Is the concert venue of tomorrow… ‘Fortnite’?
Travis Scott saw it coming: in a near future, music concerts will be increasingly taking place in our favorite video games. The rapper managed to attract over 10 million rap fans on “Fortnite” during a one-of-a-kind concert last April. And the game’s American publisher Epic Games wants to replicate this success by launching a new series of virtual gigs on “Fortnite”, starting Sept. 12.
The concerts will take place on Fortnite’s party royale island, where its 350 million players will be able to attend a new performance by American rapper Dominic Fike.
The cherished Columbia Records artist will perform several hits from his first EP, “What Could Possibly Go Wrong”, which has been a chart-topper since it premiered on July 31.
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Epic Games has already announced that two other major international artists will perform live on Sept. 19 and 26 on the same virtual stage. However, the names of these musicians are yet to be revealed.
New events despite ongoing feud with Apple
“Spotlight,” this new series of concerts, will be recorded in Los Angeles’s Glendale studios. However, a live audience won’t be allowed during the recording due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The “Spotlight” concerts will be offered for free to all “Fortnite” gamers, apart from the ones who play on Apple devices. Epic Games, makers of “Fortnite”, recently released a direct payment mechanism designed to bypass the App Store’s payment system, from which Apple takes 30%. Apple responded by removing “Fortnite” from the App Store.
A booming sector
More and more artists and music professionals are turning to video games to promote their art — and to revive the live industry.
Rapper Travis Scott attracted over 12 million gamers on “Fortnite” last April during an exclusive virtual gig.
Canadian star The Weeknd also set up a live interactive and virtual concert on TikTok to mark the launch of his fourth LP, “After Hours”. He attracted over 2 million music fans on the video-sharing app. RGA
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