Musician Robbie Williams will celebrate 25 years as a solo artist with a performance in the metaverse in a bid to reach fans from around the globe through his virtual concert.
Taking advantage of the immersive 3D virtual reality (VR) that comes with the metaverse, Robbie will celebrate his 25th anniversary by performing to his fans in the digital space. He joins an array of other artists who have leveraged the metaverse concept to perform for their global audiences.
Connecting global fans
The English musician gained popularity as a member of the pop band Take That between 1990 and 1995 before launching his solo career in 1996. Now the musician wants to leverage technology to reach a global audience for his anniversary.
According to the Daily Mail, Robbie said that connecting with his fans is a priority, and the opportunity brought by the technology provides a great chance to reach many of them. He also highlighted how the new technology can benefit the music industry.
“I’m fascinated by the Web3 space; it’s full of creativity and mind-blowing potential, said the singer-songwriter.
“It’s also a big new market for music discovery,” he added.
Robbie Williams is working with tech company LightCycle, which he believes will deliver a great experience given their previous success on other projects.
LightCycle has been described as an AI-powered “hyper-realistic virtual city” aiming to become “the go-to destination for art, film, gaming, music, fashion, sport, property, and retail.”
“The talented development team at LightCycle has produced some incredible work, and I’m excited to see it all brought to life in full 3D glory,” he said.
LightCycle is one of the brands within Vertex Labs.
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Embracing AI
William’s embrace of technology such as the metaverse is not uncommon. He has already worked with another German tech company, Deutsche Telekom, to redo his 1977 hit song using AI.
While the 49-year-old Williams has warmed up to AI, the use of the technology in the arts and entertainment industry, particularly music and film, has sparked controversy, with some artists openly trashing it, citing a lack of originality among other reasons.
The likes of Ice Cube have frowned at the idea of AI music, while debates have also raged over including AI-generated music on some of the world’s most prestigious music awards, such as the Grammys. However, other artists see the bright side of the technology and have embraced it as a way to enhance music production.
With the use of AI, even non-music professionals can produce music using tools like Loudly’s AI music generator.
The latest trend
Performances in the metaverse are becoming the thing and have become instrumental in connecting global audiences. Before the concept became that popular, DJ Marshmello made his first appearance in 2019 on the Fortnite metaverse platform.
Other musicians like Justin Bieber, David Guetta, and Ariana Grande have also performed on the Wave, Roblox, and Fortnite platforms, respectively.
For Robbie Williams, this is the “next step” in his music career.
“As an artist, I’m always looking for ways to push forward, so this is the perfect next step in that journey,” Robbie said. Commenting on the concert, LightCycle CEO Sara Ezen said:
“The concert is truly something special, and we’re excited to be giving it a home in LightCycle.”
The metaverse has become a special tool for connecting artists with their fans, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. Despite the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, it seems artists will continue leveraging the technology to reach out to their fans.
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