The metaverse: we keep hearing that it’s the next evolution of the internet, even if many of us are still grappling with what the metaverse is in the first place.

The metaverse has the potential to, once again, revolutionize communication, media, and technology itself–and with all these changes, many are wondering what the role of music will be in this new virtual world.

Who better to know than Fred Beteille–the man in charge of audio initiative strategy at Meta. He recently shared some of his thoughts during a keynote at the NY:LON Connect conference recapped in an article on Music Ally’s website.

Some highlights from his keynote include:

  • VR is only the beginning: Smart glasses will create interfaces where users can experience stunning new worlds based either in reality (New York City for example), or an entirely new world.
  • 2D comes to 3D: Apps and avatars that users create in the “real world” will also exist in augmented reality.
  • NFT’s: NFT’s will increasingly become more common for artists to sell in the metaverse, and thus, for consumers to access. NFT’s can be taken anywhere inside the metaverse, which will simplify the complexities around NFT’s as they become more widespread across multiple platforms and apps.
  • The unknown: there are still plenty of unknowns about how exactly music will exist in the metaverse. “Anyone who says they know the specific answer is definitely lying,” Beteille said, but that the metaverse will certainly present “a whole new level of opportunity to expand businesses, to expand connection, to expand creativity, to expand collaboration and communities, and there are no boundaries”.
  • Live concerts: in the real world, consumers can often be limited to the “cheap seats,” but in the metaverse, not only can consumers have better access to nice seats, but also enhanced sensory experiences.
  • A lot for artists/content creators to grasp about this new world: “We’re merging this creative world and this technical world. I do think artists are a bit overwhelmed by what is going on right now,” said Beteille.

Beteille’s session was part of the ‘New Frontiers for Music – Gaming and the Metaverse’ track at NY:LON Connect, which was sponsored by AudioMob.