Virgin/EMI puts on a virtual concert

Any company targeting the up-to-twenty-somethings that does not already have an online marketing strategy is probably doomed. And if that online marketing strategy does not include harnessing the power of web 2.0 social connectedness (a small part of which is engagement in virtual worlds or videogames), they are probably not really serious about market success.

If you are a fan of Stacy Orrico, you are probably 14 years old. But she’s sold 3.4 million albums already, and her record label, Virgin/EMI, is keen to get closer to her target market. So they are holding a concert tomorrow (Saturday) where the fans can hear songs from her soon-to-be released CD. The difference is that it is an online virtual concert, performed by Stacy’s avatar, in the kid-friendly virtual land of Whyville.com.

While quite a number of corporations have “done the virtual world thing” and set up shop in Second Life, this is a first for Virgin/EMI. And while Second Life is a rather adult world, Whyville is “an edu-tainment virtual world for the tween-age generation” so it is ideal for Stacy’s target audience of 8-15 year olds. Up to 6,000 of Whyville’s two million strong tween-age population are expected to attend the concert.

Of course there is an immediate commercial edge to the concert: audience members can buy songs and virtual souvenirs. And in keeping with the trend for things virtual to carry a greater value than things real, there’s going to be an auction for charity in which you can bid for the virtual clothing worn during the concert by the avatar. Count on many costume changes.

In an interview with ClickZ, Aaron Simon, director of marketing for Virgin Records said, "It's something that is so important when you're a teen artist to really get in front of your buyers. In front of your fans." Apparently interactivity is built in to the program, with audience members being able to raise their virtual hands to ask a question, with a lucky few being invited up on stage to meet the diva in person, so to speak.

With online presence being vital for musicians, performing virtually is going to become almost a mainstream phenomenon.

I’m a tad envious of Whyville, and even more so of Second Life: back in the 1990s we created an online 3D world that was not unlike what Second Life has become. It was specifically designed to be an alternate venue for commerce and entertainment, with undercurrents of political and social intrigue that would have done well in the 21st century. We even had rock groups lined up to perform in virtual stadium concerts. Sadly, our financial backers got cold feet at the last minute, having never really believed in the project, and we put the world on ice.

Still, that was 1996. Better to be way ahead of your time than way behind it.