Joining the likes of Lil Nas X, Twenty One Pilots, and Charli XCX, George Ezra is the latest musician to bring a virtual concert experience to the metaverse. Titled George Ezra’s Gold Rush Kid Experience, the concert begins in sandbox game Roblox at 9am PDT / 12pm EDT/ 5pm BST / 6pm CEST and will be followed by a livestreamed Q&A with the English musician. The performance will then run hourly throughout the weekend.
Ezra rose in popularity with the success of his song “Budapest” in 2014, which peaked at 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. His team launched the Roblox experience to promote his newest album, Gold Rush Kid, which debuted in June. The event lets players fly through hoops in a plane, complete a jigsaw puzzle for an exclusive reward, prove their enthusiasm with a quiz, capture moments in a photobooth, and purchase merchandise with Robux in the “The Gold Rush” shop. The virtual storefront features items such as a white fedora for 500 Robux, and a cartwheel avatar emote for 450 Robux.
Metaverse concerts are becoming increasingly popular. When MTV recently announced its 2022 VMA nominees, it included a “Best Metaverse Performance” award, signifying the growing place for such experiences in the cultural zeitgeist. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the pace at which musicians sought to tap into the metaverse, partially due to lost revenue from concert tours due to closures and restrictions. Metaverse concerts now attract some of the most prominent musicians in the world, including Ariana Grande, who hosted a show in Fortnite, and Justin Bieber, who held a 30-minute concert in the music streaming app Wave.
A metaverse experience allows the artist to engage with many more fans at once than a live concert and provides an opportunity for revenue in terms of exclusive in-experience items. It also allows the artist and team to exercise creativity to build surreal environments and interactive activities without the limitations of live performances.
An advisory on the Gold Rush Kid Experience’s landing page in Roblox warns that the event “contains flashing lights, photosensitivity, and other visuals that may induce epilepsy.” Robloxians impacted by such issues should exercise discretion in choosing whether to experience the event.
Music-loving Robloxians who can’t get enough new tunes can check out our list of the best Roblox music ID codes for July. And, after fully exploring George Ezra’s metaverse experience, be sure to check out the best Roblox games in 2022 for more fun ways to play.
