Everyone in the music industry is well aware of the new (virtual) reality facing the industry. Since music has been redefined as content, the bottom has fallen out of most industry sectors, and people have had to redefine their roles and income sources.

The latest news is the closing of the Record Plant Studio in Los Angeles, after 50 years of legendary album production. « If you want to go to the studio and spend $2,000 a day, just take that and buy a laptop and a sample library or tell A.I. what song you want to make and it’ll make it.” Gary Myerberg (Sound Engineer)

The ubiquity of Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) has made it affordable for anyone to create the next hit in their bedroom: «I’m a big believer in the benefit of a home studio. You’re sitting there and maybe you don’t know the next line. So you go outside for a second, maybe. Make a sandwich. It’s not like your creativity is on the clock.” Finneas (Billie Eilish producer)

However, the other side of the coin is the diminishing returns for musicians in the age of streaming. And, this is a recurring theme on the notefonote blog, how to carve out a career in the «dense woods» of new technologies. 

In any reality though, virtual or otherwise, the situation is very different for artists who already have a huge fanbase and emerging artists. Nevertheless, there are opportunities to find an audience in the Metaverse, for any artist at any level. It might not be for every artist of every genre though.

Let’s look at some strategies for making a mark in a virtual space.

Virtual Gigs

Virtual concerts became a big thing, especially during the pandemic, for obvious reasons. It is safe to say that it will be a channel that will continue to be relevant.

Examples of major artists on the virtual stage:

 Ariana Grande hosted a virtual concert within the Fortnite game. The event was broadcast five times over three days and had 27 million total viewers, showcasing the potential of in-game concerts. And Travis Scott launched «Astronomical»  an interactive, virtual concert experience where players could «warm up» to the event with the regular video game mayhem. 12 million players logged on for the event.

Building Fan Communities

Not every artist can pop up in a video game and have an audience of millions, but building a fan base from a virtual setting is a viable strategy for most artists. Artists like  The Weeknd and Deadmau5 have launched their own virtual worlds on various platforms with interactive elements and exclusive content for fans.

Building a fanbase on a digital platform, however, is not only the prerogative of artists with this level of name recognition. Most artists whose career kick-off will find their «rocket channel» that pushes their career into the next plateau. Incidentally this is what we focus on at notefornote, identifying these channels and help with «the push».

Fan Channels

Discord is a voice, video, and text chat app that first became popular with the gaming community. Artists uses the platform to connect with fans in real time through text, voice, and video channels. They can host Q&A sessions, listening parties, and even jam sessions, fostering a sense of intimacy and belonging.

Artists often reward their Discord communities with exclusive perks like early access to new music, behind-the-scenes footage, or tickets to shows. This sense of exclusivity incentivizes fans to join and participate.

Fans also create and share their own content related to the artist, such as fan art, remixes, or covers. This strengthens the community and provides valuable promotional material for the artist. This philosophy of co-creation strengthens fan engagement and provides insightful feedback for the artist.

Artists can also use Discord for targeted promotion, announcing new releases, tours, or merchandise directly to their most dedicated fans, increasing the chances of conversion and sales. The electronic duo Disclosure has built a massive Discord community where they interact with fans, share exclusive content, and even host production tutorials.

The experimental pop artist Grimes uses Discord to gather feedback on her music, collaborate with fans, and share her creative process. An artist can also create dedicated channels for specific topics or interests, inspiring conversations and connections among fans. This, however, demands active moderation to ensure a safe and welcoming environment.

Finally, Discord provides artists with valuable data on their audience’s demographics, interests, and engagement patterns. This information can be used to tailor content and marketing strategies.

Twitch is an interactive live streaming service for content spanning gaming, entertainment, sports, music, and more. Artists use the platform in a similar manner to Discord:

Artists can host live concerts, play new or unreleased tracks, and even collaborate with other musicians in real-time jam-sessions, offering fans an intimate and interactive experience.

Twitch provides a platform for artists to share their creative process, studio sessions, rehearsals, or even Q&A sessions with fans, building a deeper connection and fostering a loyal community.

Listening parties for new albums or singles, playing the music and interacting with fans in the chat, create a sense of anticipation and excitement around the release.

Some artists use Twitch extensions to create interactive elements during their streams, like polls, quizzes, or mini-games, making the experience more engaging and fun for viewers.

Twitch’s chat feature allows for real-time interaction with fans, where artists can answer questions, respond to comments, or even take requests, strengthening the bond between the artist and their audience.

