In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats is set in the West Midlands and will embark on eight-city tour starting in Birmingham
You’re at a house in Coventry in 1989 placing the needle on a vinyl record. The grooves of the record suddenly swell up around you to become the lanes of a motorway, and you’re barrelling along in a red Peugeot on the hunt for a secret warehouse rave.
This is the premise of In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats, an immersive VR experience embarking on an eight-city national tour this week with the aim of taking audiences back in time to the beginning of the acid house movement.
Using VR and haptic vests to transport users to a sweaty club in 1980s Britain, In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats is so realistic that you might need a lie down afterwards
I’m not the kind of person who you’d normally find at an illegal rave at a regular raving time, let alone 9am on a Wednesday. But that’s where I found myself this week – virtually, anyway: with a haptic vest strapped on to my back, a controller in each hand and a virtual reality headset covering my eyes, I’m transported back to 1989, hooning through the suburbs with my friends to find a secret dancefloor.
Darren Emerson’s award-winning interactive VR film, In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats, tracks the acid-house movement and rave scene in Coventry, UK. It’s wholly transportive – I forget that I’m actually standing in the middle of an empty studio in metro Melbourne, because for half an hour I’m in the back of a car, in a friend’s poster-strewn bedroom, in a police station, hurtling down a freeway, bumping up against sweaty bodies in a club and walking through a forest hungover as the day breaks and the sun peeks through the trees.
This week the supergroup begin seven months of gigs in a purpose-built London arena… with the band members elsewhere
Just over 41 years ago, Abba played their last concert together. It wasn’t a live show for salivating fans, but a short set for Swedish TV. A highlight was their recent hit Super Trouper, a song about the sad, endless grind of being on tour.
“All I do is eat and sleep and sing / Wishing every show was the last show,” sang Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, their voices still gorgeous together. The lyrics go on: “Facing 20,000 of your friends, how can anyone be so lonely?”
If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound? To be fair, the same can be asked about music. If it can’t be shared with anyone other than its creator, then what value does it truly hold?
Since its early days, the landscape of the internet has transformed how music files are shared, consumed and monetised. From the days of Napster to the kingship of current streaming services, continuous advancements in digital technologies have played a key role in scaling the music industry over the course of our digital era. Within the last decade, digital streaming platforms like Spotify have further revolutionised how people consume music — serving as an intermediary between artists and labels and charging users a small fee for unbounded access and customised offerings.
However, Spotify has not shied away from its own controversy — with recent reports accusing the streaming giant of not giving artists the lion’s share of their generated revenue. On the flip side, blockchain technology is now presenting new ways for artists to directly market the rights to their work without any need for intermediaries. It’s now widely predicted that thanks to the growing adoption of NFTs in the music industry, popular music streaming services are now treading through murky waters.
So, what’s next for digital music sharing? First, let’s do a quick recap on the history and current pitfalls of digital file-sharing and streaming services. We’ll then break down what music NFTs are and how we may see blockchain technology eventually cannibalise the music streaming industry as we know it.
The earlier (and slower) days of music file sharing
Before we all gained access to the World Wide Web, the practice of making computer files available to anyone across a unified network was completely unheard of. But once the internet became a household concept, file sharing quickly became one of its most revolutionary advents. When the internet became mainstream, we saw the opening of Pandora’s box for unbridled access to licenced digital music, downloads and illegal file-sharing.
Those old enough to remember the early days of file-sharing might recall using now-antiquated P2P (peer-to-peer) sharing applications (such as Napster or LimeWire) to download audio or video files. Few things can still match the excitement of completing a day-long download of a new track on a 56k modem — but the unfair utility of these platforms was known by everyone (and was even behind one of music’s biggest controversies).
Of course, the key issue behind regular music downloading was piracy. Unlicenced music was often sourced from illegally uploaded audio files, uploaded to live on the hard drives of millions of users and then shared across a vast network, allowing zero royalties to be absorbed by the artists themselves. Everyone loved having access to their favourite music without having to pay for it, but everyone also knew they weren’t exactly supporting the industry’s greater backbone. Today, we can see how this concept helped redefine the way we think about issues such as copyright, intellectual property and monetisation.
