Image: Lozano & Sondermann

A German artist duo want to make a large-scale recording on a small budget and show what an immersive concert can really do.

Jérôme Lozano and Björn Sondermann come from different professional backgrounds. One works in video post production and the other is a musician. What they have in common is a passion for music and new technologies like virtual reality. Together they run a multi-part VR concert series.

Advances in technology bring better VR concerts

In an interview with the Rheinische Post, Sondermann said:

Jérôme Lozano and Björn Sondermann will produce their own VR concert at the Ratinger Hof. | | Image: Lozano & Sondermann

However, recent technological advances guarantee better VR cameras. VR headsets are also evolving. Affordable mobile devices Meta Quest 2 (review) and Pico 4 (review) are making VR more accessible and expanding the target audience for immersive concerts.

Sondermann met Lozano during the pandemic and the two creators launched the On Stage project. Lozano and Sondermann are a small team of lighting technicians, cameramen, and set designers creating short, immersive VR concerts featuring local bands.

The team uses Canon’s R5c VR-180 degree 3D. “The quality is breathtaking and has never been seen before in a concept,” he says Sondermann.

So far, Sondermann and Lozano’s team have put on VR concerts without breaking the bank. Nonetheless, the two filmmakers are confident about the project, especially motivated by the costly Metaverse concert with Meta’s Foo Fighters.

The VR show released after last year’s Super Bowl is considered a failure and a bad example of a VR concert. Sonderman, a Foo Fighters fan, agrees.

“It was terrible, a typical Hollywood concept. “Personally, I think we came up with something more creative and better on a very small budget.”

VR concert at The Ratinger Hof

Two VR filmmakers have chosen a special location for their shoot. Düsseldorf’s Retinger Hof is considered the birthplace of German punk band Die Totenhosen, and enjoys a cult status among its fans. In the first part of the On Stage series, rock band Plainride will be honored and perform the song “Ritual”.

The VR concert will be published on the YouTube channel of VR filmmaker Hugh Hou (see video above), who is considered one of the broadest content creators in the virtual reality space.

On Stage’s VR concerts can be experienced for free via YouTube VR using VR headsets such as Meta Quest 2, Pico 4 and Sony’s Playstation VR 2 (review). A total of 4 clips are expected to be released each week so far.

In addition to plain ridelooking forward to the next artist.

Source: VR Music – Jérôme Lozano und Björn Sondermann, Rheinische Post, Pressemitteilung

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