Online concerts and artist podcasts are booming as musicians take their music to the virtual world. They offer audiences a front-row seat with friends, mixing in picture-in-picture video chat overlaid on the best views of the performance, and the ability to explore a concert’s venue with jaw-dropping crowd visualizations—all without anyone stepping on your shoes.
Are podcasts more popular than music?
Music lovers deserve more than single-camera streams that feel like Zoom calls from an artist’s basement. They deserve the excitement of arriving with their friends, the serendipitous discovery of running into them in a concert’s lobby Virtual Concerts , and the kinetic immersion of a live show with its sound system and stage lights.
This week, artists like Dua Lipa are offering a multidimensional live experience with her virtual Studio 2054. Her event also includes a meet-and-greet and trivia that benefits charity. Lil Yachty, Wiz Khalifa and Anti-Flag will perform in a livestream for the virtual concert Yinz Citizen, with proceeds benefiting 412 Food Rescue.
On Spotify, the platform is adding a new feature called Shows, which combines music and spoken contributions. Users can create a podcast with songs from the platform, as well as from Anchor (which Spotify bought last year). The tracks are played in full for premium subscribers; free accounts hear a 30 second snippet.
Other concerts and events this week include Lewis Capaldi launching his VR concert series with a simulcast at his parents’ home on Oculus Venues; JoJo, Allie X, Cavetown, Empress Of and others playing a virtual music fest for the charity Streaming for a Cure; and Mitchell Tenpenny performing via livestream for Cracker Barrel’s There’s Comfort in Giving campaign.