Since the early days of the music industry the idea of the concept album has represented the daring and experimental side of music. Indiana-based music duo I-Exist are hoping to raise funding to merge the concept album with virtual reality (VR).
I-Exist are hoping to raise enough money via Kickstarter in order to complete the release of the VR concept album after three years of writing and development. The band have been inspired by the works of bands such as Tool or Pink Floyd by imaging what it would be like to step inside their favourite album.
“We’re in a pretty unique position, having taught ourselves how to code and develop for VR. While there have been some pretty cool 360 videos and music experiences, most artists have only dipped their toe in to experiment and don’t have the resources to create a full production,” said member Brian Lenington. “Our albums have always had a cinematic quality and we love working with voice actors to enhance the story in combination with the lyrics.”
The band are hoping to raise $20,000 (USD) in order to be able to deliver the full VR album experience to all the major VR platforms. The album, titled Consciousness, is being created with the aim of going further that previous efforts involving VR and music.
Finding tiers range from $10 to join the mailing list and receive access to VR demos and exclusive new music as work on the album moves towards completion. Other tiers include the $25 which will give the donor access to the full VR experience on the platform of their choice, and access to the pre-release MP3 download.
Higher funding tiers such as the $1,000 tier get the contributor an invite to the launch party, an art book, a vinyl collector’s edition of the album, a t-shirt, signed CD and poster plus access to the VR experience and mp3 download. The two highest tiers at $5,000 and $10,000 lets the donor bag a day in the studio to contribute directly towards the making of the album and VR experience.
Further information can be found on the Kickstarter page. As always, VRFocus will keep you informed on new developments with VR kickstarter projects.
via Mint VR