Digital service providers (such as Spotify and Apple Music) eventually became the preferred way for users to share and consume music online, helping to curb illegal file sharing and serving as a middleman between artists and record labels. Unlike peer-to-peer sharing applications, streaming services have actually incentivised listeners to fork out a small amount of money in exchange for access to continuous streaming, a near-unlimited music library and personalised recommendations created through sophisticated data collection.
Many experts believe that in the wake of illegal P2P sharing, Spotify should be credited for saving the music industry. According to Bill Werde, former editor of Billboard and current director of the Bandier Program in Recording and Entertainment Industries at Syracuse University: “Before there was streaming, the [music] business had lost revenue for 15 straight years. Once streaming took hold, those losses flattened out. Now, over the last four or so years we’ve seen growth.”
From the sounds of it, Spotify has ostensibly saved the music industry from a long reign of music piracy. So, why is this belief not shared by everyone in the biz?
The problem with today’s music streaming platforms
In the last fiscal year, Spotify has reportedly generated a total of $8 billion USD in collective revenue. With 100 million subscribers across the globe, the platform has proven to be popular in multiple markets worldwide. Apple Music is the streaming giant’s closest competitor, boasting approximately half of Spotify’s global subscriber base.
What’s the deal, then? Well, it appears that the other main incentive behind their paid subscription model — the idea that users can pay for artists to be fairly remunerated for their work — hasn’t quite become the utopic alternative to illegal downloading, if you ask several big names in music.
Last year, a long list of UK artists including Paul McCartney, Kate Bush and Stevie Nicks wrote a petition to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, calling for new legislation to protect artists against unfair compensation. Organised by the Musicians’ Union, the letter argued for a change in legislation that would “put the value of music back where it belongs — in the hands of music makers.”
Independent artists who also found themselves frustrated with inequity organised a series of protests (called “Justice at Spotify”) that took place in front of the streaming platform’s various worldwide offices. Led by electronic artist Julia Holter, the group demanded increased payments to right holders and greater transparency for musicians.
With current clauses in place, the majority of revenue generated from streaming fills the pockets of the labels. A good chunk of major labels reportedly take 50-80% of artists’ royalties, leaving them with less than half of their income before further cuts are taken by managers and distributors. And as for session musicians? They typically receive nothing.
To worsen matters, streaming became a primary source of revenue for most musicians in the post-pandemic climate. An average of 80% of musicians’ income reportedly comes from touring — which means that the inability to tour, play gigs or sell merchandise in person has left most artists in some sort of financial turmoil.
This blatant discontent in the music industry has most certainly placed Spotify on the docket. No musician wants to be left financially helpless — and the sustainability of a platform that leaves artists scrambling to earn a living has the fair right to be questioned.
Will artists eventually be able to leverage a system that will allow them to get the maximum value out of their creations, all while allowing them to feel empowered by the platforms that they use? Does NFT technology present a viable solution to this problem?
NFTs: a new way to access music
Non-fungible tokens (or NFTs) are unique digital assets, with ownership that can be established and stored on a digital ledger via blockchain technology. 2021 saw the rise of NFTs — primarily in the form of digital art. Now-popular monikers such as Beeple, Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks probably come to mind.
However, NFTs aren’t just expensive cartoons traded and touted by elite figures and celebrities. Anything — from a song to a concert ticket to a digital contract — can be an NFT. In the music world, an NFT can simply be defined as a rare collectable file that is unique. Think of it as an original painting or an autographed vinyl cover — there are many different copies of these items and more can be reproduced, but the NFT version will always be one of a kind.
Saxo Bank, a Danish investment bank, publishes a set of ten “outrageous predictions” each year. At the end of 2021, one of their predictions has been outlined quite clearly:
“Musicians are ready for change, as the current music streaming paradigm means that labels and streaming platforms capture 75-95 percent of revenue paid for listening to streamed music. In 2022, new blockchain-based technology will help them grab back their fair share of industry revenues.”
