We’ve been writing regularly about the field of virtual artists – avatar musicians – but they’re a subset of the wider ‘synthetic reality’ sector, creating virtual characters for all kinds of purposes and platforms.
One of the companies in that space, Superplastic, has just raised a $20m funding round led by Amazon’s Alexa Fund. According to TechCrunch this is more about other forms of entertainment than music: Superplastic will be working on an animated comedy series with Amazon Studios.
Amazon joins a number of other investors in Superplastic who have links (some stronger than others) to music: Google Ventures, Sony Japan, Kakao and Animoca Brands.
Superplastic’s first three characters are already finding audiences online. Guggimon (“a fashion horror artist, axe collector, and DJ” who’s also a rabbit) has 1.5 million Instagram followers, while Dayzee (“an incorrigible flirt who keeps her haters guessing and her suitors thirsty”) has 721,000 on that platform.
@reallyjanky DUZ HE STREZZ MEH OUUT YEZZ 😈 DO I STELL LUV HIM LYKE A BRUDDA YESZ 🥰 @guggimon #NextLevelDish #jankywasfirst
Janky, a feline “self-proclaimed streetwear icon” who’s already appeared in Fortnite has a whopping 10 million followers on TikTok meanwhile. None of them have released a terrible EDM banger yet, but give it time.
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