Apple Music is showcasing VR capabilities via the new U2 video clip “Song for Someone.” The U2 VR experience debuted this past weekend on The Experience Bus, a mobile unit touring with the band, currently in Europe. Co-branded with Apple Music, The Experience Bus that invites concert-goers to pop in and try Oculus Rift VR goggles. The clip, created by Chris Milk and his VR production company Vrse, is also available through iTunes and Google Play using the Vrse mobile app, which leverages Google’s Cardboard VR glasses for mobile.
Apple head of content, Larry Jackson told Wired magazine that Apple Music is already working with Vrse to create “post-apocalyptic action film” for the band Muse. And since late last year, Apple has been recruiting in-house VR developers and filed for a few patents.
For months prior to the “Song for Someone” unveiling, fans from around the world were invited to submit clips of themselves singing or playing along to the tune. That global footage is intercut with 360-degree scenes of the band performing the song in an empty arena to create a sort of virtual jam session.
Apple has worked closely with U2 over the years, even using Bono’s silhouette as the ubiquitous iTunes “musician.” Through iTunes, the company gifted fans the band’s Songs of Innocence album last year, a thoughtful gesture that somewhat backfired. Of the 26 million fans who downloaded the album from iTunes, many were irritated to find that iCloud had also downloaded it automatically, resulting in Apple having to issue a special tool to remove the duplicate.
To hear Vrse founder Chris Milk on how VR can create “the ultimate empathy machine, click to see his April TEDTalk.
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