Music festivals have been a sanctuary for urban youth culture ever since their genesis. People from every background, every age group, and all types of upbringing unite to create alternative voices. At a music festival, you can forget about the daily struggles, learn from each other and be one. Technology shaped the music festival industry earlier than any other creative industry. Currently, it is possible to tune into the moment and the vibe of a music festival from the comfort of our home.
New media brings immense potential to existing norms. Technological advancements helped music to metamorphose into, and reach, another level. Digital streaming is not a recent phenomenon. Pioneer companies such as Cercle, Boiler Room, and Beatport, have been streaming festivals digitally since the early 2010s. However, there are also new initiatives, especially by Vuse Middle East, to apply this formula into a business model. We must admit however, that digital streams indeed gained notoriety during the pandemic.
There are ample possibilities to be harvested from the potential of digital streaming. As every music festival brings a different energy to our lives, so does every streaming style. The new age of digital streaming differs from its ancestors in multiple dimensions.
Source: Night Mag, xceed
The benefits of digital streaming can even spill over to the physical realm. The locations oftentimes include abandoned factories, urban relics which are revalued in order to make something fantastic out of what otherwise would have remained concrete piece of waste. Not only does it draw attention to the upcycling movement, it also encourages us to reshape our perspective. Many of these digital events have been carried out as fundraising initiatives. Therefore, as these events become increasingly popular, so does the idea of contributing towards worthy causes.
This tackles one of the main criticism that virtuality draws in general, the disconnection from reality and from one another that can be brought about by entering the digital age.
And yet, digital streaming has proven that even though we are not physically together, we can be one, digitally speaking. Music unites us all more than we could ever imagine in the digital age. Let’s explore the unlimited possibilities by taking a look at some of the businesses that have hit the nail on the head when it comes to digital streaming and guiding the world into the digital realm, opening the doors to the metaverse. Are you ready for the journey?
Source: Crewtifty
Cercle: The best of both worlds
Cercle focuses on the relationship between nature and music when music meets cinematography. They invite DJs to perform in various breathtaking landscapes and sites to create unique audio-visual experiences. Streams vary from solo acts to broadcasts with an audience, but the premise is to demonstrate the inseparable bond between music and visuals. It also helps to introduce and diffuse local cultural elements to the rest of the world, which highly contributes to the formation of neo-urban culture.
The Boiler Room: Bringing the underground rave scene overground
We have another unmatched style: The Boiler Room. Taking inspiration from the underground rave scene, they recreate the atmosphere and represent the rebel spirit. Their modus operandi is mainly broadcasting with audiences to channel into the collective vibe, but the essential point is promoting music as a solidarity factor regardless of the style. The experience is also amplified by thoroughly thought out lighting, and the result is just the perfect representation of underground urban culture.
Beatport: Empower via music
We could reconnect with our inner raver during the quarantine days thanks to a 34-hour live stream marathon called Beatport ReConnect series. They elevated digital streaming with their live broadcasts. People from all over the world were able to enjoy, communicate, and have fun together in the chat section. Moreover, they collected donations for emergency causes, such as WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and AFEM Members’ COVID-19 Hardship Fund. They aim to empower via music. We’re becoming a global, decentralized, and alternative community where we can all feel free and accepted.
Vuse Middle East: The marketing value of digital streaming
Digital streaming of electronic music also has limitless potential when it comes to branding. A company specializing in the vape business, Vuse Middle East, saw this potential and elaborated the concept. They created Creative State by VUSE, which organizes socially distanced parties with local and international DJs, and broadcasts them. The scenic venues give rise to enthusiastic energy and unmatched light shows. They explain this collective space as one created by and made for the creators themselves. This initiative is an innovative business model which conforms with the new normal and new digital age. We all appreciate an advertisement in the shape of a rave!
Having dipped our toes in the virtual world of digital streaming, and toured the previously mentioned initiative and business ventures, one an easily take notice humanity’s adamancy in pushing the limits of existing norms with technology. It is now possible to channel the vibe of collective partying, albeit with some adjustments, from the comfort of homes.
We also can’t stop imagining the unlimited possibilities for this movement, how far it could go. Our understanding of reality has shifted after witnessing the potential cultural changes that may be brought about by technology. Now we crave more innovation and more realistic experiences, but from different realities. VR technology may help us have a more physically encapsulating experience, and it is already in practice. Who knows the evolution this technology may take us on once we manage to involve more of our senses in the experience, thus blurring the lines between the physical realm and the digital one.
Source: VR and Fun
The expansion of metaverse can open new doors for the next step. We can experiment with the sensations with the help of newly obtained metaverse freedom. We can all be together regardless of distance, now more than ever before. Who wouldn’t want to join a global, decentralized, digital party, where you can experience a whole culture? The future of digital streaming lies within the metaverse. It is the uncharted reality and waiting for us to reflect the youth culture.
With all the facts in mind, a question appears before our VR gears: Can we rave together in the metaverse?
