Meta has partnered with iHeartMedia to stream an immersive virtual reality concert featuring Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres tour through its Meta Horizon platform.
The free event called Coldplay Music of the Spheres World Tour: An Immersive Experience will launch on Meta Horizon on December 30 at 11AM Pacific time.
Meta says the VR concert, through iHeartMedia, used stereoscopic 180-degree VR footage taken during Coldplay‘s performances at Wembley Stadium in London. Users can access the experience through the Meta Horizon mobile app on iOS and Android devices, as well as through Meta Quest VR headsets.
The production used 15 cameras to capture the footage, said Meta. The technical setup included four tower cameras, dual rails, two Steadicams, 12 REDs, a Spydercam system, and three Blackmagic URSA cameras. Meta said the Blackmagic cameras provided extra resolution and sharper lenses.
The setlist of the concert features some of the band’s hits including Yellow, Fix You, Viva La Vida, A Sky Full of Stars, and feelslikeimfallinginlove.
Coldplay said: “Wembley Stadium is just a few miles from where we played our first gigs, so we’re very grateful to Meta and iHeart for bringing this special hometown concert to people all around the world — as if they were right there in the stadium, but in the comfort of their own homes.”
“Wembley Stadium is just a few miles from where we played our first gigs, so we’re very grateful to Meta and iHeart for bringing this special hometown concert to people all around the world.”
Coldplay
The Facebook and Instagram owner said: “We secured unprecedented prime locations — closer to the band than ever before and at the highest vantage points we’ve reached yet.”
Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour was named the highest-attended tour of all time by Guinness World Records. The tour had more shows than Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, and grossed USD $1,144,590,969, with an average per-show take of $6.54 million.
Meta is also offering exclusive free Coldplay avatar merch, letting fans create a signature look for their avatar as they watch the VR concert. The merch is available on Meta’s concert page for iOS and Android devices or in the Avatar editor in VR.
The iHeartMedia partnership comes alongside two other Coldplay-related releases on Meta’s gaming platforms. On December 18, rhythm game Beat Saber will add a Coldplay Music Pack featuring 12 songs. The pack costs $14.99, or users can purchase individual tracks for $1.99 each.
For a limited period, new Beat Saber players can buy the base game bundled with the Coldplay Music Pack for $34.99.
“We secured unprecedented prime locations — closer to the band than ever before and at the highest vantage points we’ve reached yet.”
Meta
Separately, Supernatural, Meta’s fitness app available in the US and Canada, will add three new Coldplay workouts starting December 29. The workouts include two multi-intensity Boxing and Flow sessions led by coaches Leanne Pedante and Dwana Olsen, plus a bonus Energy Stretch routine. The workouts combine older tracks like Fix You and Viva La Vida with recent releases including WE PRAY and feelslikeimfallinginlove.
This marks Coldplay’s second collaboration with Supernatural, following their initial appearance on the platform in 2022.
A Supernatural subscription costs $9.99 monthly, with a free trial available for new users. Supernatural partnered with Merlin, the global rights agency for the independent label sector, to allow Meta Quest VR headset users to work out to tracks by thousands of indie artists.
The Coldplay and iHeartMedia partnership marks Meta’s latest effort to expand its music offerings in the VR space. Last year, Meta partnered with Realize Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group to bring Realize’s Sing app to Meta Quest VR headsets.
Back in July, Spotify launched its official VR app on Meta, allowing Meta Quest VR headset users to watch video podcasts or play music and podcasts from Spotify in the background.
These strategies come as Meta now competes with more entrants in the VR headset space. In 2022, TikTok parent ByteDance launched its own VR headset called Pico.
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