Travis Scott in Fortnite, BTS in Minecraft…virtual concerts have proliferated since 2020. They gained popularity during the epidemic, when festive and cultural events were interrupted. So much so that a special award was created for the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) ceremony, which aired in France on August 29 at 6:15 p.m.
“We saw it as an opportunity to highlight and reward the best performers, those with the biggest impactA representative of MTV informed The Hill news website about it. “We celebrate the initiative of artists who have found creative ways to fill these metaverse spaces“. It’s really an opportunity for singers to explore new universes and offer different themes and visuals during virtual shows. Ariana Grande was able, for example, to offer “musical journeyto explore space on his Rift Tour.
Attract new audiences
But the VMAs saw a 17% audience drop in 2021 compared to last year in the 18-45 age group. To accompany the launch of this new category and appeal to a younger teenage audience, MTV has developed a “VMA experience” event on Roblox that runs from August 12th to September 3rd. The online video game Roblox has 120 million monthly players and hosted a concert by rapper Lil Nas X in November 2020, which already has 33 million users. MTV sees an opportunity here to attract new regular viewers to their channel.
The group had previously created a metaverse event in Minecraft. “One of the most exciting things about Metaverse is bringing the VMA experience to people all over the world.“, – rejoices Amy Campbell, general manager of MTV Entertainment Studios. Players can walk a virtual red carpet surrounded by paparazzi and an atmosphere that should recreate the real feel of the event. They also have the opportunity to participate in three music-themed games. A new activity will be added every Friday leading up to the ceremony. The community can thus collect votes and vote for their favorite artists to choose the best performance in the metaverse.
Since 1984, the VMAs have complemented the Grammy Awards, which awarded only music, omitting videos. Since the end of August, the ceremony has become an institution. Six contestants are subject to public voting for their virtual shows: Ariana Grande on Fortnite, BLACKPINK on PUBG Mobile, BTS on Minecraft, Charli XCX and Twenty One Pilots on Roblox, and Justin Bieber on Wave in
Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.