Not Very METAverse Yet – The Concert VR as a Field Report

An experience of success?

When I was surfing the usual suspects (techradar; uploadVR; mixed.de) of VR internet sites again, the VR concert of the Foo Fighters on Meta’s platform Horizon Venues was the topic of conversation par excellence.

Not because it was such a great success, but rather the opposite.

Several users reported login problems including server crashes and – if you managed to log in – you saw a pre-recorded concert that only had two 180 degree monoscopic video streams. So the whole thing seemed to have been a bit of a shot in the dark.

Unfortunately – or rather luckily – Meta’s Horizon Venues app isn’t available in Germany (you can find more info on the concert here). But spurred on by the reports, I started looking for a way to watch concerts in VR. Sure, there are already virtual concerts, some of which thrill millions of viewers.

• Marshmallow with over 10 million viewers in Fortnite.
• John Legend as an avatar in WaveXR
• Wacken XR featuring virtual “mixed reality” stage from Magenta Music 360

However, these concerts are still meant for the ordinary flat screen TV and not really what I imagine the future of a VR concert to be. Since I “only” have a Meta Quest 2 available for research purposes, the search for music was limited to the Meta Quest Store.

But don’t concerts in the metaverse have a huge potential? Exactly! The added thrill of a stunning new world and exploring a captivating, themed virtual world while enjoying a front-row seat experience can truly elevate the overall performance.

The Current State of VR Concerts

The landscape of VR concerts is rapidly evolving, driven by technological advancements and innovative approaches to immersive experiences. Leading the charge is AmazeVR, a pioneer in the field, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in virtual reality concerts.

With the rise of VR technology, fans can now experience their favorite artists in entirely new and intimate ways, blurring the lines between the physical and virtual worlds. Imagine being in the front row of a concert, feeling the energy and emotion of the performance, all from the comfort of your home.

This is the promise and future of VR concerts, and it’s becoming a reality faster than ever.

Are there any VR concerts in the store at all?

The disillusionment was immediate: There are almost no hits under the term German word “Konzert” in the store. Among other things, Horizon Venues was suggested, which, as I said, is not yet released in Germany. So that maybe a reason I guess.

Youtube VR and Netflix are also shown to me, but I don’t really associate these apps with a VR concert at first glance. Of course, they are serious streaming providers – especially on YouTube. You have many options to watch virtual concert recordings with 360° or 180° videos. The store offers an ever-expanding and ever expanding selection of of VR concerts, providing fans with more opportunities to engage with their favorite artists.

At least Ambisonics is also supported, but unfortunately this is only produced in exceptional cases. Most of the time, you have to make do with 360° videos, where the camera is fixed on the stage or in the audience and the importance of the sound feels irrelevant. So here is a typical example that VRTonung may or may not be affiliated with 😉

For the test, I downloaded the apps VARK and MELODY VR to the Meta Quest 2. However, it feels like that is it already for the selection of apps that have something to do with concerts or musical performances in their short description.

Technical Aspects of VR Concerts

The technical aspects of VR concerts are nothing short of fascinating. These experiences are built on a foundation of high-fidelity stereoscopic video, meticulously crafted virtual worlds using Unreal Engine, and interactive features that make fans feel like they’re part of the performance.

AmazeVR’s proprietary technology seamlessly integrates these elements, creating an immersive experience that rivals the thrill of a live concert. With VR headsets and specialized software, artists can perform in virtual environments that are almost indistinguishable from real life, enhancing the sense of presence and engagement.

This blend of cutting-edge technology and creative artistry is what makes VR concerts a stunning new world for music lovers.

Anime in the virtual karaoke bar

The first thing I do is launch the VARK app. The login is quick; you don’t have to enter an e-mail. After creating a name and a very funny anime character, you can start right away. The anime style is then also the main theme of VARK – which is perhaps not exactly surprising for a Japanese developer company.

Once in the virtual concert arena, there is the first small disappointment. There aren’t very many concerts and they cost virtual cash, which you can buy in the app with real money (with yen! .

After all, there is exactly one song per concert for free. The concert feels more like an event than a virtual karaoke night. The song is poppy and in Japanese, which is why I don’t understand a single word. But doesn’t matter, K-Pop and J-Pop became international success even so.

I’m in the middle of the virtual audience and have two glowsticks in my hand to wave. A few nice gags are also built in: Small fireworks or flowers can be thrown towards the dance stage.

If you like Japanese dance anime in the vein of Miku Hatsune, you’ll definitely enjoy this collection. But it didn’t quite meet my taste (to be fair, I was forewarned by the app description what to expect).

Artist and Fan Engagement in VR Concerts

One of the most exciting aspects of VR concerts is the enhanced engagement between artists and fans. AmazeVR’s VR concerts allow fans to step into the music, experiencing the energy and emotion of a live performance in a way that’s not possible in a traditional concert setting.

Artists, too, can benefit from the immersive nature of VR concerts, using the technology to create new and innovative ways to connect with their fans. With AmazeVR’s exclusive VIP concert experiences, fans can get up close and personal with their favorite artists, enjoying a level of intimacy and access that’s unprecedented in the music industry.