What benefits can NFTs offer artists?
While the NFT marketplace may currently look like a chaotic art-trading auction, the future appears to be very bright for NFT technology. An NFT-based platform won’t just offer artists a new way to verify ownership of rights — it will also allow them to distribute rights without needing the help of intermediaries (for example, Spotify or Apple Music).
NFTs won’t just allow artists to monetise their content in real-time — their technology will also allow them to do so directly and fairly. As it currently stands, Spotify’s current model doesn’t direct each individual subscriber’s fees towards the actual music they listen to — instead, all subscription fee revenues are shared based on each artist’s total number of streams. “Smart contract” blockchains, however, would distribute music directly to listeners without any centralised intermediaries taking a cut.
As blockchain technology will enable artists to be paid in real-time, this will also allow them to more accurately and consistently track their revenue streams. This means that NFTs will concurrently transform how listeners and consumers will be able to support musicians. Cryptocurrencies will also ensure that fans’ contributions are going directly into the wallets of their favourite artists, giving them the peace of mind that they’re actually supporting their work.
While this all might sound quite idealistic and easier to execute in theory, a creator’s economy will also provide independent artists with more creative ways to connect more directly with their fans and followers through NFTs — something not offered by rigid, standardised platforms like Spotify. Artists won’t just be restricted to sharing audio files — they’ll also be able to tack greater utility onto their NFTs, such as access to exclusive content, merchandise, backstage passes and much more.
Without an intermediary in place to choose how funds are aggregated and distributed, artists will be able to customise their streaming rates and choose how much they charge for any piece of content. Likewise, fans will also have full control over how much they choose to contribute to an artist’s work. If someone feels that an artist’s work is worth $10k or even $100k, they’ll have the opportunity to place that full amount into their hands. In short, the fans and artists will make the ultimate decisions — not the platforms.
In the words of Dallas-based rapper Rakim-Al Jabbaar: “NFTs will give artists another outlet to create exclusive content for fans in a more artistic fashion. In the future, we’ll see the value of songs appreciate, like Basquiat paintings.”
Which projects have been successful so far?
Several artists are already starting to discover the potential offered by digital assets. From musicians to filmmakers to podcasters, figures in several corners of the entertainment industry are now using NFTs to tokenise and monetise their content.
Last year, Canadian electronic artist Grimes sold her first NFT collection for a total of $6 million. American DJ and producer 3LAU recently auctioned unique NFTs of his vinyl collection Ultraviolet, raking in an unbelievable $11 million in total earnings. Legendary EDM artist Deadmau5 has entered the NFT space with RAREZ, his own digital collectable line. Fans who join the RAREZ community are offered the ability to purchase ‘packs’, all while getting the chance to earn NFTs with varying levels of rarity. Other artists that have jumped on the NFT train include Paris Hilton, Shakira and Serj Tankian.
Will we see blockchain-supported streaming services also come to the fore? It appears so.
Catalog is a new digital record store that allows artists to release tracks as NFTs through an open music market. And taking a leaf from the model of Web1 platforms, music platform Audius has launched its own fully decentralised, peer-to-peer NFT music streaming service. Audius allows users to upload their own music and monetise through tokens, rather than through generated royalties. Both creators and users are also able to upload content for no cost and without the oversight of a third party.
Austin Virts, head of crypto marketing at Audius, highlights the significance of allowing an NFT streaming service to enter the music space: “There hasn’t really been anywhere [until] now for individuals who are not signed to a major record label to develop and grow an audience. Audius [is] utilising blockchain technology to provide the platform for over 90% of artists who are being pushed around and not catered to by massive record labels.”
What does this spell for the streaming industry and the future of music?
While music streaming platforms were originally presented as an alternative to online piracy, they haven’t quite gotten the remuneration model right.
This inequity problem has positioned NFTs to cause a complete revolution in the music industry — and it appears that both artists and investors are ready for it. Should these centralised streaming services fail to adapt to the newer demands and constructs of the music market, they will very likely face significant disruption to their business models.
