Alt Radio Station WFPK Utilizes VR to Allow Fans to Experience Sold Out Concerts

cageymaru

cageymaru

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Alternative radio station WFPK is using virtual reality (VR) to bring the concert experience to fans that aren't lucky enough to get a ticket to their weekly sold out concerts. The concert hall at the station only seats 70, so fans of the venue have to be quick and lucky to get a ticket before the show is sold out. Since so many in the Louisville, Kentucky area are fans of the concerts, the station has decided to live-stream the events in VR on the Endless Riff app to allow more patrons to experience the shows. The app is found in the Oculus Store. They also have audio only recordings available and Facebook live-streams.

"Our age demographic (35-55) is in line with the audience Endless Riff is trying to reach," said WFPK Program Director Stacy Owen. "Our listeners are at an age where they have more income, but not as much time or inclination to go out to live shows. Offering concerts in VR gives us a chance to share the artists we love in live performance with those who don't make it to shows like they used to. It also gives us a chance to expose our service and brand to an audience outside of our local community."
 
I feel like watching the concert in VR misses the whole point of going to a concert. Even a small one.


Personally, if I couldn't go myself, I'd rather cut the video feed and listen to a binaural stream, assuming they're recording with a dummy head or something.
 
So, if you hold up a light while watching in VR, applaud, or yell for an encore ... what happens, exactly?
And can you scream in the ear of the person "sitting next to you?"

Passive VR experiences are IMO lame.
 
The old man in me thought this is awesome. I’ve started to become concerned with my hearing; my father is very hard of hearing and I’ve found myself having to ask people more and more to repeat themselves. And concerts these days are too darn loud (shakes old-man cane). It would be great to have the in-person concert experience with the ability to adjust the volume to a lower level so that I’m not concerned that I’m destroying my hearing.
 
I'm almost ashamed to admit that my first thought was if you can do this with a bar/concert venue, you can do it with a strip club.... ALMOST
 
TrailRunner said:
The old man in me thought this is awesome. I’ve started to become concerned with my hearing; my father is very hard of hearing and I’ve found myself having to ask people more and more to repeat themselves. And concerts these days are too darn loud (shakes old-man cane). It would be great to have the in-person concert experience with the ability to adjust the volume to a lower level so that I’m not concerned that I’m destroying my hearing.
Click to expand...
I'm with you, the last movie I saw (before my kid arrive and my life as I knew it ended) was actually the Star Wars movie (Force Awakens?) and I managed to see it for free, at Lucas Films studios in the Presidio. Well when that movie started holy fuck that shit is loud, my then pregnant wife wrapped a sweater around her belly because the baby was kicking due to the noise, I stuffed some rolled up kleenex in my ears because it was seriously on the verge of pain, and the thing is... my hearing isn't exactly top notch as it is, so the fact I felt it was too loud, well lets just say I wanted to try and preserve what hearing I have. Now a days I keep a pair of those foam ear plugs in my pocket everywhere I go.
 
Living in a relatively small city, the choice of concerts can be fairly sparse, and the better shows sell out very quickly. If it's impossible to attend in person, either due to distance or lack of availability, I'd give VR a shot. Personally, I think it might be kinda cool to view a concert in VR that's happening live halfway across the world.

Additional note: My son is fascinated with live performances and has pitch-perfect hearing. However, as he suffers from Autism, a concert environment can be both exciting and overwhelming for him, which might cause him to screech with laughter or trigger him into fits. I would think VR could provide him with an immersive experience without the risk of disturbing other attendees, especially for jazz or symphony performances.
 
Why the need for VR? Most people watch live concerts thru their 5" screen while they record shit they'll never watch again.
 
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