One of EDM’s most influential music labels is throwing a massive dance party in VR, and you’re invited.
Founded back in 2011, independent Canadian recording company Monstercat has spent the last eight years developing a massive catalog of genre-defying EDM, in the process becoming one of the most prominent and well-respected dance music recording labels in the world. Using previously-established media distribution platforms—such as YouTube, Twitch, and Mixer—the award-winning service lets both fans and artists bypass the limitations of conventional music labels to more easily discover and share new music.
Considering the companies history of partnering with video game developers—in 2017 the company teamed up with Psyonix to release an 18-song album for their game Rocket League in honor of its two-year anniversary—it comes as no surprise the organization would eventually make its way to VR.
Earlier this morning Linden Labs, the developer behind the popular VR/desktop social platform Sansar, announced its app will soon be home to MONSTERCAT: CALL OF THE WILD EXPERIENCE, an upcoming live entertainment series that will feature live concerts, exclusive fan quests, VR meet-and-greets, and a whole bunch of giveaways.
The festivities will kick-off with a massive party July 12th in celebration of Monstercat’s 8-year anniversary. The live VR event will feature performances from over a dozen Monstercat artists, turning the Call of the Wild lobby into a no-holds-bar virtual rave. Those looking to kill some time before the upcoming VR festival can visit the Call of the Wild lobby ahead of the virtual shindig to discover hidden clues pointing towards the potential music lineup, complete special quests, and earn exclusive prizes.
“Partnerships like these help us realize the very best of what virtual reality has to offer: access, connection, immersion – the feeling that we’re part of something bigger, no matter who we are or where we live,” said Ebbe Altberg, CEO of Linden Lab, in an official release. “With the Call of the Wild Experience, we’re giving fans all over the world the chance to connect in a shared experience with other fans and the artists they love, but more than that, we’re using gaming to elevate the concert experience – questing, raffles, special in-game prizes, across both VR and PC. This is the future of live music, and we’re excited to have Monstercat on board.”
Following the July 12th rager, Monstercat will host live musical performances inside Sansar every Wednesday at 1 pm PST.
“We’re offering our fans something truly unique in the MONSTERCAT: CALL OF THE WILD EXPERIENCE: their own space to meet, connect and share creative ideas with each other,” said Dan Scarcelli, Head of Programming at Monstercat, in the same release. “Social VR has the power to transform how communities gather online, and we’re thrilled to be leading the charge with Sansar.”
“The Sansar team has been amazing to work with,” added Gavin Johnson, Head of Gaming at Monstercat. “They really went the distance from conceptualization to launch to make sure the Monstercat world was as imagined by our team.”
Free and premium tickets to MONSTERCAT: CALL OF THE WILD EXPERIENCE are now available to purchase here.
In terms of available VR social platforms, there are few services better for hosting a live music festival of this scale than Sansar. Earlier this year, Linden Labs partnered with SF Sketchfest, San Francisco’s nationally recognized comedy festival, to host a handful of live comedy shows which featured several major names, including David Cross (Arrested Development, Mr. Show) and Michael Ian Black (Wet Hot American Summer, The State). Last year, Sansar teamed up with Intel and the Smithsonian to bring the art of Burning Man to life on the social platform, allowing users to explore 17-pieces of large-scale digitized art featured at the historic event.
Sansar is available free on SteamVR, Oculus Rift/Go, and Windows Mixed Reality.
