John Legend, Tinashe to Play Live Shows in Social VR Platform 'Wave' – Road to VR

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Wave isn’t your garden variety social VR platform. With an emphasis on virtual raves, replete with immersive visualizations and regular live performances, it’s become the de facto concert platform for VR users. Now Wave says it’s bringing more artists this summer via its One Wave concert series, which will include artists such as John Legend, Tinashe, Jauz, Galantis, and more.

The series begins on Thursday, April 30th at 3PM PT (local time here) with a live show from the Church of Galantis. Wave says more show dates will be announced and rolled out over the next several months.

The One Wave series promises to bring more of the platform’s wild visualizations and custom environments, giving VR users access to a concert-going experience that simply isn’t possible outside of VR—especially now that large in-person events aren’t an option.

Performances are said to also stream across other social media and gaming platforms, something the studio says will let fans “socialize and interact with the artists as they perform, cheer as part of a global avatar audience, voting on key show moments, play mini games, and socialize with each other.”

“We are now living in a digital avatar culture. Through our proprietary technology and core gaming capabilities, Wave can go beyond the traditional live streaming concerts and create artist avatars, virtual environments and interactive experiences that truly immerse audiences at the nexus of gaming and entertainment,” said Wave CEO Adam Arrigo in a press statement. “The shows we’ve done with Tinashe, Lindsey Stirilng and Galantis are good examples of how we’ve successfully leveraged these technologies and we are excited to welcome John Legend and others who are joining the platform to elevate how they are creating, distributing and monetizing performances for their fans.”

To top it off, Wave is giving proceeds from the One Wave series to non-profit organizations that are in need of support during the current global COVID-19 pandemic, the studio says.

“The Ad Council will also be providing important public service messaging around mental health awareness and resources as an extension of its COVID-19 response efforts,” the studio says.

Wave is a free app that supports SteamVR headsets via Steam and Oculus Rift via the Oculus Store.

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