In the occasion of our previous interview, you told us that Soundstage was only in a very early stage venture. Now you are officially launching the platform in a big way with a list of high profile artists. It definitely looks like you’ve been busy in the past 10 months! Given that virtual experiences have been the core of the project since day 1, has the lockdown slowed down your plans in any way?

Busy is an understatement, but the good news is that we’re just as excited and as motivated as day one. It’s great to reconnect with FUXWITHIT! To answer your question yes, the lockdown has definitely affected us and thrown a few wrenches in our plans. Of course on the flip side of it, it’s also given us space to slow down, reflect, and focus to figure out exactly how we want to evolve the company. In a large way, thanks to the lockdown we decided to relaunch as a virtual events platform with an even more ambitious vision than before.

Last year you stated a certain difficulty in conveying the value of the platform to artist management (used to working with live shows). How has the situation changed with the advent of Covid-19? Has there been a radical change in the approach of the music industry towards ventures such as SoundStage?

There’s a lot more predisposition to experiment and try new things, but it’s clear that the industry is still trying to figure out the best ways to leverage virtual events. Not all agents or artists are necessarily excited to jump into every opportunity that’s presented to them. We understand that completely since the reality is that not all virtual events are the same and finding the right fit for a particular artist isn’t easy.

few artists have actually managed to reap meaningful rewards through these platforms, and because of that, many of them are now burned out from live streaming and virtual events altogether.

With new players like Minecraft, Zoom and above all Twitch, compared to a year ago, the competition is way more fierce in the world of virtual performances. What differentiates Soundstage now from the aforementioned and the older (YouTube, Facebook and Instagram) competitors?

For these platforms, musical performances were never a primary goal and are really just an afterthought. To this date, it’s still artists and event organizers driving most of the innovation on these platforms and finding ways to use the tools they offer, rather than the companies themselves making musical performances a priority and trying to adapt to the needs of our industry. Unfortunately few artists have actually managed to reap meaningful rewards through these platforms, and because of that, many of them are now burned out from live streaming and virtual events altogether. The same is happening to fans, since they have been subject to a constant barrage of variable-quality livestreams, and have come to view them as musical-listening experiences of limited entertainment value. Because of that, monetization has become a serious challenge.

SoundStage was built on the premise of producing quality virtual experiences that reach beyond the livestream in order to bring fans and artists closer than ever. You can look back over a year ago to see our first virtual performances. We now have a plethora of other experiences that complement and synergize with each other, all wrapped as unique offerings accessible to fans during our live stream events designed to create rapport and proximity between artists and fans. Everything we’ve developed has had this same singular objective, and our vision has continued to evolve towards a holistic platform that leverages human connection between artists and fans in ways that none of the existing platforms do.

Do you believe that, when the situation will return to normal, this whole ecosystem of virtual communities and events will disappear supplanted by the “old world” or can you see a scenario where both online and offline will have their space?

I do expect the volume of amateur virtual events to drop significantly since the recent surge is linked directly to the inability for artists to perform through any other means. However, there are serious players in this space creating some remarkable experiences which will survive well after Covid. Most of the incredible technology we see for virtual events was not developed as a response to Coronavirus. A strong business case for virtual events has existed since well before the pandemic (e.g. Fortnite concerts). Just like with SoundStage, many other businesses and technologies were created to co-exist with offline events rather than as a replacement to them. The fact is, they are altogether different experiences with different value propositions, and are by no means mutually exclusive.

What sets SoundStage apart is the manner in which we allow you to reach the artists you love, and make it possible for you to connect and build authentic relationships with them not as a virtual avatar, but as your real, human, self.

Here we go again. Time for the nerd question of the interview! How has the technology behind Soundstage evolved?

In a thousand different ways! In particular, WaveXR and Sansar are two incredible companies that are working to help musicians adapt to our new reality with marvelous technology that makes it possible to produce mind-blowing virtual reality concerts. Big shout out to them. Admittedly these are awesome companies, but they deliver a different kind of experience, given they’re designed for mass accessibility. Being an avatar in a videogame world with thousands of other players isn’t all that different from the real world festivals where you’re just a dot in a crowd. What sets SoundStage apart is the manner in which we allow you to reach the artists you love, and make it possible for you to connect and build authentic relationships with them not as a virtual avatar, but as your real, human, self. Still, as I said, we love what they’re doing, we love what we’re doing, and at the end of the day I believe there’s room for all of us to be of service to artists in our own unique ways.

Let’s talk about this launch now. Between this kick-off events series, giveaways and super guests, you have put together an impressive program. How did the first events go? What can a future participant expect from a Soundstage show in the next few weeks?

