Warner Music Group is getting busy creating virtual reality (VR) content for fans after inking a worldwide partnership with MelodyVR.
The major music company says the agreement will spawn “hundreds of cutting edge virtual reality experiences featuring artists from [our] roster”.
The VR content production and distribution framework will see both recorded and live ‘immersive’ experiences released via Melody’s VR Music Platform, which will launch next year.
Warner is promising ‘otherwise unobtainable experiences, such as being on-stage at a sold out concert, backstage in the dressing room or in the recording studio with their favorite artists’.
In 2017, MelodyVR and WMG will release a number of exclusive experiences via the MelodyVR app, including a library of content created with Warner artists throughout both 2015 and 2016.
A release schedule for live performances is expected in early 2017.
The news comes after Universal Music Group signed a virtual reality partnership with iHeartMedia back in January, before launching its own VR app – VRLIVE – in October.
“MelodyVR is a trailblazer of its industry, and passionate about what it does, and we can’t wait to show fans what we’re able to create together.”
Ole Obermann (pictured, main), Warner Music Group
Anthony Matchett, Co-Founder and CEO, MelodyVR, said: “We’re incredibly pleased to be working with WMG to create revolutionary content. MelodyVR was founded with the vison of providing music fans with a new and immersive way of engaging with the artists that they love.
“Whether we’re providing a fan with access to an exclusive one-on-one performance or a VR live-stream of a sold out concert, I’m pleased that our vision is also shared by Warner Music. I believe that our recent licensing agreement cements WMG’s commitment to virtual reality as well as their dedication to supporting new technologies.
“We look forward to working even more closely with Warner Music artists over the coming years and to creating even more compelling experiences for their fans.”
Ole Obermann, Chief Digital Officer & Executive Vice President, Business Development, WMG, said:
“Warner Music Group is constantly exploring new avenues for connecting our artists with their audiences, and virtual reality presents tremendous, forward-thinking possibilities for heightened musical experiences and new forms of storytelling.
“MelodyVR is a trailblazer of its industry, and passionate about what it does, and we can’t wait to show fans what we’re able to create together.”
MelodyVR is a wholly owned subsidiary of EVR Holdings plc (‘EVR‘) – a company that is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange.
The company recently announced a successful fundraise of £3.4m on 20th September 2016.Music Business Worldwide
