But given the brave new normal of life under a global pandemic, cooperation between the worlds of music and technology is accelerating. Over a decade before DJ Marshmello's groundbreaking Fortnite concert, Calvin Harris, Justin Beiber and Miley Cyrus were visiting the Habbo Hotel virtual world in avatar form to remotely interact with their fans in real-time. Promotional cameos by musicians have been a staple of virtual worlds for many years. "Travis Scott's brand partnership with Epic Games could not have been more impressive, or better timed." "The immersive virtual gig is going to be a serious revenue contender," states Rick Heffernan, a consultant for brand activity in virtual and live events. The Block By Blockwest festival, also in Minecraft, featured headliners such as Pussy Riot, Idles and Massive Attack, who played songs from their Adam Curtis collaboration including vocals by Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Fraser. Anarchic noise-pop duo 100 gecs hosted the Square Garden Festival in Minecraft featuring Charli XCX, Cashmere Cat, Benny Blanco and Tommy Cash. A concert by American rapper Travis Scott was broadcast live from within the online video game Fortnite, reaching more than 12.3 million players and setting an all-time record for participation in the game's events. While live streaming is enjoying a well-deserved renaissance, an intriguing view of the future of live music could be glimpsed by visiting two virtual worlds last week. Heritage artists such as Radiohead, Pink Floyd and Nick Cave have all started streaming their back catalogs of performances, while a diverse range of live streaming events, from the Defected Records and Glitterbox virtual music festivals to the 6T’s Rhythm and Soul Society Rare Soul Onliner, have bought dance music of all eras directly to the homes of the faithful. But the lockdown has accelerated the adoption of technology which helps people to experience music remotely. However, with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the shutdown of most of the world's live touring venues and infrastructure, it looks unlikely that business as usual is returning any time soon, holographic or otherwise. The venues are going to have problems because of the overhead, they're not going to have anybody to go play them, and there's no Plan B.
Jeff Pezzuti, the CEO of Eyellusion told Pollstar, "In five to seven years all the major touring acts that are making a ton of money–Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Fleetwood Mac–are going to retire. With a significant percentage of this amount resting on the shoulders of an ageing workforce, "holograms" have been explored for the living. Live music is a sector predicted to reach $31 billion in 2022 by PWC. The average age of Pollstar's top 10 global touring acts by mid-2019 was 52.6 years old, a figure that has been rising steadily along with ticket prices. In light of the "holographic" technology, pioneered by Pulse Evolution, the mortality of many of the world's top-grossing non-deceased artists was thrown into sharp focus.
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