Live and In Pixel: Vaporwave’s Push For a Virtual Music Scene
On January 3rd of 2013, a six-hour music festival called SPF420 2.0 was broadcasted all over the world. The lineup consisted of Chicago producer Metallic Ghosts, Dallas producer, Veracom; Luxury Elite from Kentucky; Southern Cali producer Infinity Frequencies; Transmuteo, a New Orleans producer; Floridian producer Coolmemoryz; and PrismCorp of Portland, Oregon. This event was hosted by a 17 year old Chaz Allen, a.k.a Metallic Ghosts. What you might not have guessed is that every guest was logged in and watching from the comfort of their own homes, including the performers. Given the amount of active online fan communities, technological advancements in the music industry, and benefits of online concerts; the future looks bright for a completely digital music scene sponsored by Vaporwave.
Played throughout the show was a genre called “Vaporwave”: the internet’s revival of retro-pop culture through the use of dense reverb and slowed down samples of 80’s music. Back in late 2011, conversation of Vaporwave was introduced by the artists of SPF420 on a music sharing platform called Turntable.fm. Each of them, friends by shared music interests, actively discussed their fascination with music that the internet had to offer. Common themes in Vaporwave include virtual reality, 80’s/90’s aesthetics, and total chill-ness. The once little-known music genre was merely an idea back in it’s Turntable.fm period; but within the 6 years of its first mention and now, Vaporwave has sprouted into a post-modern epidemic. Being a concept built entirely on the web, Vaporwave has reached a degree of popularity unlike any other genre and has reached people’s screens across the globe. As innovators of the virtual world, dedicated fans actively attempt to push for a future composed by the new wave.
While the Vaporwave scene is the main proprietor of up-and-coming platforms other artists such as Jon Bon Jovi, Korn, and Jason Mraz have performed via the internet. The number fans that “attend” these shows is small in comparison to the the numbers at Coachella or EDC, but these shows offer a more first personal experience with the artist. StageIt is a platform for viewing said concerts. In fact, there are dozens of sites like this one available for viewing your favorite artists live: Boiler Room, UStream, Concert Window, and Gigee to name a few. Acting as a virtual DJ, on sites like Mixify and Turntable.fm, producers can chat directly with fans; it makes playing the right song for the audience that much easier. The concert game may never be the same.
So why are Vaporwave and indie artists alike advocating virtual performances? For one, listeners don’t have to leave their bedroom. That’s right, no need to try and impress others with copious amounts of band merch or ridiculous body paint. The price is also a perk. Regular concerts cost upwards of a $100, but these virtual shows can cost as little as nothing. It’s convenient, cheap, and as Lauren Martin of Vice says “There’s no cover charge, there’s no bar — and you can bring your own drugs.” On top of that, no one has to feel sweat of other festival-goers all over them. As for up-and-coming artists coverage and reliability is major. As a small producer, it can be hard to get your name out there and find venues that will pay for your talent. When using a site like Gigee, you can ticket events and receive 80% revenue of total sales. Because we live in a digital and a global world, there can be geographical constrictions of your fanbase. It’s not likely that fans in the U.K. who love your EP on bandcamp will travel to your hometown in Rexburg, Idaho to see your questionable 6 set show in a slightly more questionable pub.The key for him to being able to reach out to his fans is through performing an online ticketed event in real time. Not only are you able to gather your entire fanbase at one single time, but also as often as you’d like. No wonder Vaporwave has become so popular in such a short time.
Some would argue that seeing the artist live one time is the most important part of any concert experience, it’s what makes it memorable. But advances in technology has made for a more competitive scene. Introducing virtual reality, the newest way to bring life to at-home concerts and productions. You may have heard of Tupac and Elvis Presley making appearances in shows as holographic projections, but get ready to be immersed into a world where you’re able to feel the sweat of the Kings themselves as you sit front row (too far?). While virtual reality is still a work in progress, a company called 3D Live recently created the first ever VR lyric video experience for Oculus DK. It was used in Lollapalooza and on their MPP3D tour. Currently, the use of VR in the music industry has been centered around concert video streams like Jaunt VR and The Wave. On these platforms, music creators can fully customize how their audience experiences the music. VR Jockeys can transform the virtual venue around you from a nightclub to outer space with a click of a button or even put on an unimaginable light show. There is also a social aspect to this form of VR, where you can interact with other party-goers alongside your friends. It morphs the experience from merely first-personal and isolated, to a shared and interactive dream show. This new platform is changing everything from how we listen, create, perform, share, collaborate, learn, and teach music.
While Vaporwave artists have yet to announce their expected move to Virtual Reality, we can see that fans are leaning toward a more digital experience. Video Brewery statistics show that 100 Million internet users watch online video every day whereas whopping 43% of viewers use live video to watch concerts and festivals. As time goes by and advancements in technology increase, data and social trends show that digital festivals like SPF420 and other concert live streams are rising to be the new way to let your hair down. Whereas Vaporwave originated online in a virtual concert, it can be said that the genre will continue to reap the benefits of digital experience while actively pursuing this same future for all genres of music. That being said, I think it’s about time to put on your PJ’s, pull up chair and get ready for the concert to start.
