Night at the Museum

• Fans can mourn the passing of music legends for years, the hits echoing long after the original voice is silenced.
• Little wonder, then, that recent advances in holographic technology and artificial intelligence have found a ready market for performances from beyond the grave.
• Since a holographic Tupac Shakur headlined at Coachella in 2012, there have been similar tributes to Frank Zappa and Roy Orbison.

Virtual success

• A true hologram is a 3D object produced by the intersection of light and matter, designed to be observed from all perspectives.
• With the exception of ABBA’s recently developed holographic concert, today’s holograms are more akin to digital videos, where images are projected onto a translucent screen in front of real musicians, with the virtual artist seeming to interact with the band and audience.
• Still, the demand and enthusiasm for virtual concerts is rising steadily, with impressive crowd turnouts and fans paying as much as US$125 for a ticket.

‘Ghost slavery’

• After analysing upwards of 34,000 online comments discussing the virtual concert, we found audience members reported positive responses overall.
• Two comments are indicative of the general feeling:
  I don’t care if they’re avatars.
• Nobody expected ABBA to ever reunite in any way, shape, or form, so this is amazing!
• It would be so wonderful to see them as I remember them and transport myself back to my childhood.

Replacing the irreplaceable

• The process involves a detailed scan of the artist to create a 3D digital model which AI then refines.
• Next, movements are digitised through motion capture and transferred onto the model (again using AI), recreating an artist’s distinctive performance.
• Replacing the irreplaceable may be possible at some level, but ultimately the audience will decide.