TheWaveVR: Taking Music Apps to the Next Level

TheWaveVR, a virtual-reality music app, launched a beta version last Wednesday that lets users participate, view, host, and socialize at concerts and EDM festivals—anytime, anywhere. They are empowering artists and music lovers alike by transforming the way people connect through music. Upon its launch, TheWaveVR is planning to do weekly concerts in VR featuring real electronic musicians. And though it has so many areas it can still visit as it builds up for a full release, it’s already far more successful at creating a digital music festival than a VR app should be.

Music creators can fully customize how their audience experiences the music – whether it's by transforming the venue from a realistic nightclub to outer space with a click of a button – or putting on the most unimaginable light show ever. Fans won’t have to travel the globe or miss out on their favorite DJs, musicians or festivals and can experience the music like never before, while socializing in totally new ways alongside their friends.

If you’ve ever been to a trippy EDM rave or have had the privilege of seeing your favorite artist in concert, you’ll know that the glitchy graphics occurring onscreen behind the artist are often a major contributor to the otherworldly vibes.

Folks who've already had the pleasure to enjoy a “Wave” concert deem the experience as almost bizarre how disarmingly intimate/spiritual the interactions felt. You can chat with each other, dance and give high fives, but more interestingly you can share something called “social trips” which take you and the other user into a mini-game-like world where it’s just you two interacting with a universe that’s incredibly wonky. In addition to wandering the virtual desert and socializing, you can also dive behind the turntables and craft tracks with a surprisingly finessed VR DJ setup, spinning tunes while also doing things that just aren’t possible in the real world thanks to pesky gravity.

The Austin-based startup is also announcing that it has closed a $4 million seed round led by Upfront Ventures. Other investors in the round include RRE Ventures, KPCB Edge, Greycroft VR Gaming Tracker Fund, Luma Launch, Boost VC and The VR Fund. With so many investors skeptical of making investments in VR, it’s crazy to see a VR music app raising money from top firms like KPCB and Upfront, but that really speaks to the unique vision of TheWaveVR which manages to get so much right in its first beta release. We only foresee more awesomeness to come!

TheWaveVR is provides an experience unlike any other. We can't wait to see how they continue to devour the details of this new realm of concert viewing.