When Facebook agreed to pay $2bn for virtual reality startup Oculus VR in March 2014, it was the start of a new wave of investment in a technology that stretched back decades: virtual reality.
Since then, we have seen Samsung, Google, Sony and HTC launch their own VR headsets, while Facebook and YouTube have upped their commitment to 360-degree and VR content; prominent firms in the TV, filmmaking and gaming worlds have entered the market; and China’s big tech companies have made their first VR bets.
And music? The music industry is increasingly excited about the potential of virtual reality too. Since the start of 2016, when Music Ally published our first VR primer, we have seen lots of activity from labels, artists and startups.
Now we have published a new report: Music and Virtual Reality in 2017. It’s exclusively for Music Ally subscribers, and you can download it as a PDF from this link.
The 47-page report includes:
– Figures for headset sales so far, as well as analyst predictions for the size of the VR hardware and entertainment markets over the next five years.
– A summary of the five key hardware platforms – Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, PlayStation VR; Google Cardboard and Daydream; and Samsung Gear VR – as well as their content strategies.
– Profiles of music-related VR startups: Inception; Mbryonic; MelodyVR; NextVR; TheWaveVR; Voke; Vrtify; VRLIVE and Within. Plus mini-profiles of Endless Riff; Kudu VR, NOYS, Parallel; Red Pill VR; Samo; Spaceout.VR; Splash; Teleporter; and VRSUS.
– 28 Case studies of music/VR apps and experiences, including: Kygo; Years & Years; Abbey Road Studios; Joshua Bell; UMG’s VRTGO; Deadmau5; Horizons; Coachella; Paul McCartney; Ray LaMontagne; Red Bull; StubHub; Night Fall; Machinedrum and more.
– Music Ally’s advice for labels and artists looking to make the most of VR through partnerships and experimentation.
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