Will Virtual Reality Concerts Ever Go Mainstream?

Although Virtual Reality tech dropped with a huge amount of promise this immersive entertainment technology hasn't quite taken in off in the way many thought, despite many efforts to the contrary. That said VR is far from dead, and could have a promising future in music.

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Guest post by Bobby Owsinski of Music 3.0

Virtual Reality hit the streets with such promise but really hasn’t taken off the way that everyone had hoped and predicted. One of the reasons was that the bulky headsets just aren’t that appealing. The other is that there really wasn’t a “killer app” available, although for a while everyone thought that music might be just what was needed to put the format over the top.

It hasn’t happened yet though, but not for lack of trying. In fact, it turns out that trying to replicate a concert might not be what VR users want, but music is. A musical interactive performance is something that’s a lot more attractive since the user feels much more connected to the experience.

This is demonstrated by musician/composer/engineer Imogene Heap’s recent cutting edge “virtual concert” that isn’t close to replicating a concert, yet is a valid event all the same. Plus it’s a social experience where you meet people from other parts of the world at the show.

This particular application is the brainchild of TheWaveVR, a company out of Los Angeles that’s taking an out-of-the-box approach to VR. The company hosts regular events both with both established artists and community members. There’s a default set of graphics, but with its Wave Builder tool anyone can create their own VR venues, or whatever they imagine. Users are free to walk around the virtual venue and interact with other users, then switch to another party if they get bored.

The video below shows more about how the Heap show was created, some background on TheWaveVR, and all the cool things that the company’s tool will provide. It’s definitely something that’s worth checking out if you’re an artist who likes to think outside the box.

It just goes to show that Virtual Reality may not be dead at all, and it’s future could still be in music.