully recover from the effects of the virus and although nothing comes close to a real-life rave or festival, VR is an example of how the music industry can embrace technology, react to social changes and fill that live-music void caused by the crisis.
Koven Another Home - UKF
Koven Photography - Liquicity
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