At an event at Sony Music’s London offices earlier today, the major record company showcased its work creating content and events for artists on platforms like Roblox and Fortnite via its Sony Immersive Music Studios division.
Although the idea of creating that type of content is not new, the way Sony is creating and delivering immersive content has evolved, helping to reduce costs and removing some of the logistical barriers. As a result, says Sony, immersive content projects are now more viable for a wider range of artists - including newer talent like singer-songwriter Myles Smith.
Part of this is led by the access to technology Sony Music has via the wider Sony Group of companies - something hinted at by Sony Music boss Rob Stringer in his recent interview as part of Bloomberg Screentime. “Offering our talent unique access” to Sony Group tech is “core to the value we provide”, says Sony, highlighting how artists can “access Sony cameras for content creation”.
This presumably includes access to kit like the A7, a favourite of YouTubers, or the FX3, which is approved by Netflix for shooting its ‘4k Originals’ series - alongside some of Sony’s beefier cameras. However, it was Sony’s dinky action-cam-on-steroids, the RX0 II, which was used to create content for Smith, presumably in part because of the built-in multi-camera shooting offered by the RXO.
Sony Music can also access services like “virtual production tools” from Pixomondo - the “virtual production, visualisation and VFX company” acquired by Sony Pictures in October 2022.
This is all about “advancing music innovation”, says Sony, highlighting partnerships that it has with “cutting edge startups” like Move AI. Move AI says it helps turn 2D video into 3D motion data, suitable for use in immersive content platforms, using “real-time markerless motion capture”, meaning people don’t have to dress up in those strange skin-tight suits covered in dots, and “without the need for special facilities”.
All of this means that it’s easier than ever for Sony Music artists - like Smith - to deliver content as immersive experiences in platforms like Fortnite, something that Smith will be doing on Friday as he premieres a virtual performance that will include “a variety of immersive environments designed directly in relation” to three songs, including his recent hit ‘Stargazing’.
That virtual performance will feature an avatar of Smith performing the tracks “on a special island that’s been created to reflect his singular artistic vision for the experience”.
“This project has been amazing to be part of”, says Smith. “To be able to connect with fans and people, who may never have heard my music before, in a new way, feels really exciting. In a generation where it can be hard to break through and to find your community, to have the ability to have a direct interface with them is awesome”.
Smith is signed to Sony label RCA, whose Co-President Stacey Tang says, “Working with an artist like Myles creates an exciting opportunity for us to look beyond traditional marketing practices and develop collaborations that align with his creativity and authentic storytelling. This project underlines our continued commitment to empowering our artists to lean into cutting-edge immersive experiences to reach and engage with fans”.
As gaming platforms have evolved and more Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers spend time in those platforms, Sony notes, “increasingly, that means developing integrations for music” within those environments becomes an important part of the overall creative landscape for artists.
The barriers to entry for creating this sort of content have dropped significantly in recent years - Smith’s Fortnite experience took just one day to film - led in part by the increased availability of developer tools offered by platforms. This, says Sony, “includes Epic Games’ Unreal Editor for Fortnite”, or UEFN, alongside MetaHuman, a free to use “state of the art system allowing you to create high-fidelity digital humans” which is available in UEFN.
Despite all the fancy technology, getting a project like this off the ground still requires a fairly chunky investment on the part of the record company, and while fan interactions within immersive platforms can be monetised - including through ‘verch’ (that’s ‘virtual merch’, you luddites) - immersive activations for artists are first and foremost marketing initiatives to get artists in front of potential fans in the places they spend a lot of time.
“In gaming, our artists have led many of the industry’s most impactful music activations”, says Sony, adding, “We believe there’s significant growth potential in these opportunities, and through our ongoing development efforts across this space, we’re leading the way in establishing effective and repeatable models to connect artists with a new generation of fans”.
