With the recent release of the Orion prototype by Meta, I feel its time to bring back out an old project... This time with some upgrades. What would the market look like for creatives and influencers with the opportunity to build immersive worlds for their fanbases?
Image from The Shop podcast
Upstage – A Mixed Reality Marketplace for Immersive Experiences
Project Overview
Upstage is a cutting-edge mixed reality platform that combines virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to provide users with immersive entertainment experiences. Through partnerships with major event organizers like Live Nation, sports events like the UFC, and other entertainment venues, Upstage allows users to engage with their favorite performances and sporting events in unprecedented ways.
The platform is designed for users of Meta’s Orion glasses and Meta Ray-Ban glasses, offering AR experiences that can be recorded and relived later, similar to a personal memorabilia collection. For artists and performers, Upstage provides a marketplace to offer fans these exclusive AR and VR experiences, extending beyond traditional concert merchandise.
Goals and Objectives
For Consumers:
Enable users to enjoy interactive AR and VR experiences, both at home and during live events.
Allow users to record and relive AR experiences, making these moments a permanent part of their digital collection.
For Artists and Event Organizers:
Create a new marketplace where performers can sell unique, immersive experiences to their fanbase, providing a new revenue stream.
Offer fans a digital form of concert merchandise through purchasable AR experiences.
For Partners (Live Nation, UFC, Venues):
Leverage Upstage to offer enhanced event experiences, engaging fans both physically at venues and virtually at home.
User Journey
1. Discovery Phase
Touchpoint: Users first discover Upstage through Meta’s product ecosystem (Orion glasses, Meta Ray-Ban glasses), event promotions, or through the official Upstage app/website.
Interaction: Upon learning about an upcoming event (e.g., a UFC fight or concert by a major artist), users are introduced to the AR-enhanced experiences they can engage with, whether they attend in person or participate virtually from home.
Example: A fan is excited about a Live Nation concert happening in their city. They open the Upstage app and see the option to experience exclusive AR content from the concert.
2. Engagement and Experience
In-Venue Experience: Users attending the event in person (e.g., a concert or UFC fight) use their Meta Ray-Ban or Orion glasses to activate AR features. This could include live visual effects, backstage access, or immersive overlays that augment the experience in real-time.
Example: During a live UFC fight, the user sees fighter stats and AR graphics overlaid on the action in real time, enhancing the visual experience beyond what’s available to other fans.
At-Home Experience: Users who can’t attend the event in person can still enjoy the immersive VR or AR experience via their glasses, simulating the live atmosphere in their living rooms.
Example: At home, a user can put on their Orion glasses and experience the concert’s lighting effects, virtual crowd interactions, or even a 360-degree view of the stage, bringing the venue to their home.
3. Recording and Collecting AR Moments
Recording Feature: During live events, users have the ability to record AR moments through their glasses. Whether it’s a favorite song at a concert or a spectacular KO in a UFC fight, these moments are captured as part of the AR experience.
Example: A concertgoer records their favorite song, with AR special effects like fireworks and holographic visuals enhancing the performance. Later, they can replay this AR experience at home and relive the moment.
Digital Memorabilia: These AR recordings serve as digital memorabilia that users can revisit whenever they want, creating a personalized digital scrapbook of live events.
Example: After attending the concert, the user revisits their recordings at home, allowing them to relive their favorite moments, complete with augmented visuals and sound enhancements.
4. Marketplace and Merchandising
Artist-Driven Marketplace: Artists and event organizers offer exclusive AR experiences as purchasable content through the Upstage marketplace. Fans can buy these digital experiences much like they would buy physical merchandise at a concert.
Example: A popular artist offers a unique AR hologram performance of a previously unreleased song, available only to fans who attended a specific concert or purchased the package through Upstage.
Revenue Stream for Artists: This marketplace opens up new revenue opportunities for artists and performers by turning AR experiences into limited edition, exclusive content.
Example: A UFC fighter offers fans the chance to purchase an AR replay of a historic fight with special commentary, only available on the Upstage platform.
5. Post-Event Experience and Social Sharing
Reliving and Sharing: After the event, users can replay their recorded AR experiences, share them on social media, or invite friends to join them in a VR session to relive the event together.
Example: A user shares their AR concert recording on social media, showcasing the incredible visuals they experienced at the show, driving more interest in the platform and the artist’s future events.
Community Building: Upstage offers a social component where fans can connect with others who attended the same event, fostering a community around shared AR experiences.
Example: Fans of a UFC fight can join a virtual after-party where they discuss key moments of the fight, interact with AR-generated fighter avatars, and relive their favorite highlights together.
Opportunities for Artists, Venues, and Partners
New Revenue Streams for Artists:
By offering AR-enhanced experiences as digital merchandise, artists can tap into a new form of exclusive content that adds value beyond traditional concert souvenirs (e.g., t-shirts, posters).
AR content can be tailored to different tiers of access, allowing fans to buy everything from general AR recordings to limited-edition interactive experiences.
Enhancing Venue Experiences:
Venues like those operated by Live Nation can offer premium AR content, such as VIP backstage experiences, available only to fans using Upstage. This can drive higher ticket sales and create buzz around events.
Exclusive AR features during events, such as immersive light shows or interactive crowd elements, can enhance the overall atmosphere, giving fans a reason to choose Upstage-enabled events.
Sports Entertainment Partnerships:
Events like UFC fights or other sports entertainment matches can integrate real-time AR overlays, such as fighter stats, instant replays, and interactive commentary, to engage fans in a more dynamic way.
By recording these moments, fans can relive them with additional commentary or exclusive behind-the-scenes content, driving more engagement and revenue through digital experiences.
Conclusion
For Consumers: Upstage redefines the way users experience live events, offering both at-home and in-venue fans a chance to immerse themselves in AR and VR content that can be recorded and cherished as personal digital memorabilia.
For Artists and Event Organizers: The platform creates a new marketplace where artists can monetize exclusive AR experiences, providing fans with a unique way to engage with their favorite performers and events while unlocking new revenue opportunities.
For Partners and Venues: By adopting Upstage, venues and event organizers can deliver enhanced experiences that drive more ticket sales, increase fan engagement, and create lasting connections between fans and performers.
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