The Magic of Collective Effervescence
The Magic of Collective Effervescence
Can VR recreate that live music feeling? Why you should care...
Save The Date - Music Industry Meetup
When: Monday, March 11th 11:30am to 1:30pm CT
Hot Topic: Sync Licensing 101: First Steps To Making Money
Guest Speaker: Chelsey Coy, co-founder of twoOHsix Music
Where: Girl Guitar: 2309 Thornton Rd Studio C Austin, TX 78704
It’s time for another Herizon Music Industry Meetup! We host a quarterly luncheon for female music industry professionals featuring a hot topic, cool vibes, and tasty food. Join us right before the SXSW music festivities begin.
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Collective Effervescence
Recently, I had an interview with music industry researcher, writer, and musician Chris Della Riva where we talked about the phenomenon of “collective effervescence.”
Collective effervescence is that magic that we feel when people come together and communicate simultaneously for a common purpose in a way that excites and unifies the group.
When people compare going to a concert to attending church — collective effervescence is the reason. It’s a spiritual experience. Cultish followings like Swifties & Deadheads live for these moments. The pandemic’s forced isolation revealed how important this feeling is to us as humans. As much as we streamed and zoomed and nugged live music, avid fans still missed the magic that physically coming together conjures.
Stepping Into Virtual Reality
Since 2020, TelePresent Media, Inc. founder Danny McCrystal has been busy developing a remote way to experience collective effervescence that in-person performances deliver. His resulting virtual reality shows don’t just broadcast a live show, they enable the audience to congregate in an immersive room, communicating with each other AND with the artist in real time. All you need is a virtual reality headset.
No chat boxes.
No screen shares.
No Brady Bunch grids.
The barriers are gone. It’s the closest thing to being in a local club that you’ll experience from the comfort of your home.
When Danny invited me to be on the startup team, I immediately said yes. After months of development, testing, and workshopping, I flew to Maui last weekend to co-host the grand opening event for the first VR Live Studios location.
Here’s a pic of me viewing last week’s VR show using my Quest headset. You can buy one on Amazon.
It was quite an eye opener for studio guests when they saw musician Kason Gomes (who is on our startup team) perform a show for a virtual audience that he could chat with in between songs and see/hear them dancing and singing along. Here I am (red cowboy hat) in the room taking a group selfie with Kason after a set he played. Danny is up front in the green Star Trek shirt with purple hair.
This is a pic of Kason performing live in the studio followed by the room and fans he sees on screens in front of him. He is connected directly into the VR environment for real-time audio/video communication with the audience.
You may have heard about virtual reality shows that superstars like Ariana Grande, Travis Scott, and the Foo Fighters have produced. The difference is that those events are produced like a pre-programmed game or as a pre-recorded or live show that is simply broadcasted into a VR room much like a TV show. There is no real-time interaction between the audience and the artists — or even between audience members in some cases.
Plus, the production costs are so high that indie artists are left out of the equation because they do not command the ticket price or sheer volume it takes to justify the expense. The VR Live Studios production solves these problems, enabling indies to supplement their income.
How Does This Impact Women In Music?
New technologies like these VR shows offer fresh revenue streams and audience growth opportunities that level the playing field for merit-based success. We’re actively hiring female musicians who live on Maui (or are traveling to Maui) for a weekly residency. Kason is paid per gig and is building an international audience. He has “regulars” who come to his Tuesday night shows and even tip him. The audience feels the collective effervescence and keeps coming back — from California and New Hampshire to Romania and New Zealand!
The earlier we get women on VR stages, behind the soundboards, and in the audience, the earlier we establish equitable socio-economic trends. Other things I like about the VR experience as an avid music fan:
— Safety. Joining a room as an avatar means you’re physically safe. You can choose anonymity, move about the room easily, and won’t get roofied. Studio artists get the benefit of interacting with fans without fear of stalkers following them to their cars. We *actively* boot disrupters from the room, too.
— Affordable. Forget the babysitter, parking, pricey drinks, and door fees. After we launch the proprietary app, fans will pay a nominal monthly fee for access to all our shows.
— Convenience. Meet up with friends in other cities without the travel headache. You can enjoy a weekday show and still get up at 6am to take the kids to school. No guilt, no blurry-eyed carpools.
How To Try It Out
Have I convinced you to at least try this emerging live music technology? If so, here are ways you can access Kason’s weekly show Tuesdays at 7:30pm ET / 2:30pm HST:
Headset Access
Until Danny and I launch our proprietary app, please download Bigscreen (a Meta listed app) and create your avatar. Once in Bigscreen, follow this path > orange “social” icon > red “public rooms” icon > room listings menu > scroll to “Live Music On Maui” button and click to enter.
Buy a headset now and get the immersive experience!
Web Access
Don’t have a headset yet? We’re streaming live on twitch.tv/vrlivemusicmaui. It’s not interactive like the VR room, but you can see and hear what happens in the VR room via a camera.
In-Person Demonstration
When: Saturday, March 16th, 5pm CT
Where: Austin, TX. I’ll have a demo headset ready so you can hop into a VR room and see a live show. Venue/artist TBA.
If you live on Maui, email me to set up an in-studio demo.
I’ll leave you with this cool infographic just in case you have doubts that VR live music is the next frontier for musicians and their fans.
Stats Infographic
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Thea 🎶