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Virtual reality is not a concept to be put between parentheses or mentioned in a science fiction book. Google Cardboard and Oculus Rift (to name a few) have transformed the concept of virtual reality from clunky helmets to systems that transform your own device into a virtual experience.
The majority of virtual reality experiences remain educational. From Clouds Over Sidra (refugee camp) to the Moon Walk, these educational experiences look extend someone’s knowledge of an historical or current event. It’s immersive learning at the highest level.
However, there has been limited growth in virtual reality for non-educational experiences. Only in the last month has Canada’s first virtual reality arcade been created. Only a handful of companies are creating virtual reality media - and these companies focus the majority of their time on educational experiences.
At MIDEM 2016’s Virtual Reality Panel, Wemersive highlighted two key examples of how virtual reality is extending the music experience. These two examples show how virtual reality can immerse music lovers in their favourite artists’ music, producing a profound and incredible powerful experience.
Fort Minor’s Welcome
Fort Minor is Mike Shinoda’s (of Linkin Park fame) solo project. Filmed and produced by The Uprising Creative, the video allows its viewer to explore Venice Beach, CA with Shinoda. They can interact with him as he performs the track with a variety of instruments. The most interesting part, by far, is watching him paint a large canvas art installation. This video can be experienced using a virtual reality headset, like Cardboard, or in a 360 degree click format.
Björk’s 2015 album, VulnicuRa, is getting a new breathe of life through virtual reality. Björk created a series of virtual reality experiences that will be available for download. Moreover, this series of experience will be going on a world tour, starting with Sydney, Australia. To begin with, there will be four virtual reality music videos for audiences to experience through 80-Gear VR headsets and HTC Vive. After the tour, which includes stops in Tokyo, London, Paris, and Houston, the series will be available for download on Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Gear VR, and as mobile apps for iOS and Android.