Artists can collaborate with popular Twitch streamers by having their music featured in streams or performing live on their channels, exposing their music to a wider audience.

Twitch offers various monetization options for artists, such as subscriptions, donations, or even selling merchandize directly through the platform, providing an additional revenue stream.

Mo’ Money – Synch Licensing in the Metaverse

Music synchronization refers to music being synched to images. These images usually take the form of movies, adverts, TV series, video games etc. and «Sync deals» are inked between a music publisher and a buyer (music supervisor, film producers etc.)

Sync licensing in the Metaverse is still an evolving field, but there are already several options available for musicians and rights holders: platforms like Roblox and Fortnite have existing music licensing deals with major labels and publishers, but independent artists can also negotiate directly with developers or platforms for their music to be used in these environments.

NFT-Based Synch Licensing

Non-Fungible-Tokens (NFTs) that include the rights to use your music can be sold in the Metaverse. Potentially, this could be be a more flexible and transparent way to license music, as it allows for direct transactions between artists and buyers without intermediaries.

Platforms like Catalog and Sound.xyz are facilitating this type of licensing, allowing artists to sell limited edition NFTs that grant the holder rights to use the music in specific ways.

Many artists are also creating and selling virtual merchandise, such as clothing, accessories, and instruments, for fans to use in virtual worlds like Roblox and Decentraland

Micro-Licensing and Royalty-Free Music

For the slightly less illustrious creators and developers in the Metaverse, micro-licensing platforms offer affordable and easy access to a wide range of music tracks.

Royalty-free music libraries are also an option, where users pay a one-time fee for unlimited use of the music in their projects.

These types of music libraries with «incidental music» for visuals might be made redundant by generative-AI music programs, however, once the dust has settled on today’s controversies between gen-AI operators and rights holders.

Custom Music for the Metaverse

As the Metaverse expands, there’s a growing demand for music specifically composed for virtual environments. Artists can create bespoke soundtracks or sonic experiences for virtual worlds, events, or brands, offering a unique and immersive dimension to the user experience.

There is even a Metaverse Symphony  (Elliot Leung). The work was commissioned by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and premiered in May 2023. It is designed to be experienced in the metaverse, with the audience’s position in the virtual concert hall affecting their auditory experience.

Now Loading…..new platforms

New platforms and models for music synch licensing in the Metaverse are constantly emerging. These may include decentralized music licensing platforms, AI-powered music matching services, or subscription-based models for accessing a wide range of music for use in the Metaverse.

Distributing:

One platform that allows artists to distribute their music across multiple platforms, including traditional streaming services and blockchain-based networks is Emanate, using the $EMT token to reward artists for their work and enables them to connect with fans directly.

Streaming:

An ad-supported music streaming platform like BitSong uses blockchain technology to track listener data and ensure transparent revenue sharing with artists. It offers a free tier for listeners and a premium subscription for ad-free listening.

Sharing:

A fully decentralized platform like Tamago emphasizes community-driven content curation. It allows fans and artists to create playlists and share music without any centralized control or advertising.

Labels in the Metaverse

Warner Music Group has partnered with The Sandbox, an online gaming platform to create a music-themed virtual world and invest in virtual real estate.

Universal Music Group launched a virtual band called Kingship, composed of Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT characters.

Sony Music Entertainment has partnered with Roblox to host virtual concerts and create interactive music experiences.

As always, the strategies of major labels are not necessarily «gospel» on how to approach all new phenomena. Turning every band member into a virtual «bored ape» or trying to recreate your band’s rehearsal space as a «virtual venue» might not be the soundest of tactics!

However, engaging with fans where they are is never a waste of time. And, somewhat genre-dependent, your fans may very well spend a lot of time in a virtual world, and as we stress here, there are ways of connecting with them in this setting too. Numerous brands are also exploring partnerships with artists and music companies to create unique experiences and products in the Metaverse, representing another opportunity for new revenue and increased exposure.

This certainly is a brave new world, but as the Metaverse is a relatively new space, there are still legal and copyright issues to be addressed regarding music usage and ownership. New licensing models need to address a new reality with an adjusted revenue-share balance. In favor of the artist. Furthermore, the Metaverse presents unique technical challenges for music integration, such as spatial audio, interactive music experiences, and, the mentioned, music rights management in virtual environments. Nevertheless, those artists that «go mega in the meta» will do so based on their ability to connect with the right audience. A very human connection.