Metal Music Metaverse: The Metalverse?

The technological possibilities for bringing Metal to the Metaverse appear, once again, to be almost in sight. A cross pollination of consumer friendly tech, pandemic driven remote experiences, and hype around the metaverse concept may have brought virtual reality and music closer together than ever.

Ever since “metaverse” was coined in the Sci-Fi novel Snow Crash, music has seemed destined for it. Björk and Radiohead have already dabbled.

Cool apps for immersive 3D performances are possible today or simply awaiting the arrival of the next generation of headsets and smartphones. Meta’s Quest 2 VR headset has sold around 10 million units and Oculus is doing well too. But you wont need them to access most of the metaverse: It will be easily accessible on mobile devices to everyone.

But the big questions remain unanswered. What will the appeal be to someone who still primarily engages with music through existing formats like streaming, physical media, and live gigs? We think it will be up to artists and audiences to decide what shape Metal will take in the Metaverse.

The tech exists to allow performers can appear as CGI avatars that look like video game characters or through 3D-captured video of them performing. ABBA have done this, sold loads of tickets for their virtual show, which combines a live band with the their own avatars (called ABBAtars).  Reviews are stellar.

Sony has teamed with Roblox, while Universal has joined forces with Genies, a digital avatar maker. Digital avatars allow fans to do almost anything e.g. sprout wings, fly, morph, teleport etc. Metalheads will no doubt want to look like their heroes, both musicians and horror characters. One things for sure, all those avatars will need something to headbang and play air guitar to.

Beat Saber, a music-based VR game reminiscent of Rock Band or Guitar Hero, has been acquired by Facebook, and is already one of the most popular apps in the metaverse.

What we’re hoping for is that a wave of young Metal musicians, who have never known a world without digital spaces, will get creative and lead the way with this new medium. Tear the metaverse a new virtual a-hole.

It’s down to the next generation of artists, fans, and tech wizards to figure out the virtual equivalent of a sweaty gig or rock club, a night in with a bottle of Jack, your mates and a killer Playlist.

Riot Games’ have probably done it best so far, with their virtual metal band, Pentakill, playing their latest concept album in real-time, captured by virtual cameras and created by digital artists and creative technologists.  Legions of adoring fans took part too, in an epic battle between the Gods of Metal and Dissonance on the back of Wave’s interactive platform.

Here at Road Hounds we want to decentralize how music is recorded, distributed, heard and paid for. We support emerging talent in the rock music industry by creating a decentralized community of NFT, Metaverse and Metal fans. We are creating a virtual rock club for people who know their Metal and want to listen to new bands,  support their favourite new artists in Web3.0 and champion emerging talent.

Sign up. Spawn in. Be heard.