Industry Vets Unveil Unit1 Studio, the World’s First Avatar Concert Producer

Unit1 Studio has launched, promising to be the first independent, end-to-end producer of avatar concerts.

How it works:

• Utilizing new developments in VFX and AI-enhanced CGI, Unit1 creates avatars of human artists with what it calls “an unprecedented level of realism.”

• The company says it does this at a fraction of the time and cost of previous productions.

• It brings together the skills and disciplines required to conceive, stage and operate major immersive virtual events, giving audiences the opportunity to re-experience historic live performances.

The events:

• Unit1 will partner with concert promoters and venue owners to present and host avatar concerts, following a business model similar to a Broadway or West End producer.

• Reduced production costs enable Unit1 to finance productions and pay higher royalties to artists and catalog owners without needing to acquire a share of ownership in recording or publishing rights.

• Its first collaboration is with Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter KT Tunstall, with industry guests invited to watch Tunstall’s avatar perform an immersive live set over the coming weeks.

The team:

• Unit1 Studio is led by CEO Barney Wragg, former CEO of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group, who has previously held senior digital roles at AEG, EMI and Universal Music Group.

• Creative Director Jonathan Butterell, best known for West End musical and BAFTA-nominated film Everyone’s Talking About Jamie.

• Technical Director Pavle Mihajlovic, co-founder of video game studios Electric Saint and Flavourworks.

What they said:

• Barney Wragg: “There are so many concerts I wish I could have seen but never had the opportunity to experience live. Elton at the Troubadour, Queen at Live Aid, Hendrix at Woodstock or The Beatles at The Cavern. We are raising the bar in avatar and stage technology to be able to immerse audiences in the embodiment of those moments and transport fans into a world with the artists they love. Critically, we can now do this at a price point that makes commercial sense for the industry. Our goal is to wow audiences, stay true to the artist and their music, and help realize the immense potential in this new form of entertainment.”