Live Nation has teamed with Hulu for the virtual reality series On Stage, sponsored by Universal Pictures. The first installment, which premiered Jan. 26, focused on Lil’ Wayne, offering fans a new angle on his music and hip hop culture.
The short form, multi-part documentary series promises a “deep dive into the creative process of an artist’s live music experience,” exploring their interests and inspirations on and off the stage.
Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum Lil Wayne, who records for Universal Music Group’s Cash Money Records, offers new footage from his Lil Weezyana Fest, giving a fresh perspective on his stage performance courtesy of Hulu’s VR app as well as inviting them to share his time offstage.
“Virtual reality and immersive content around live music can deepen an artist’s relationship with fans and expand their audience,” Live Nation EVP, Global Partnerships & Content Distribution, Kevin Chernett said in making the announcement. As the world’s largest concert production, ticketing and sponsorship company, VR is an interesting and potentially huge opportunity for Live Nation to expand the notion of “live,” bringing it to audiences as opposed to having crowds assemble at their venue. In September, Live Nation unveiled a VR concert venture with Citi and NextVR.
“Our partnership with Live Nation, a company that is synonymous with connecting music fans with their favorite artists, has allowed us to create an experience where you, the fan, are on the stage for the performance, and backstage with the artist,” Hulu VP of Emerging Technology Noah Heller said of the venture. “The result is a highly intimate experience that you cannot find anywhere else.”
The second installment, which has yet to be assigned a premiere date , will feature international sensation Major Lazer – the collaborative project of Diplo, Walshy Fire and Jillionaire. Major Lazer releases music through Diplo’s independent digital-only label, Mad Decent.
On Stage will follow Major Lazer as T they perform in Kingston, Jamaica and explore the roots of modern Dancehall. In addition to being immersed in a selection from their annual “Major Lazer & Friends” concert at Mas Camp, fans will walk the streets of Kingston and be transported alongside Major Lazer as the group recounts how Jamaica and its musical styles influence their music.
The Major Lazer production will be available later this year, with additional episodes and artists to be announced shortly.
Hulu’s VR app is available across the major platforms: Daydream, Playstation VR, Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR headsets, with more to be announced shortly.
The Hulu VR app has over 60 pieces of premium VR content, available free to anyone with a Daydream, PlayStation VR, Samsung GearVR with Galaxy S6/S7, Note 5 Phone or Oculus Rift device to access free. Viewers with a Hulu subscription can stream Hulu’s entire 2D library — including current season content, past seasons of hit shows, movies and Hulu Originals — in immersive 3D environments.
Today the Hulu VR app launched new VR updates across Oculus devices, the Gear VR and Rift. The Hulu app on Gear VR devices now supports Avatars and Rooms, which are private virtual spaces where users can spend time with friends in VR. Gear VR users can now jump into the Hulu app in Rooms with their friends and watch Hulu’s content together, including the entire library of premium 360 videos— for free and without a Hulu subscription. Those with Hulu subscriptions can also enjoy Hulu’s entire 2D library together in VR.
On Rift, the Hulu app now supports personalized Avatars and the Oculus Touch controllers with full positional tracking. With Touch, users now can use the virtual hands of their Avatar to control the app and play with objects in the Hulu virtual environments while enjoying Hulu’s entire 2D library.
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