June 29, 2020 – Virtual live events platform Sansar has today announced a long-term partnership with VRJAM to establish Lost Horizon, a turnkey VR festival venue. Lost Horizon has been developed by way of a joint venture between VRJAM and the team behind Glastonbury Festival’s Shangri-La. The partnership showcases Sansar’s ability to provide custom venues that can be used over long periods of time, allowing for promoters to execute festivals and concerts as often as they like.
Lost Horizon, which kicks off July 3 and 4, will continue to host live events and festivals this year, giving other artists the opportunity to monetize their performances through ticketing, tipping, and the sale of virtual merchandise. For the inaugural virtual reality music experience show, VRJAM has utilized a team of 80+ people in 12 countries to deliver performances by over 70 music artists, according to the company. The effort will see multiple music artists engage in a VR event simultaneously, which Sansar states points to a new paradigm shift in virtual event adoption as the entertainment industry continues to move further into the real-time 3D virtual space.
To support the distribution of Lost Horizon, as well as future festivals, Sansar has released a new mobile app, created in collaboration with real-time engagement platform Agora. The app will allow fans to stream virtual live events in Sansar from anywhere in the world. Using Agora’s SDKs for video, voice and live interactive streaming, the first iteration of Sansar’s mobile app will prioritize live performances, allowing fans to move between different stages and vantages to get the best view of artists. The company also stated that future versions of its app will include deeper interactivity, from chat to avatar creation.
“If we’ve learned anything in recent months, it’s that every show must go beyond – beyond a one time performance, beyond a 2D livestream, beyond the constraints of reality to ensure fans feel immersed and connected with the artists they love,” said Sheri Bryant, President of Sansar. “Through this groundbreaking partnership with Lost Horizon, we’re paving the path for all promoters to harness the power of a long-term virtual presence. We believe all future festivals will offer a virtual component, even after the world begins to reopen, because it’s clearly mission critical for the music industry.”
“It’s hard to explain just how incredible the Lost Horizon process has been so far: dozens of us coordinating performances and content creation across multiple countries, we’re truly excited at having assembled the biggest line up for a VR event in history with the help of our partners Shangri-La,” commented Sam Speaight, CEO of VRJAM. “VRJAM’s mission is to empower music artists to perform in real-time to fans all around the world and Lost Horizon has just moved this up to the next level. It’s a testament to how far virtual reality technology has come, and how essential it is in times like these to ensure people can remain connected. We’re excited to turn this page with Sansar, and we can’t wait for future Lost Horizon shows.”
Tickets for Lost Horizon are now on sale on Sansar’s website and the company’s mobile app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Full line-up information for the VR festival can be found here.
Image credit: Sansar
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Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.