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http://www.wsj.com/articles/virtual-pop-stars-set-to-take-the-stage-1458246919
BUSINESS | MEDIA & MARKETING
Virtual Pop Stars Set to Take the Stage
‘Idol’ creator is developing digital incarnation of Elvis Presley and fictional artists
A performance by a holographic image of the late Michael Jackson, powered by Pulse Evolution Corp., performed at the
2014 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. PHOTO: KEVIN WINTER/BILLBOARD AWARDS 2014/GETTY IMAGES FOR DCP
By HANNAH KARP
Updated March 17, 2016 5:14 p.m. ET
Simon Fuller, the talent manager behind TV’s “American Idol,” is busy manufacturing
his next pop star—literally.
Mr. Fuller is now developing virtual music stars after a deal that made him one of the
largest shareholders of digital production firm Pulse Evolution Corp. Previously, the
company made waves with its holographic or lifelike images of dead singers such as
Tupac Shakur and Michael Jackson.
Mr. Fuller is developing an entirely fictional character for young fans; another persona
is based on a little-known artist who he believes might have a better shot at success as a
digital entity. He declined to reveal the name of either make-believe singer, but he was
willing to share the identity of one performer in the works: a virtual incarnation of Elvis
Presley.
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These acts, which he plans to
introduce publicly within the next 18 months, will be able to interact with fans in many
languages, appear in multiple locations at the same time and perform full-length
musical sets. He believes that such fictional artists could amass bigger followings and
generate more revenue than real ones—if superheroes, Disney princesses and Star Wars
characters are any guide.
“Interestingly music hasn’t really experimented in this area at all,” said Mr. Fuller, who
would be the sole copyright owner and retain all of a completely fictional artist’s
revenue. For characters based on real artists, he would likely take half of the revenue, he
said, though it could vary for each case.
Pulse Evolution’s chairman, John Textor, said the company now has the technology to
put these digital pop stars on stage in extremely lifelike form—down to details like the
fluid in the meniscus of their eyes.
By contrast, the hologram of Michael Jackson that Pulse produced for the Billboard
Music Awards two years ago worked only “because the camera’s perspectives were
pretty pulled back,” Mr. Textor said.
In Japan, for instance, Hatsune Miku is a popular virtual star that typically appears on
stage as an anime character, and is visible to the audience without the aid of viewing
devices.
Pulse says it can program these new virtual artists with artificial intelligence to respond
to a wide range of possible questions and situations. The company, based in Port St.
Lucie, Fla., acquired the rights to create a virtual Elvis Presley in 2014, and is working
with Mr. Fuller to have the virtual King of Rock 'n' Roll performing full-length concerts
within the next 18 months.
But the equipment required for fans to watch such virtual concerts at home are just
rolling out, and come at lofty prices. Further, there are no devices on the mass market
that beam holographic images into fans’ living rooms.
Facebook Inc.’s Oculus VR this month is shipping the first of its $599 virtual-reality
headsets, while HTC Corp. is selling similar headsets for $799. Both of these need to be
connected with a high-end personal computer to work, and create immersive
experiences. Alphabet Inc. sells $20 cardboard virtual-reality viewers that plug onto a
smartphone.
Companies such as Magic Leap Inc. have demonstrated devices—from lightweight
glasses to TVs—that produce the image of digital pop stars over a user’s actual
surroundings, but none of these so-called augmented-reality products are commercially
available.
Even without these home-viewing options, though, virtual alter egos could help
musicians expand their global fan bases by performing and giving foreign-language
interviews in far-flung markets that the artist wouldn’t otherwise have time to visit, Mr.
Fuller said. Artists have had to step up the pace of their touring and other live
appearances to make up for the continuing decline in record sales, promoters and artist
managers say.
Some musicians have already created fictional alter egos: French electronic duo Daft
Punk performs only in face-obscuring robot helmets, Deadmau5 usually appears on
stage in a giant mouse head, and Blur frontman Damon Albarn records music for the
Gorillaz—a band of fictional, animated characters drawn by comic book artist Jamie
Hewlett. But these artists are generally present for their own concerts and haven’t had
their characters perform on multiple stages at the same time.
Mr. Fuller, a former record-label executive, launched his own management firm—XIX
Entertainment—in 1985, pausing several years later to start new projects, one of which
was the British TV show Pop Idol, the precursor to American Idol. Around the same time
he also began his quest to create a virtual pop star, but “the technology just wasn’t
there,” he said.
One of Mr. Fuller’s virtual stars in development is modeled after a real aspiring artist
who Mr. Fuller believes “is perfect in every way,” from her songwriting skills to her
dance moves, but who might struggle to stand out from the pack.
“As I was thinking about how to launch her,” Mr. Fuller said he thought: “What if I made
her virtual? Then you have the point of difference.”
Write to Hannah Karp at [email protected]
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