This reimagined concert experience is transforming how we connect with music and artists.

Where to go to the concert?

A bit irritated, but then quite amused, I close VARK and immediately start the next app: MelodyVR. The description sounds promising:

“MelodyVR is your all access pass to live music in virtual reality.”

And it also seems to be musically diverse, from classical music to hip hop to country.

But disillusionment follows relatively quickly. In the menu, I have several categories more concerts to choose from; curiously, I select “Originals”. Here I even find some free “concerts”. On closer inspection, however, these turn out to be more of an appetizer: the length of more concerts is between six and ten minutes.

The artist name “Kygo” says something to me, so I start with that song. A few seconds later I find myself on a skyscraper roof (probably in Miami) and Kygo is sitting at a grand piano strumming a few songs.

It is not so much the music that is disappointing, but rather the technical implementation: There is only one perspective, which, similar to the Foo Fighters concert, is merely a monoscopic 360° video. Even worse: The VR concert is played out in classic stereo sound. The VR feeling is not really there.

The snippets from other VR concerts don’t look any more promising. Although there are sometimes more or less perspectives, the quality of image and sound is not what I would have hoped for a VR concert.

That’s also the reason why I wouldn’t even think of paying for another VR concert in the app. After all, they actually cost quite a bit of money – ten euros on average.

Of course, this one event is cheaper than most real life such concerts and also shows how something like this can become interesting for bands and artists in the long term. But it still feels like it needs a few more years.

That’s all a VR concert has to offer? Not quite yet!

A bit disappointed, I pull the Oculus aka Meta Quest from my head. But I don’t want to give up that quickly. So I google and after some research I find a promising app: STAGEVERSE.

The app cannot be found directly in the Oculus Store, but only in the “App Lab” – a kind of virtual laboratory where developers can upload their beta versions and have them tested. Nevertheless, the description sounds promising again:

“Dive into concerts, explore interactive art exhibits, stumble upon secret speakeasy pop-up. Or kick it with friends in a listening room.”

After launching the app, I’m asked for a phone number or email: while I’m not a fan of giving out private data at all, hey, you have to make sacrifices for science! Whatever they want with my email in VR, but oh well.

Similar to VARK, I can craft a character including different outfits at the beginning. Likewise, I find myself in front row a virtual hall before the actual concert. There are announcements for new VR concerts in addition to a small art installation. Via a portal, I can “beam” myself into the Tool VIP Lounge, with a virtual Lamborghini and other chichi.

During my visit, the concert “Enter the simulation” of the band Muse is already in full swing and so I just jump in the middle. But here, too, I am rather mediocrely impressed.

Although the whole thing seems to be recorded stereoscopically and I can jump to several locations this time from front row, the sound is again only pure stereo – no matter which perspective I take, the sound does not change.

Why not at least work with Ambisonic or Object-Based Audio? The implementation is not particularly difficult today and should not be a problem for such a large production. My conclusion: An impressive stage show without appropriate sound does not create a good concert atmosphere.

Overcoming Challenges in VR Concerts reimagined

Despite the many advantages of VR concerts, there are still challenges to be overcome. One of the primary hurdles is ensuring that the technology is accessible and user-friendly, allowing fans to easily navigate the virtual environment and fully immerse themselves in the experience.

AmazeVR has addressed this challenge through the development of intuitive interfaces and user-friendly software, making it easy for fans to enjoy VR concerts without requiring extensive technical expertise. Another challenge is ensuring that the VR concert experience is scalable, allowing for large numbers of fans to participate simultaneously.

AmazeVR’s proprietary technology has been designed with scalability in mind, enabling the company to deliver high-quality VR concerts to a wide audience. This focus on accessibility and scalability is crucial for the future success of VR concerts, ensuring that more fans can enjoy these groundbreaking experiences.

What changes VR for the concert world?

Now, as a musicologist, I may see concerts from a different perspective than the developers of the respective apps. For me, the music takes the greatest importance on a concert evening, which is why the disappointment of me and those who wanted to attend the virtual Foo Fighters concert is so great.

Sound and picture quality also don’t (yet) live up to what one secretly hopes for. Nevertheless, that is not the sole characteristic of a concert.

Musicologist and composer Christopher Small has coined the very appropriate term “musicking.” In short, he means that, on the one hand, the concert begins at home at the closet and ends with friends in the evening with a drink or a conversation about the concert.

On the other hand, it is not only the musicians on stage, but all of us who make a concert and the surrounding area so unique and memorable.

Perhaps the companies and developers of such apps should be inspired a little more by this “surrounding” and also consider it as similarly important for a successful concert evening. Give me a musical experience that I can’t have in the analog world – let the “virtual world inspired musicking” be much more spectacular than the reality VR concert itself!

Jacob Richter is a musicologist and currently a research assistant and PhD student at the HfMT Hamburg. His dissertation deals with the aesthetic effect of music and sound in virtual reality. He is also a sound designer, composer and producer of the award-winning VR escape game Huxley (winner of the German Computer Game Award and VRNow Awards).

I hope you got excited – if so: feel free to get in contact.