Visual storytelling via customizable virtual stages and avatars
Visual Storytelling is the key to the virtual concerts that work. Luckily, immersive virtual environments provide new possibilities to the artists to visually enhance the experience along with the music itself. Virtual stages and artists' avatars can be customized or designed to fit into the storyline of the performance; therefore, they can increase fan loyalty and participation in the virtual world.
As in Travis Scott's Fortnite concert, the 3D environment and avatars were simultaneously changing with the music. i.e., When the environment transformed into outer space, the users and the artist appeared in astronaut clothes floating in the air. This way, the audience was more than a simple concert attendee; they were part of the experience, the story the artist created allowed them to dig through.
At this point, the virtual stages no longer serve as a simple platform for the artist to be seen by the audience; it's a big part of the storytelling and a great tool to host unique experiences and visual representation.
In 2021, Warner music group announced their partnership with startup company Genies, an avatar technology company, to produce virtual avatars of the artists to facilitate fan reach across immersive platforms and metaverses. Details are not revealed yet, but it’s an important sign that the music industry leaders see the future potential and consider it worth investing.
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