Music in the metaverse (a real use case)
Sometimes it takes a while for certain tools/platforms/products to find their ideal use case, or reach their 'perfect form.' For example:
YouTube was initially designed as a video dating website.
Slack was a video game, before the team realized the messaging app they'd built to communicate with each other was the real winner.
And Flamin' Hot Cheetos (the best kind of Cheetos) were created when a janitor added his own spice mix to some unflavored corn puffs.
It feels like the many use cases of the metaverse, are in a similar state of 'to be determined.'
A recent job posting for a 'senior director for metaverse development,' indicates that Warner Music Group (WMG) are continuing to expand their Web3 strategy.
But here's a hot take for you:
What WMG have built so far (virtual experiences, featuring big name acts), won't have much impact - because it isn't accessible for most artists.
The real benefit for the broader community of musicians won't come from promotion within the metaverse, but the opportunity to collaborate.
Right now, musical collaboration often works in 'shifts' more than it does in tandem. An artist will send an idea to a collaborator, who will take it, work on it alone, and send it back. The process repeats until they have a final product.
The process can be sped up, but it comes at a cost...
To do so, artists have to travel to meet in person, hire a studio (if they don't have one of their own), and work quickly due to the added time pressure & cost.
Having a virtual space, where two or more artists can collaborate in real time, for free, makes the whole process way more accessible for way more people.
So yeah, the music focused metaverse theme park (featuring artists like Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Dua Lipa and Cardi B) that WMG announced back in January is cool and all...
But it's just scratching the surface of what can be achieved!
