Will Microsoft’s AR hologram technology change live music forever?

Last week, Microsoft unveiled a very nifty video of its latest technology. (Well, the technology was extremely nifty; the video had terrible production values with strange humans that made it seem like it had been made as part of a primary school project.)

The tech is called Holoportation. Using a complicated set-up of 3D cameras and projectors, and Microsoft’s Hololens kit, it allows users to plug into the system in separate places and then interact with each other as if they were in the same room. “Communicating and interacting with remote users becomes as natural as face-to-face communication,” says Microsoft. Watching the video, it’s hard to disagree.

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are evolving at a frenetic speed. Google Glass, never the most popular piece of kit, already seems clunky in comparison to the likes of Microsoft’s latest offering. And that Tupac hologram might be thinking about hiring a new production team.

Live music evolution
Microsoft's product of course requires a huge amount of equipment, and is not commercially available yet, but the company is now shipping its Hololens Development Edition to get the holographic show on the road. You can also expect to see Samsung's Gear VR headset everywhere, now that it's available for €99.

These technologies have huge implications for live music, as anyone who has had a go of Samsung’s headset or any of its rivals will quickly realise. Wearing one could, for example, put you in the best seat or spot at a concert or festival without leaving your home.

Add in multiple cameras, and audiences have a huge range of choice; stick a camera at the side of the stage at Electric Picnic or Glastonbury, and suddenly everyone can get a taste of what it’s like to have one of those AAA passes .

Of course, the cameras can’t fully replicate the full live-music experience, and demand for high-end live tickets seems insatiable: this year, Electric Picnic sold out in record time. Ratings for broadcasts of concerts and live recordings also remain surprisingly low.

Last year, BBC Two's Glastonbury 2015 coverage peaked in the UK with 1.17 million viewers or 6.5 per cent of the Friday-evening viewership. That evening, the highest rated programme was The Graham Norton Show with 3.41m (25.4%) watching; The One Show got 3.24 million (20.1%); and Celebrity Masterchef hit 3.29 million (17.5%).

Looking at those figures, music remains a niche product when it comes to television. Look at the almost total absence of music on Irish television, with a few notable exceptions, such as Other Voices and Ceol ar an Imeall. The format is obviously a risky one for producers and for the moment they are largely steering clear.

The AR technologies, though, are a world away from this type of coverage and place the viewer at home much closer to the action, in a set-up that has the feel of a much more personal and individual experience. Expect to see those 360-degree cameras to start popping up at festivals and concerts, as promoters and technology partners start testing the boundaries of what it can do among those lucrative youth markets.