Virtual Reality Waits for the Music Industry to Catch Up
[Philip Lelyveld comment: this is a nice aggregation of recent music VR efforts, including subscription v free discussion.]
Distribution has been slow because the music industry is waiting for the virtual reality ecosystem to catch up, according to Ben Lang, a co-founder and executive editor of Road to VR, an publication that covers the virtual reality industry. “A lot of these deals are strategic announcements to ward off other companies and show market leadership,” he said.
One setback has been logistical: It is still a challenge to get virtual reality viewers into consumers’ hands.
Although its competitors, like NextVR, give away content, Vrtify is experimenting with subscription and pay-per-view models. Facundo Diaz, its co-founder and chief executive, said 70 percent of the revenue went to the owner of the content, and the company received 30 percent, an arrangement similar to the music-streaming business, which has become a significant part of the music industry.
“This kind of revenue-sharing model gives us access to music labels and artists,” Mr. Diaz said. “It has opened a lot of doors for us.”
See the full story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/26/arts/music/virtual-reality-waits-for-the-music-industry-to-catch-up.html?_r=0