How These Black Content Creators Enjoy Virtual Concerts In The Metaverse

It's a new year with new opportunities for a music festival. But did you know that the high-energy excitement of a festival can be enjoyed from the comfort of your home?

It’s a new year with new opportunities for a music festival. But did you know that the high-energy excitement of a festival can be enjoyed from the comfort of your home?

Thanks to Meta Quest, virtual reality offers Horizon World users a front-row ticket for immersive shows, both live and via replay. Through the Meta Horizon Worlds Music Valley feature, users can enjoy up close and personal VR concert experiences with music stars like Victoria Monét, Jorja Smith, and even Doja Cat.

“On My Mama” singer Monét hosted her iHeartRadio LIVE show on Dec. 4, and Doja Cat: The Scarlet Tour in VR will be coming to Meta Horizon Worlds on Jan. 20 at 5pm PT. The Scarlet Tour in VR allows users to see Doja Cat perform her biggest hits, including “Paint the Town Red,” “Agora Hills,” and “Demons,” along with her dynamic choreography.

“Bringing The Scarlet Tour to life was an amazing experience for me. Taking it from an idea to real life and sharing that with my fans at arenas was surreal and rewarding,” Doja Cat said. “To now be able to share the live show through VR with Meta and The Diamond Bros for ‘Doja Cat: The Scarlet Tour in VR’ is a perfect way for fans who did not get to come to a show to feel like they did. I can’t wait for everyone to see what we have created.”

The VR world offers opportunities for everyone. As the technology advances, more and more creators are taking to Meta to take advantage of the new way to enjoy a music concert and connect with fans.

Jeremy “JDun” Duncan and JoyReign, both metaverse content creators, aspire to promote representation and positivity within the XR space. A married couple, they jointly operate Onyx Leaf Media, the platform behind the acclaimed talk show “Joy in the Morning With JoyReign” on Horizon Worlds and the YouTube channel “Getting Things Dun,” whose subscriber base of 2,800 is steadily growing.

Their dedication extends to their podcast “Get’Em to the Metaverse,” where they continue their mission to integrate the extraordinary metaverse into everyday life.

“The power of any experience in VR is immersing you in a new environment and making it feel like you’re physically there with people,” JDun tells BLACK ENTERPRISE. “In the case of attending a VR concert, it feels like you’re in the venue with the best seat in the house and surrounded by friends.

“The sense of presence that VR brings to a music setting is incredible. From the moment the VR concert begins, the attendee gets an experience unlike any other.”

JoyReign described how VR concert attendees can interact and engage with each other during a performance.

“I absolutely love how the virtual environments are interactive. While watching the concert, the attendees could play interactive games and win prizes while enjoying your favorite music artist,” she says.

As with anything new, there are stigmas associated with virtual reality and programs available in a tech-based environment.

“A ton of folks think VR is only individual experiences, but what we’ve come to learn is that virtual reality’s greatest feature is social,” JDun says. “We want people to know that community is a huge part of why we went all in on the metaverse, and Horizon Worlds is the best metaverse to connect with so many diverse communities.”

As they continue to grow their brand in the metaverse, JDun and JoyReign are hoping to see more people who look like them there.

“We are proud people of color with a strong desire to show representation in the VR space,” JDun says.

“This technology has the potential to be transformative well into the next decade, and we want to make sure minorities are not left behind and everyone has an opportunity to be exposed to this technology. We are laying the foundation right now in the VR space for the next generation to know they have a seat at the table.”