SAN FRANCISCO — Your favorite band may soon be visiting your living room.
Concert promoter Live Nation announced Wednesday that it is teaming up with virtual reality content pros NextVR to bring live concerts to VR headsets starting this summer.
Fans will be able to choose whether to hang out onstage near their favorite guitar player or loiter backstage with band friends, initially for free and later possibly on a pay-per-view fee basis. The shows, which have yet to be announced, can be viewed by downloading a free NextVR app and viewing the shows via a smartphone connected to Samsung Gear VR or on the more high-end Oculus Rift headset.
Along with sports, concerts have long been seen as a natural content play for VR. In February, NextVR announced a five-year deal with Fox Sports to bring a range of events to life in virtual reality. This NextVR deal with Live Nation also is for five years.
"Nothing replaces going to a concert, but we do think they're a place for VR in the mix," says veteran filmmaker D.J. Roller, cofounder of NextVR. "Artists in particular are very excited about this."
That's because VR "can bring music fans a new and completely immersive way to see their favorite artists perform in places they may not have access to," says Live Nation chief strategy officer Jordan Zachary. “It’s an exciting opportunity for Live Nation to have a partner with such a strong foundation in live, virtual-reality broadcast technology.”
Roller says that depending on the scale of the event, which can range from an intimate solo concert to a massive stadium show, between two and 10 VR cameras will be deployed in and around the stage with minimal intrusion into the performer's line of sight. Fans also will be able to select a specific location with the click of a button, a feature that NextVR showcased in its recent Masters golf coverage. There will also be a way to pause a live concert and resume watching the show later.
The sound for the VR concerts will be digitally manipulated to create a 3D effect, adding to the sense that you're at the show, he says.
One possible hurdle for concert VR experiences could be the fact that spending more than 15 minutes in an occluded headset such as Oculus isn't for everyone. Roller concedes that while that might be a current issue for some, ultimately the gear will change enough to eliminate that wrinkle.
"In our line of work teaming with headset manufacturers of all kinds, we're seeing next generation (VR headsets) already that have features that will make the VR experience far more comfortable," he says. "From the clarity of the image to the lightness of the headsets, it'll soon become something you'll have no trouble wearing for hours."
Perhaps just in time for that third encore capping another four-hour Bruce Springsteen show.
Follow USA TODAY tech reporter Marco della Cava on Twitter: @marcodellacava
