Roblox says artists can “sustain successful careers virtually” without playing real-world gigs

nme.com:

Roblox vice president and head of music Jon Vlassopulos believes some artists will be able to “launch and sustain successful careers virtually” without ever having to play real-life gigs.Speaking to NME about the future of virtual gigs, Vlassopulos said: “As we continue to push the limits of what music can be on Roblox, we see an opportunity for new forms of entertainment to emerge.“There will be new virtual music products and services for fans to buy and some artists will be able to launch and sustain successful careers virtually without ever having to play a real world show,” he explained.“We believe the metaverse will democratize the music industry, allowing any band or artist of any size to promote their music and connect with their fans directly.

They can set up their profile and start spending time on the platform building their virtual Roblox fanbase,” he continued. “I definitely expect there to be a major new star that breaks on Roblox in the next couple of years.”Vlassopulos also believes that virtual concerts, like the ones held in Roblox by Twenty One Pilots, Lil Nas X and Tai Verdes, will continue beyond the pandemic.“They open up the excitement of hanging with your friends at a live music performance to hundreds of millions of people who would never have the opportunity to go to a real world event,” he said.The team at Roblox don’t see it as an either/or situation, and expect to see more interaction between live concerts and virtual concerts. “Artists will choose to perform to thousands of fans in the real world while simultaneously performing and interacting with millions of fans around the world in the metaverse,” said Vlassopulos.“Virtual concerts have the potential to massively grow the live industry,.