As we enter a new era of the creator economy, it’s clear that both artists and fans want to see all aspects of their business models be characterised by the ideas of creative control, greater autonomy and community. Web3 is a new space that might be noisy, confusing and nascent — but it’s very clearly building a better, more profitable future for artists and creatives.
It’s time to empower musicians, allow them to take back greater control of their work and allow them to create ecosystems around themselves, rather than to place them within ecosystems that are no longer allowing them to survive. This is what Web3 is here to do.
These virtual metaverses everyone keeps espousing may promise a digital nirvana full of fluffy clouds and people getting along like they’re in a Disney movie, however, simply offering a place to chat isn’t enough, we need entertainment. Some might say these virtual worlds are the entertainment but not everyone wants to be creative, some of us just like to put our feet up and switch off. Well, all that and more is being dreamt up and catered for.
Facebook Horizon
Hello there
First and foremost these digital realms are designed as communication platforms. Able to connect friends and family with a greater sense of togetherness than a video or phone call can provide. Or you can meet entirely new people, stepping into an area that’s completely dedicated to your favourite pastime, TV show or even your occupation. Spending hours nattering about subjects others have no clue or little interest for.
Hanging out with mates is a very natural thing for any human, most of us need to connect with one another in some way and the pandemic has brought this into the spotlight like never before. It’s why VRFocus will be going more in-depth about the social features and issues of metaverses in a future edition. As for now what we all really want is to have some fun in a digital universe with limitless potential.
Burn up the dance floor…
There are numerous social platforms appearing that support both VR and non-VR devices and they’re trying to persuade new users with a variety of means. They’re also gunning for different markets, namely younger audiences with a fresh, colourful feel whilst those focused on adults tend to have a far more serious vibe.
It’s this latter segment where you can see a real push in specific entertainment marketing. Rather than building blocks users are given art, music and culture to explore and enjoy. For instance, Sensorium Galaxy which is due to launch later in 2021 is heavily focused on the dance music route. It’s going to have a dedicated music world called PRISM where DJ’s will perform exclusive sets. Some big names have already signed up like Eric Prydz, Carl Cox, Armin van Buuren and David Guetta. So if you like to dance your socks off it might be well worth a look.
Sensorium Galaxy isn’t the only one leveraging the power of music. Already well versed in this medium is Sansar which has been holding events for a while now. The latest will be Australia’s Splendour in the Grass music festival digitally recreated as Splendor XR for two days in July.
Music easily bridges many divides and brings people together with a foot-tapping beat, so it’s no surprise that it would make a great catalyst for metaverse adoption.
We are such stuff as dreams are made on…
However, music is only one small avenue these platforms can utilise. There’s a vast cultural resource metaverse’s can tap into – and have already been – when it comes to entertaining the masses. Over the last year, a prime example has come from film festivals. Unable to host premieres in-person, events like Venice Film Festival, Cannes, Tribeca and Sundance have all turned to interactive mediums to connect with audiences worldwide. They’ve even found greater success as these events are no longer elite, prestigious showcases few outside their industry can attend, providing true global appeal like never before.
This is even more so for niche technologies like virtual reality (VR). Cannes XR, Tribeca Immersive and NewImages Festival combined this summer to create XR3, an immersive film festival via Museum of Other Realities (MOR), exploring an art space that allowed guests to step into each experience as if it were a live installation.
MOR isn’t really a metaverse as such. VRChat, on the other hand, is and that played host to SXSW Online XR, one of the best representations of this topic to date. SXSW is usually held in Austin, Texas but for 2021 the organisers recreated areas like Congress Avenue and the Red River Cultural District, all freely explorable. There was even a cinema to watch regular 2D content.
When all of this immersive entertainment is so easily accessed why go anywhere else?
