The modern age might not look like The Jetsons told us it would (yet), but there are companies around the globe working to push pop culture in new and largely unexplored territories, including virtual reality (VR).
This week, Universal Music Group (UMG) and iHeartMedia entered into a one of a kind partnership to begin exploring the possibilities of combining virtual reality technology with live concert experiences. Think about it: Why buy a flight, catch an uber, and sleep on the ground for a week to experience Coachella when you could watch from the comfort of your parents’ basement?
According to a press released pushed to the public on Monday, the companies will leverage their respective strengths – including UMG’s deep music expertise, world-renowned roster of superstars and new artists and industry-leading music library, and iHeartMedia’s 245 million monthly broadcast listeners, nearly 90 million digital uniques, 80 million social followers, roster of nationally-recognized marquee events, and the consumer relationships its personalities have with listeners – to drive innovation in both music and VR. The companies will create entertainment experiences that leverage cutting-edge technology, making immersive VR performances and experiences accessible to U.S. audiences for the first time at scale.
Additionally, UMG and iHeartMedia will invite brands to partner with them to develop, produce and distribute these one-of-a-kind entertainment experiences, using integrated approaches to connect their brands and products to both artists and consumers. This means advertising will be present, but hey – the future doesn’t pay for itself.
The first big goal of this partnership is to offer unique VR experiences with at least one UMG artist at each major marquee iHeartMedia event in 2016, including the iHeartRadio Music Awards, the iHeartRadio Country Festival, the iHeartRadio Summer Pool Party, the iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina, the iHeartRadio Music Festival and the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, with this first-ever VR music series launching at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on April 3, 2016. The companies will collaborate on full shows from four individual artists, shot and distributed in VR, at the iHeartRadio VR Concert Series held at the iHeartRadio Theater in Los Angeles.
The artists chosen to be involved in this series have not yet been revealed.
“At UMG, we are focused on harnessing cutting-edge technology to pioneer new creative and commercial opportunities for artists, labels and fans,” said Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group. “By combining iHeartMedia’s music events and hundreds of millions of listeners with the ability of our artists to forge powerfully emotional connections with their fans, we are ideally positioned to use VR technology to create authentic experiences that benefit our artists, consumers and marketing partners.”
“Our greatest strength at iHeartMedia is that we curate for our listeners – in this case, working with UMG to create a completely new entertainment experience using state-of-the-art VR technology,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, Inc. “And now, as advertisers seek to tie their brands and products to music and artists in innovative ways, we can use our industry-leading reach and best-of-breed music events to unlock the combined power of music and VR as a revolutionary marketing tool. We’re excited to work with UMG in a partnership unlike any in the music and entertainment industry.”
The hype surrounding VR technology, particularly that being marketed and sold by Oculus Rift, has been on the rise for the last several years. The success of this campaign could open the door to a number of new avenues for exposure and even financial gain if executed well, but right now anything is possible.
Would you pay to experience a concert in VR?
