Virtual reality is currently being used for training, healthcare, education, marketing, and even in the music industry. VR music is transforming how musicians play, connect, and create, as well as how fans interact with their music. Several 360-degree cameras set at appropriate viewpoints are often being used to film VR live music concerts. This article will go through some of the best VR music videos that will provide you with an engaging experience.
Top 10 Best VR Music Videos:
To watch these videos in the YouTube app, you simply need to turn your mobile device in any direction or use your finger to move around, and on Chrome, use the on-screen arrow keys or “click and drag” inside the frame. Let’s begin with the first VR music video.
1. OneRepublic – Kids (360 version)
- Release Date: September 28, 2016 (USA)
- YouTube Views: 3.2M
- Runtime: 4 min 43 sec
This is one of the best VR music videos. It is quite impressive that the video was shot in 2016, when virtual reality was not an easy thing to accomplish. This style of storytelling is even anticipated in the future when VR will get more popular. The production was developed utilizing the Nokia OZO camera, a virtual reality technology owned by the company Here Be Dragons.
The movie is set in a Mexican street and chronicles the story of two young individuals who reside in neighboring buildings; the viewer’s point revolves around the leads’ apartment and the street that separates them, where an American band is performing.
2. Noa Neal: ‘Graffiti’
- Release Date: March 22, 2015
- YouTube Views: 1.6M
- Runtime: 3 min 5 sec
In partnership with Intel, GoPro, and KolorCompany, popstar Noa Neal was the first artist in the world to release a 360° 4K music video. The result is a spectacular dynamic music video developed to demonstrate what technology, a high-end computer, 4K cameras, and some fun can accomplish.
3. La La Land Medley in VR
- Release Date: December 9, 2016
- YouTube Views: 2.2M
- Runtime: 5 min 19 sec
Listen as a young valet and waitress dance and sing around some of Los Angeles’ most beautiful areas, streets, and parks while they “climb these hills, reaching for the heights” before they arrive “on a view that’s tailor-made for two” at a magnificent bridge that overlooks the sea at sunset. The artists of this music video are YouTube stars Sam Tsui and Megan Nicole. Jillian Meyers and Michael Riccio choreographed the dance segments.
4. Gorillaz – Saturnz Barz (Spirit House)
- Release Date: March 23, 2017
- YouTube Views: 26M
- Runtime: 5 min 57 sec
The song “Saturnz Barz” by British virtual band Gorillaz features Jamaican dancehall performer Popcaan. It became number one on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 list and number five on the Hot Rock Tracks chart. The song was voted number 38 on Rolling Stone’s list of the fifty best songs in 2017.
There are two versions of the music video; one uses YouTube’s 360-degree video technology, while the other does not. The production of the music video cost $800,000, according to the lyricist Damon Albarn.
5. Naive New Beaters – Heal Tomorrow
- Release Date: February 4, 2016
- YouTube Views: 5.8M
- Runtime: 3 min 48 sec
Romain Chassaing and Naive New Beaters collaborated to create an amusing clip in the form of this 360° music video. You can watch it on your smartphone via YouTube or with a VR headset such as the Oculus Rift or the Samsung Gear VR.
The video depicts guitarist Martin Luther B.B. King, synthesizer player Eurobelix, and vocalist David Boring playing on a broadcast platform alongside French singer Izia, who completely outperforms them. For real, David Boring exits to a nearby film shoot, while Izia takes the center stage.
6. ‘Circle of Life’ in 360º
- Release Date: November 18, 2015
- YouTube Views: 5.1M
- Runtime: 5 min 01 sec
Unlike other virtual reality recordings of sceneries, athletic events, or concerts, The Lion King lets spectators witness the “Circle of Life” from the performers’ point of view and watch the action that would normally be hidden from an audience. Viewers may pick where to gaze at each moment, thanks to the virtual reality technology, which encourages multiple storylines of the film to take in every potential viewpoint.
The 360° camera sweep enables users to feel everything together – the entire cast of 31 members onstage, Julie Taymor’s astonishing puppets and masks, the audience sitting in the Minskoff Theatre auditorium, and the Pride Rock rising to present Mufasa, Rafiki, and baby Simba.
7. Welcome [360 Version] – Fort Minor
- Release Date: June 22, 2015
- YouTube Views: 9.1M
- Runtime: 4 min 30 sec
“Welcome” is a track by the American hip-hop outfit Fort Minor, which is the side project of Linkin Park frontman Mike Shinoda. On June 21, 2015, Mike Shinoda uploaded the song on the official Fort Minor website.
Shinoda indicated that the music was not part of a future album and was merely designed as a song to be heard “right now”. The 360-degree video directed by Jeff Nicholas was released on 22 June 2015. Despite being a hip-hop song, “Welcome” debuted on Hot Rock Tracks at number 16 with 17,000 sales.
8. Shawn Mendes 360° Performance of ‘Mercy’
- Release Date: August 18, 2016
- YouTube Views: 502K
- Runtime: 3 min 53 sec
It is a well-executed VR music video. There are way too many videos that place you in the center with people all around you. This one offers a lot of amazing/unusual views that make you feel like you are there.
Shawn was preparing for his World Tour when he released an acoustic version of his single hit “Mercy” from his second studio album ‘Illuminate’.
9. School Of Rock The Musical – “You’re in the Band”
- Release Date: October 14, 2015
- YouTube Views: 2.5M
- Runtime: 5 min 09 sec
The VR music video “You’re in the Band” provides 360 degrees of pure rock & roll. You can watch it on Chrome or the YouTube App on iOS or Android (versions 8 and above). The video is based on the well-known Hollywood film written by Mike White and starring Jack Black.
The plot revolves around Dewey Finn, an unsuccessful wannabe rockstar who chooses to supplement his income by acting as a substitute teacher at a prominent junior school. Dewey, bored with academics, chooses to design his curriculum, transforming his class into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, impressive pop group.
10. Avicii – Waiting For Love
- Release Date: May 28, 2015
- YouTube Views: 22M
- Runtime: 3 min 52 sec
“Waiting for Love” is a song written by the Swedish DJ Avicii and produced by Avicii and Dutch producer Martin Garrix. Simon Aldred, the former main singer of the UK band Cherry Ghost, contributes to the uncredited vocals. Kurt Hugo Schneider directed the 360° video, which included various dancers, and it was released on May 28, 2015. This music video’s 360° feature is only available in Google Chrome (for Android, desktop, and iOS).
Final Thoughts:
These were some of the best VR Music videos that you can watch very conveniently on your desktop or mobile phone. It merely takes a few minutes to download and install a VR app like YouTube VR. With a single click, you can watch 360-degree videos in VR. Plug in your Oculus headset and groove to some of these amazing videos.
