The film and television industry have embraced the latest 3D craze as a way to generate interest in and revenue from their products during tough economic times. Now the music industry is starting to take part with high profile artists releasing 3D concerts and videos.
Musicians releasing 3D content this year include Justin Bieber, Shakira, Sia and the Broken Bells, Bon Jovi, and the Black Eyed Peas.
"It's not the '80s 3D, like, the way people think of 3D. It changes the art form of storytelling. It's pretty amazing. It's a whole new freaking jump-off," said Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am.
The senior director of Sony Music International, JeanBaptise Duprieu, has confirmed the company’s plans to produce more 3D content this year and has praised the format.
"The reaction was, 'Wow, we feel so much closer to the artist ... and really immersed (in) what's going on,'" Duprieu recalled about a screening of Shakira’s “Waka Waka” video to Sony staffers. "So I think generally the impression is a better connection and a more sort of real vibrance going on."
3D also works quite well for classical music, according to the Sony director.
"You would think classical music is pretty static and you would not feel that much stuff going on, but actually because of the depth of 3D, you really actually enhance the listening experience and connection to the music by having that shot in 3D," Duprieu said. "It can actually be overwhelming to have too many cameras and too many different angles."
Music video director Wayne Isham has even gone so far as to predict a “rebirth of performance again in music” thanks to the emergence of the updated 3D format.
The thing that strikes me odd about these enthusiastic industry reports is that no one I know seems interested in the idea of 3D, let alone purchasing the required hardware to view it at home. In fact, according to a recent Consumer Electronics Industry study 75 percent of consumers reported that they hadn’t seen 3D content displayed on a 3DTV designed for the living room. Is 3D an entertainment format to be taken seriously or mere industry-created hype? Only future financial reports will tell the truth.
