The last couple of months have been particularly rough for the music and events industry. Business Insider’s article on the consequences of the spread of the virus details that many events and festivals from all over the world have been canceled due to the global pandemic.
These cancellations have led to months of drought when it comes to music and entertainment. However, artists and musicians have come up with ways to connect and do shows for their fans despite not being able to go outside.
Billboard’s updated list of online shows highlights how the digital space has helped bring music to the people. Many of these online shows happen via video streaming platforms that let fans enjoy music from the safety of their homes. However, there has been another form of digital media that has given artists and fans another platform to experience music: Minecraft concerts.
While it may sound a little odd, Minecraft concerts are becoming more and more common. One great example of this is Lavapalooza.
Lavapalooza happened back in August and featured a slew of different artists from varying genres. If you want to learn more about this, read on for a quick run-through of what went down at Lavapalooza 2020!
Lavapalooza 2020
Lavapalooza was organized by Open Pit. The Verge reports that Open Pit previously hosted other Minecraft concerts such as Coalchella, Firefest, Square Garden, and Mine Gala. Their goal for hosting these events is to create more accessible music events, all while pushing the boundaries of creativity and what it means to be artists in the digital age.
But how did we even get here in the first place? How has Minecraft, a game made for children, become one of the hottest venues for music festivals in the post-pandemic world. Well, technology has played a big role when it comes to this. And by technology we don’t only mean the development of the game itself. Concerts and festivals like the ones that Open Pit has organized are only possible thanks to technological innovation.
Whether it be through the use of the Yeti Nano microphone that lets you record anywhere thanks to its unique combination of accessibility and sound quality or through digital audio workstations such as Ableton Live and Audacity that let you have an entire arsenal of instruments at your disposal, virtual concerts truly are reflective of the times. Technology has also made it possible to view these concerts without being in the game itself through a multitude of online streaming platforms. You don’t even have to be in the server itself to join the party, as the event was also live-streamed for people who didn’t have the game. It’s safe to say that Lavapalooza met, if not exceeded, these goals. Thousands of people from all over the world came out to see acts such as 100 Gecs, San Holo, TNGHT, Flatbush Zombies, Ryan Hemsworth, and Baauer perform on the digital stage.
100 Gecs, in particular, delivered a crowd-rousing set that was capped off by their eclectic remix of “Old Mcdonald” and a previously unreleased track called “always miss u”. Another highlight from the festival was TNGHT’s rambunctious set. This really showed the diversity of the event as TNGHT’s trap-filled set was composed of banger after banger of their best songs along with some previously unreleased material.
Rise of Minecraft Music Festivals and Concerts
Given the success of these types of events, the question on all our minds is: what’s next? It’s not really surprising that other events similar to this have sprung up all over the world. A great example of this would be 777 Music’s Minecraft concert which they organized with the help of Club Matryoshka, a club on a Minecraft server that organizes electronic music shows, which featured DJ sets from Boy Pablo, Fiddy, and Mellow Fellow.
This is only one way that artists have overcome the challenges of social distancing. Given the pace of innovation and technological development, it wouldn’t be surprising if digital concerts become more and more part of the mainstream in the years to come.
If you want to read about other ways artists are bringing music to their fans, check out our piece on Martin Jensen’s online shows!
Article prepared by Kim Lofgren
Exclusively for glassefactory.com
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