[I’ve combined coverage from XLIVE, Variety and VRScout to tell the story of a deal that will bring new presence experiences via augmented reality to live concerts. See the original stories for more pictures and a 51 second video (also available via YouTube. –Matthew]
Snap, Live Nation Ink Deal for Snapchat AR Experiences at Concerts and Festivals
[From XLIVE]
Post-pandemic festivals have been upping their game when it comes to implementing new technologies and innovating on fan experiences. Festivals like Stagecoach have included a livestream element for the first time ever to reach fans who are not able to attend in person, and artists have been more creative with tech like AR that allows them to create new, exciting experiences.
For example, Flume included an AR (augmented reality) design feature — a giant golden parrot — at his recent Coachella performance. However, as with many AR and hologram production elements, it came with a caveat: it could only be viewed by the audience watching the livestream at home, not by those in person.
This was an innovative way to give the remote fans a unique experience when many of them likely felt as though they were missing out on some in-person fun, but the natural next step is for the physical audience to be able to experience these features as well.
Live Nation is looking to bring the potential of AR to its concerts and festivals though a new partnership with Snap, owner of popular social media app Snapchat, which has been developing its AR technology for several years.
[From Variety]
Snap wants to put Snapchat augmented-reality experiences — created with artists and festivals — in front of concertgoers through a multiyear deal with Live Nation Entertainment.
Under the pact, fans will be able to use Snapchat at select Live Nation concerts to access custom-built AR experiences. As envisioned by the companies, those could let them try on (and potentially purchase) merchandise, find friends in the audience, discover exclusive landmarks on the festival grounds and more. And, of course, Snapchat users will be able to share content generated by the AR Lenses at live events with friends and on Snapchat Stories.
Snap announced the deal at its Snap Partner Summit 2022 event Thursday. Financial terms of the deal between Live Nation and Snap weren’t disclosed. Snap is the exclusive AR partner for 16 of Live Nation’s festivals, including Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Governors Ball and Electric Daisy Carnival (see full list below). The new AR Lenses will be produced with help from Snap’s branded AR creative studio Arcadia.
“We can leverage this huge user base we have in a way that will make augmented reality the next phase of visual expression for artists,” said Ben Schwerin, Snap’s senior VP of content and partnerships.
Snap and Live Nation imagine that Snapchat AR will become part of live shows, in the same way that large video screens at concerts have become integrated into performances. “This really hasn’t been done before in a way that is part of the artist’s vision and helping it come to life,” Schwerin said.
Some artists have frowned on smartphone usage during their sets. Won’t Snapchat AR experiences popping up in the middle of a concert be a distraction? “The intent is not for people to be on their phones the entire time,” Schwerin explained. “It’s to have these AR Lenses to strategically enhance moments of the performance.” He noted that, according to company estimates, Snapchat reaches 90% of people 13-24 in the U.S.: “Each video that gets shared is a really powerful promotion for people who see that to go buy tickets [to a concert or festival] themselves.”
[From VRScout]
The first Live Nation concerts to debut Snapchat’s interactive AR lenses will be on May 20-22 during the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. EDC is the largest electronic dance music (EDM) festival in North America, and this year’s Las Vegas lineup will feature popular EDM artists such as Ac Slater B2B Chris Lorenzo, Deorro, DJ Snake, Kream, Lp Giobbi, Nostalgix B2B Wenzday, and many more.
[From Variety; links from VRScout]
Schwerin noted that EDC helped Snapchat create its first public Our Story in 2014, aggregating user-produced Snaps from the festival in real-time.
Over the course of Snap’s partnership with Live Nation, the companies plan to collaborate with artists at music festivals including: Austin City Limits (Austin, Texas), Beyond Wonderland (San Bernardino, Calif.), Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival (Manchester, Tenn.), Day Trip Festiva (San Bernardino, Calif.), Leeds Festival (Bramham Park, U.K.), Lollapalooza Chicago and Lollapalooza Paris, Reading Festival (Reading, U.K.), Rolling Loud (Miami), Roots Picnic (Philadelphia), Governors Ball (New York), Wireless Festival (Crystal Palace, Finsbury Park and Birmingham, U.K.), and Lights On (Brooklyn).
[From VRScout]
The idea of using AR and VR technology as part of a live concert experience is growing more popular among promoters and artists. Artists such as the Foo Fighters, 2 Chainz, Megan Thee Stallion, and Billie Eilish have either performed live in VR or launched a VR experience, and just recently Coachella launched Coachellaverse, a digital experience that allows fans from all around the world to interact with the festival in a way that uses a combination of immersive technologies.