Our first events have played out wonderfully with both artists and audience members clearly enjoying themselves. Although it’s just the start, we’ve managed to increase the production value with each event, and they really are far more engaging and entertaining than your run of the mill livestreams. We are also continuously rolling out features that create new surfaces for interaction with audience members, and using these events to give audience members exclusive opportunities to obtain intimate virtual experiences with artists they love (e.g. Photo Ops, Meet & Greets, Virtual Performances). For those of you who missed our latest event with Kill Paris you can rewatch it on Youtube here. Over the coming weeks, we have some amazing free shows lined up with the likes of Super Future, Deepend, Ill Gates, and EDM superstars Firebeatz, during which we are giving away some of these experiences (including a Virtual Performance from Firebeatz). I highly recommend everyone come check them out.

Is this to be considered more a point of arrival or a starting point for Soundstage? Are there any developments and upgrades in the pipeline?

Both. We’ve been building towards relaunching as a platform for a long time, and it’s a big milestone no doubt. We now have capabilities to help nurture fan-artist relationships through all their natural stages, using live streams as the entry point to build rapport and foster connection in a far more natural way. That said, the vision continues to evolve, and with every step we take, new possibilities emerge which continue to motivate and inspire us. We are still teeming with ideas that we’re super excited to implement. We can’t wait to bring them to fruition, but, like anything in life, we have to take it one step at a time.

The post Virtual Performances Today And Tomorrow: A Follow-up Conversation With SoundStage appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Let’s start from the basics: what is SoundStage and what is its mission?

SoundStage is a service that makes it easy for electronic music fans to book their favorite artists for private gigs. We are trying to help artists unlock new revenue streams by putting themselves on the market in a way that gives their fans direct access to them by way of “virtual” performances that they can carry out from their own home or studio, for fans anywhere in the world.

You are an independent start up right? Who’s the mind and the team behind Soundstage?

I’ll preface by saying this is a very early stage venture that was born from an idea I had quite a few years ago. I’m the founder, and at present the sole full-time employee at SoundStage, but there are a few others who are involved at a smaller scale and helping in various areas including Michael Cullen (founder of Phuture Collective).

And that’s when it hit me…what if instead of flying the artists in to my party, I could have them connect virtually

Which needs led you to found Soundstage?

In 2013 I went through some big life changes moving from LA (where I’ve lived for over 24 years) to Barcelona, Spain. Although I still visited LA regularly, one of the things I really began to miss after a while was the music scene. Being a lifelong fan of electronic music, and having grown up in a city where dubstep, trap, future bass, and all sorts of experimental music was rampant, one of the things I quickly started to miss was precisely that, the music.

While Barcelona is an artists city in many ways, and has a great music scene of its own, the fact is that my particular flavors were rare if not impossible to come across. Since night clubs and local festivals lacked what I wanted, I contemplated on numerous occasions throwing my own party, where I could finally play music I liked, but of course I wasn’t a DJ. I wondered if I could go bigger and throw a real event that I could monetize, and maybe then afford to fly some of the artists I liked into the city, but quickly realized that was cost prohibitive.

And that’s when it hit me … what if instead of flying the artists in to my party, I could have them connect virtually via webcam, routing their audio out to my own sound system, and installing a two way feed where the artist could see the party and the party could see and interact with the artist. It would be the next best alternative to having him there physically, but by eliminating the logistics, this could happen at a price point I might actually be able to afford; and that right there was the seed for what is now SoundStage.

I’d say we are about to experience a supernova of innovation that is going to skyrocket electronic music to whole new heights.

Under the push of streaming, the current music industry has become a wild but also fertile land where there’s a flourish of ideas and enterprises that are shaping a quite interesting future full of opportunities for everyone in the business. What’s your take on this point in history? Why do you think that this is the right moment to launch SoundStage?

I absolutely agree with your assessment, and especially in the area of electronic music. I mean, we are seeing a plethora of incredible concepts that are delivering a whole new range of entertainment value for fans using the latest that both technology and modern telecom infrastructure have to offer. Everything from 3D concerts like the Fortnite Marshmello event, to spectacular live streams being put out from the likes of Cercle, Techno Live Sets, Tomorrowland’s UNITE parties, etc.

My take on this point in history is that not only are we in the midst of what I think is the greatest electronic music renaissance in history, but the fact that this is converging with advances in technology that may finally make zero-latency high-definition videoconferencing a reality (think 5G), I’d say we are about to experience a supernova of innovation that is going to skyrocket electronic music to whole new heights.

When you ask me why I think this is the right moment to launch SoundStage, well, based on my prior reflections, I’d say the answer is self evident (if this was a video, this is where the “deal with it” glasses slide into view).

the artist connects directly to the event by way of a fully interactive two-way video conferencing system, and after greeting the audience, proceeds to blow their minds away.

