Virtual Experience in the Performing Arts: K-Live Hologram Music Concerts

Abstract

This article explores the case of K-Live, a performing arts venue in Korea that presents holographic music concerts. The objective is to understand how K-Live uses hologram technology in order to control and direct audiences’ virtual experience, to sustain their engagement and satisfaction with the performance, and thereby create a new content category. To understand this emerging phenomenon, the authors conducted extensive fieldwork at the K-Live concert hall where they interviewed audience members, production staff, and stakeholders, such as firm executives, venue managers, content providers, and government officials who function as cultural managers and gatekeepers. The data supporting this research is primarily qualitative; the authors were especially interested in audiences’ engagement with and response to virtual representations of liveness. They also consider how industry stakeholders view their audiences and how arts entrepreneurs might take advantage of this new technology to create a range of virtual experiences for audiences in the arts. WoongJo Chang, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Arts and Cultural Management at Hongik University, Seoul, Korea. His research is focused on small arts organizations, arts entrepreneurship, and cultural policy. Hyung-Deok Shin, PhD, is Professor in Management in the College of Business Administration at Hongik University. His research areas include business strategy, international business, entrepreneurship, and arts management.