Travis Scott on Fortnite, BTS in Minecraft… Since 2020 virtual concerts have multiplied.
They gained popularity during the pandemic, when festive and cultural events were on hold.
To the point that a dedicated award has been created for the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) ceremony, broadcast in France on August 29 at 6:15 p.m.
“
We saw it as an opportunity to highlight and reward the best performances, those that have the most impact
,” an MTV spokesperson told The Hill news site.
"
We celebrate the initiative of artists who have found creative ways to fill these spaces that are metavers
."
It is indeed, for the singers, the opportunity to explore new universes and to propose different themes and visuals during virtual shows.
Ariana Grande was able, for example, to offer a “
musical journey
” to the discovery of space in her “Rift Tour”.
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Attract a new audience
But the VMAs had observed a 17% drop in audience in 2021 compared to the previous year, in the 18-45 age group.
To accompany the launch of this new category and appeal to an audience of young teenagers, MTV has developed the “VMA experience” event on Roblox, which runs from August 12 to September 3.
The online video game Roblox has 120 million monthly players and hosted rapper Lil Nas X's concert in November 2020, which already has 33 million users.
MTV sees here the opportunity to attract new regular viewers to their channel.
The VMAs ceremony is embodied in the online video game Roblox.
MTV Networks
The group had already created a metaverse event on Minecraft before.
"
One of the most exciting things about the metaverse is bringing the VMA experience to people around the world
," said Amy Campbell, general manager of MTV Entertainment Studios.
Players can tread the virtual red carpet, surrounded by paparazzi and an atmosphere that must restore the real sensations of the event.
They also have the opportunity to participate in three music-themed games.
A new activity will be added each Friday until the ceremony.
The community can thus accumulate votes and vote for their favorite artists in order to elect the best performance in the metaverse.
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Since 1984, the VMAs have supplemented the Grammy Awards, which rewarded only music, omitting clips.
The ceremony has become an institution from the end of August.
Six competitors are subject to public voting for their virtual shows: Ariana Grande on Fortnite, BLACKPINK on PUBG Mobile, BTS in Minecraft, Charli XCX and Twenty One Pilots on Roblox and Justin Bieber for Wave.
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