YouTube. Facebook. Snapchat. Vine. Meerkat. Periscope. Twitch. Has your brand mastered them all Get the insights and knowledge you need to succeed at [a]list Video Summit Aug. 19. Get tix: http://alist.ly/1EVLyyz
Virtual reality has really come a long way over the past few years. It’s overtaken the Sundance Film Festival with ease; it’s seen immense growth when it comes to the introduction of new apps; and it’ll soon be the subject of its own conference, taking place next year. But now VR could make its way to the music scene, if Samsung and other VR-savvy companies can get the job done.
Billboard recently indicated that 31 percent of 18-34 year olds use mobile devices during music festivals and concerts during half of an event or even longer, if there’s something of great interest. While that has provided an open door for platforms like Snapchat and Periscope, Samsung’s vice president of strategy and creative content Matt Apfel believes that virtual reality can play a part as well, according to an interview with Forbes.
Samsung recently made it possible to be “virtually” at this year’s Lollapalooza festival, by utilizing Samsung Gear VR headsets to view the action in a “you were there” perspective. And Matt believes that’s only the beginning.
“Virtual reality is such a great technology, because it affords us the ability to transport the viewer to almost anywhere you can think of,” he explains. “Most music fans dream about being on stage, or even backstage for a performance by their favorite artist. VR allows us to give fans a truly unforgettable way to experience the music they love, from the best vantage points in the house.”
He also sees a lot of positive in virtual reality’s presence at events. “The biggest upside for VR in the festival space is the fact that most fans want the best seat in the house, AND To be in the front row for an up-close-and-personal performance from their favorite acts. VR can provide that experience from any location inside the venue.
The most common response we heard from festivalgoers who had the opportunity to experience the VR live stream at Lollapalooza was that they felt as if they had an even better view than those in the front row. That s huge for Samsung, for Lollapalooza, for artists, and best of all, for fans.”
There are challenges as well, however. “As for the challenges, we always want to make sure we provide a premium experience for fans through our technology,” said Apfel. “We are still very early in era of VR, but we, and our industry partners are innovating and improving the technology at an amazing rate and we look forward to giving fans more up-close, immersive and personal experiences through VR.”
But in the end, it’s all about transformation of the experience, which VR can easily handle. “VR provides fans the opportunity to share the biggest stages with performers, but the real-time aspect was something that hadn t been executed at this magnitude at a live music performance prior to Lollapalooza 2015. As time goes on, VR has the potential to add a whole other element to how fans expect to experience their favorite artists, bands, DJs and more Both at home, and on-site at the events themselves,” said Apfel.
“As we continue to push new boundaries in the world of virtual reality, a big focus is continuing to provide a wide array of premium content and new experiences. We are expanding the roster of top brands, entertainment companies and networks contributing dynamic virtual reality content for Samsung Gear VR, and we were thrilled to give fans the first VR experience that Lollapalooza has ever seen.”
The full interview can be found here.