SXSW Online XR in VRChat
Get those creative juices flowing
Undoubtedly though, the biggest draw for any of these virtual realms is user creativity. Places like Rec Room, Roblox (non-VR), VRChat, and the upcoming Facebook Horizon are all built on the premise of user content creation, giving the people who inhabit these worlds the freedom to build whatever they want. Because, quite simply, it keeps everyone invested and coming back for more.
Rec Room has millions of users across multiple VR and non-VR platforms, allowing them to create their own rooms which can be as simple as somewhere to hang out or entire games to run around in. You can even earn money, where tokens are exchanged for in-game items. Collect enough tokens and they can be redeemed for actual hard cash, Rec Room expects to pay out over one million by the end of the year. Playing and getting paid, if that’s not an incentive what is?
Places like Rec Room, Roblox and others are definitely geared towards that younger age bracket mentioned, like giant Lego toyboxes to jump into and explore. Finding a happy medium where all of these scenarios can easily co-exist is the eventual goal as none of these virtual planets quite cater to everyone. How these worlds will collide is another matter entirely.
Sensorium Galaxy is preparing for quite the launch later this year, lining up a whole host of DJ talent to perform exclusive shows. The latest to join the roster is award-winning producer Eric Prydz – best known for songs like Call on Me – who’ll be performing in Sensorium Galaxy’s PRISM world.
Prydz is the first artist to be revealed this year, joining the likes of Carl Cox, David Guetta, Armin Van Buuren, Black Coffee, and Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, who were all confirmed in 2020. They’ll all be hosting a series of exclusive performances in PRISM, an area of Sensorium Galaxy dedicated to music incorporating a brutalist and futurist aesthetic. In this virtual world, users can view performances from multiple angles, heights, and even see through the DJ’s eyes.
Known for his visceral and ambitious productions, Prydz will be bringing that same methodology to Sensorium Galaxy. In addition to the shows, he’ll be appearing in the platform’s international brand reveal campaign ‘The Chosen Ones’, a series of short videos introducing people to the music-dedicated virtual world.
“I believe metaverses are taking digital events to the next stage, which is one of the main elements that has drawn me to this project,” said Prydz in a statement. “Working with cutting edge technology to deliver special performances has always been mine and my team’s goal, but to now take what we do in a physical space into a digital environment, creating endless possibilities, is so exciting!”
“PRISM is a unique destination for artists. Our virtual setup is constantly mutating based on music. And that’s exactly why this collaboration with Eric is so great,” adds Sasha Tityanko, Deputy CEO for Sensorium Galaxy. “His distinctive progressive style matches perfectly with our goal to create out-of-this-world immersive experiences for users.”
While Sensorium Galaxy is focusing on music as its party piece its still being designed as a social metaverse where everyone can hang out and experience exciting virtual worlds. Alongside PRISM there will be the Sensorium Starship which acts as the hub and Motion World, a relaxing destination where you travel underwater listening to music.
Accessible via PC VR headsets as well as on desktop, iOS and Android devices, Sensorium Galaxy is due to launch Q3 2021. For further updates on this new virtual universe, keep reading VRFocus.
Sensorium Galaxy is building up to a big launch this year, looking to become one of the go-to metaverses for immersive entertainment. Over the past year, the social platform has revealed the likes of superstar DJ’s including David Guetta and Carl Cox are going to be part of this digital universe performing exclusive sets for fans. Just like it did a couple of months ago for Guetta, today Sensorium Galaxy has revealed a new behind the scenes footage of Cox’s participation.
The short documentary features an interview with Carl Cox and why he was drawn to this virtual reality (VR) project whilst showcasing all the work that has gone into digitising the renowned electronic music artist. “I am excited to join Sensorium Galaxy in taking communication and entertainment to the next level. This immersive platform allows you to experience things and share special moments with other people no matter where they are,” said Cox previously.
It’s a highly involved process all recorded in Melbourne, Australia by Rouge MoCap. In a massive 360-degree camera rig the company captures every inch of Cox so they can accurately reproduce the DJ inside Sensorium Galaxy. All that was on the first day while day two focused on the motion capture, actually recording the DJ in action as he performs a set. Here you see Cox using tech like the Manus Prime II gloves alongside Pioneer turntables for accurate reproduction.