Now let’s jump into the tech side of the project. I’ll start very basic again: how does a gig with SoundStage work?

First a fan submits a booking request for their desired artist on SoundStage.fm. After the artist accepts the request, we have the SoundStage concierge (yours truly) contact the fan to learn about their event and help them make (what are relatively simple) preparations to ensure the best possible experience. There are a few recipes for this which can involve different types of screens (TV, projector), webcams, sound and/or lighting systems, but it isn’t rocket science. Once we find a satisfactory formula that passes our test runs, there’s no turning back. On the agreed day and time the artist connects directly to the event by way of a fully interactive two-way video conferencing system, and after greeting the audience, proceeds to blow their minds away.

How do you respond to skeptics who criticize the possible lack of transparency? Since there are “djs” of any size who fake their sets even at festival and clubs where there are a lot of people around them, how can I trust someone who’s alone in the comfort of his/her house?

In almost all cases the camera is pointed at the performing artist in a way that eliminates any doubt, and if you’re booking someone you genuinely like I can’t imagine you’re questioning their integrity. Of course, if after he/she greets you by name, wishing you a happy birthday in front of all your friends, and proceeds to drop your favorite tracks for you in real-time, you still feel like you were somehow cheated or didn’t get your money’s worth, let us know and we’ll find a way to make it up to you.

How do you manage copyright and royalties? Everything works as with “normal” shows?

The SoundStage idea really revolves around fans booking actual artists. When artists perform they are playing almost entirely original music out of their own catalog, thus the risk of copyright infringement becomes a virtual non-issue.

Have you already had interactions with artists’ management? In case, how did they react to your propositions and, above all, were they prepared to deal with something like SoundStage?

Admittedly it has been difficult to shore up support from artists management, instead, we’ve had more success reaching out to artists directly. Although we’ve had some success negotiating with booking managers for smaller independent labels, the bigger ones are outright dismissive, generally ignoring all our outreach attempts. This is unfortunate since we are really trying to bring value to their artists and open new revenue streams which don’t threaten anyone, and would actually include management in part of the deal structures. That said, there are some forward-thinkers out there, and I’d like to take this moment to give a shout out to a few of the labels such as “Above and Below the Surface,” “Night Owl Collective,” “Partica Artist Group”, and “Bonsai Collective” for trusting SoundStage and choosing to form part of our ecosystem.

I think it will be difficult for most booking agencies to deal with this in-house.

How long do you think will pass before it’ll become common for booking agencies to have a department dedicated to virtual events?

I think it will be difficult for most booking agencies to deal with this in-house. As of right now, the technology is still maturing. To make the assumption that this is as simple as a one-way live stream, or a simple Skype call would be a huge mistake, and even beyond the tech there are still preparations that need to be made to ensure events play out right. In some cases these preparations are not so trivial and (depending on the type of event) may even require sending out a specialist with the right expertise to set things up and conduct test runs.

I believe it makes a lot more sense for agencies to work with SoundStage since we are already working to develop the technological expertise and manpower/infrastructure to facilitate this service globally and at scale.

Have you already experienced a virtual festival?

Yes I have, and we actually have some cool videos from a recent event that show what it’s like:

You can find other videos of the night here and here

Do you have other interesting companies on your radar that blend music and technology that we should get familiar with?

This may seem out of left field, and probably not the response you were looking for, but I’m a big fan of what Phillips has done with their Hue lights. For those of you who aren’t familiar with them, these are essentially energy-efficient light bulbs that change colors and can be synced to your music, meaning you can turn your home or office into a discotech (yea, I said discotech). In fact, the lighting we used at our office party was precisely these light bulbs, and the effect was impressive. Take a couple of these and pair them to a SoundStage virtual concert, and you’ve basically just brought Space Ibiza right into your house. I realize I sort of hijacked your question, but this is music-related tech, and I really am a huge fan of these little lightbulbs :)

I know that SoundStage is just in its first phases, but what can we expect from you guys in the short, medium and long term?

The only predictions I can make are short term, and to that end, we expect to be rapidly improving the quality and stability of the virtual gigs and hopefully shoring up support from bigger artists. We also have some interesting ideas that will help boost the visual quality and overall entertainment value of the performances, so if you’re still reading, be on the lookout in the next couple of weeks for a very cool live stream that will give you a sneak peek into the next evolution of the SoundStage vision.

With artists the like of Dabow, LEViT∆TE, chromonicci, Barely Great, Adiidas, bd hbt, Capshun, Blake Skowron, L*o*J, Wiskers already in their repertoire, there’s no reason for you to sleep on SoundStage. Go on and book your favourite artist: bring your guests and a sound system, they’ll do the rest.

The post A Conversation With SoundStage: The Start Up That Is Reimagining Live Performances appeared first on FUXWITHIT.