Metaverse Concert, Cheers for 3D 'Detail'

SKT Music Festival Day 1
Ifland Cumulative Audience 8,400
3D Hologram Concert Viewing
Avatar Audience Participates in Fan Meeting
Expectations for New Performance Market

On the 27th, singer Jeokjae met the audience through a hologram concert at the 'Metaverse Music Festival' held on SK Telecom's metaverse platform 'Ifland'. Photo by Ifland capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] Jeokjae, the singer of "Let's Go See the Stars," took the stage at a concert set up on the metaverse (extended virtual world) platform "ifland" with a guitar slung over his shoulder. Jeokjae, who appeared huge enough to fill the smartphone screen, changed several outfits during the performance and met avatar audiences. The avatar audiences could freely move their avatars while watching the performance and enjoy a 360-degree view of Jeokjae.

Concert Held in the Metaverse

According to SK Telecom on the 28th, 8,400 cumulative viewers entered ifland on the first day of the metaverse music festival on the 27th. Although the maximum capacity of one room in ifland is about 130 people, multiple rooms were prepared to accommodate many people simultaneously. In the volumetric concert hall, viewers watched 3D hologram performances of singers, and in the talk lounge set up in another room, mini fan meetings were held, allowing free communication.

SK Telecom utilized volumetric technology, which simultaneously captures a person's 360-degree surroundings with over 100 cameras to create realistic three-dimensional videos, during the preparation of this performance. The filming took place at Jump Studio, a mixed reality (MR) production studio created by SK Telecom in collaboration with Microsoft (MS). Jump Studio implements dynamic movements of people as hologram videos using volumetric video capture technology.

On the 27th, singer Yoon Ji-young met the audience through a hologram concert at the 'Metaverse Music Festival' held on SK Telecom's metaverse platform 'ifland'. Photo by ifland capture

The key to volumetric technology is "fineness." While the human face plays a significant role in identity recognition, its actual size is less than one-sixth of the body proportion, making detailed expression difficult. Singer Jeokjae also said, "It was amazing that details of the guitar and other fine elements were all realized through volumetric technology," adding, "It felt like being inside a game." Singer Yoon Ji-young also said, "It was a very fun experience," and "I hope to meet again as a cyber singer in virtual reality (VR) next time."

3D Mixed Reality Opens a New Market for Performances

The market is increasingly optimistic about 3D hologram concerts introduced as a new attempt. In 2020, SK Telecom partnered with SM Entertainment to showcase a 3D MR performance at the Super Junior online concert. At the time, Super Junior member Choi Si-won appeared as a giant MR image like the genie in "Aladdin," entertaining the audience with a 30-second conversation.

Such attempts are happening both domestically and internationally. On the metaverse game platform "Fortnite," American hip-hop artist Travis Scott held a live performance. About 12.3 million people simultaneously connected to enjoy the concert.

BTS also released the music video for "Dynamite" on Fortnite and earned about 50 billion KRW in sales from online concerts alone. Blackpink's virtual fan signing event held on "Zepeto," a metaverse platform created by Naver Z, attracted 46 million participants.