Musician George Ezra is drawing fans closer to his work than ever before by embracing the metaverse for his latest album.
The hub and concert experience promises to surface the creative inspiration behind Ezra’s music by whisking wide-eyed concertgoers from a snow-capped mountain to a chalet-style virtual merchandise store, where items ranging from the sunglasses worn in the music video to a denim jacket gracing the album cover can be purchased.
Participants will be ferried between locations on a Gold Rush Plane, opening up a range of activities including the chance to take a selfie next to Ezra’s avatar, unearth hidden puzzle pieces and take part in quizzes.
Dorothy Hui, senior vice-president, digital and audience development for Sony Music UK’s 4th Floor Creative, said: “4th Floor Creative takes an insight-led approach to help our artists amplify their story. George’s music is well-loved by fans of all ages and brings people together for shared moments of joy. The vivid imagery and narrative themes from Gold Rush Kid, along with our fan insight, provided the inspiration to collaborate with Melon and Roblox on a fantastical musical metaverse experience.”
Columbia Records UK’s senior digital marketing manager Caitlin Fine added: “Columbia Records has focused on super-serving George’s younger fanbase as part of our broader Gold Rush Kid marketing campaign.”
The virtual experience kicks off this Friday, with Ezra performing a repeating 20-minute set list every hour – the first of which will be accompanied by a short live Q&A with the man himself.
The Drum has launched The Drum Awards for the Metaverse to recognize those leading in this new frontier. These will celebrate the very best creativity, innovation, people and performance for metaverse, web3 and NFT activations, with expert judges from Journey, Meta and R/GA. Entries are open now, with the first deadline closing on November 17.