Just like all the other DJ’s once Sensorium Galaxy launches you’ll find Carl Cox in Prism World, a virtual clubland developed in collaboration with Yann Pissenem, the creator of clubs Ushuaïa Ibiza and Hï Ibiza. Cox and Guetta will be joined by Armin Van Buuren, Black Coffee and Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike as the currently confirmed lineup.
Sensorium Galaxy will consist of two worlds to begin with, Prism; for all the music, and the Sensorium Starship which acts as the hub for the launch in Q3 2021. There will be a third called Motion World where you travel underwater to music that is designed for relaxation. This is expected to arrive in Q4 2021.
I won’t purely be a place to go and listen to music. Like most VR metaverses currently being created Sensorium Galaxy wants to be a social platform with its own community, commerce and ability to sustain itself. It’ll be accessible via PC VR headsets as well as on desktop, iOS and Android devices. There’s an early VR tech demo on Sensorium Galaxy’s website and for further updates on the launch, keep reading VRFocus.
Royal Opera House; Linbury theatre, London Ancient Rome crackles with emotion and nylon in Richard Jones’s rigorous new Mozart staging. Plus drama extremely close and personal with the world’s first hyperreal opera
The joy was being back. The sorrow, obligatory distancing leaving banks of seats empty, was to share the experience with so few. The Royal Opera House opened last Monday, the first day theatres could function again, with a new production of Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito (1791), conducted by Mark Wigglesworth, directed by Richard Jones and designed by Ultz. It was the company’s first since 2002.
This opera seria – the form celebrates nobility, dignity and, in this instance, clemency – has never won great popularity. Yet Mozart’s late opera, brilliant in musical unity and psychological complexity, can be the richest of all. Wagner, not always right, called it “stiff and dry”. Had he encountered Jones he might have chosen other adjectives. Here is a work dripping with emotion, thwarted honour, stymied intention. In the right hands, you believe these characters.
Current, Rising is unlike anything. Go. The earth really did move, I swear
Royal Opera House; Linbury theatre, London Ancient Rome crackles with emotion and nylon in Richard Jones’s rigorous new Mozart staging. Plus drama extremely close and personal with the world’s first hyperreal opera
The joy was being back. The sorrow, obligatory distancing leaving banks of seats empty, was to share the experience with so few. The Royal Opera House opened last Monday, the first day theatres could function again, with a new production of Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito (1791), conducted by Mark Wigglesworth, directed by Richard Jones and designed by Ultz. It was the company’s first since 2002.
This opera seria – the form celebrates nobility, dignity and, in this instance, clemency – has never won great popularity. Yet Mozart’s late opera, brilliant in musical unity and psychological complexity, can be the richest of all. Wagner, not always right, called it “stiff and dry”. Had he encountered Jones he might have chosen other adjectives. Here is a work dripping with emotion, thwarted honour, stymied intention. In the right hands, you believe these characters.
Current, Rising at the Royal Opera House, London, takes its audience on a dizzying journey through strange realms. Could this be the future?
“Start with your feet, Earth-kin,” coos soprano Anna Dennis into my ear. I’m standing in the small space that is hosting the world’s first ever virtual reality opera. I have a headset, headphones and a backpack. The Royal Opera House is calling this the opera Tardis; to me it seems more like a walk-through art installation with bespoke soundtrack. Whatever this is, it isn’t opera as we know it.
Current, Rising was conceived two years ago, long before our Covid age, but is now serendipitously topical. It explores what the blurb calls “ideas of isolation, connection, and collective reimagination”. It wasn’t designed to be opera for our socially distant age, but it works that way. Only four people can enter the opera Tardis at one time, and we’re told to keep one metre apart (tricky since in hyperreality judging real-world distances is a dilly of a pickle). But this isn’t just opera for our Covid age, but victim of it: due to open in December 2020, it fell prey to lockdown.
So much is packed into its 15 minutes that it feels overwhelming
