Universal Music Group and VRLIVE launch new mobile VR app VRTGO

Avenged Sevenfold to give global 3D/360-degree live-stream performance

LOS ANGELES, October 25, 2016 – On the evening of October 27th, multi-platinum rock band, Avenged Sevenfold will give a global, 3D /360-degree, live-streamed virtual reality performance in partnership with Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, Capitol Records and VRLIVE. Fans around the world will be able to view the live stream on UMG’s newly released VRTGO VR platform, powered by VRLIVE’s advanced technology, and experience Avenged Sevenfold’s electrifying set as if they were there for this first-of-its-kind immersive event. VRTGO is freely available on iOS and Android.

“We are constantly working to create opportunities for our artists to connect with their fans in new and exciting ways,” says Michelle Jubelirer, COO, Capitol Records. “We’re thrilled to work with Avenged Sevenfold and VRLIVE to bring this unique experience to Avenged Sevenfold fans around the world.”

VRLIVE will also be streaming the event to 50 Samsung Gear VR headsets on the ground level at the event for the guests to virtually transport themselves to the stage.  The event will be shot using the Nokia OZO camera, the first purpose-built VR camera with immersive spatial audio to deliver the best in VR music experiences.

“VRTGO is a truly immersive and creative platform for our artists to tell their stories and invite their fans around the world to experience live performances and music videos like never before,” says Deborah Hyacinth, SVP Digital Marketing Innovation, UMG. “We’ve employed state of the art technology to make VRTGO a cross-device platform and home to some of the world’s best VR content.”

“We are excited about our partnership with Universal Music Group as it gives us the opportunity to provide the viewing audience with unprecedented levels of access,” stated VRLIVE Founder and CEO Heiner Lippman.  “Virtual Reality is destined to change the media landscape, which will enable users to not just view entertainment, rather, it allows them to experience it, and VRLIVE will continue to transform how people view and interact with the world around them.”

Avenged Sevenfold made headlines with last week’s release of “The Stage,” a much-anticipated new track co-produced by the band and Joe Barresi (Queens of the Stone Age, Tool) and a companion video directed by Chris Hopewell (Radiohead, The Killers). The latter has already amassed well over six million YouTube views – click HERE to watch. “The Stage,” which is the band’s first release on Capitol Records, is available for purchase by clicking HERE.

For more information on how to view this event please visit AvengedSevenfold.com.

About Avenged Sevenfold

Avenged Sevenfold achieved worldwide success with a string of best-selling albums — including their 2005 platinum breakthrough City Of Evil, 2007’s Avenged Sevenfold, which topped the Billboard Alternative, Hard, and Rock Charts, and two consecutive No 1’s on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart, Nightmare (2010) and their most recent, Hail To The King — achieving Diamond, Platinum and Gold awards for album sales in nearly a dozen countries. They have also scored a series of Top 10 singles at multiple formats, including “Bat Country,” “Almost Easy,” “Scream,” “Nightmare,” “Welcome To The Family,” “So Far Away,” and “Hail To The King,” and their latest, “Shepherd of Fire.” The band, which hails from Huntington Beach, Calif., have become known for their spectacular live shows, routinely selling out arenas worldwide and headlining some of the biggest and most prestigious music festivals. In November 2012, they made an unprecedented appearance as characters in Call of Duty Black Ops 2 — the biggest-selling video game of all time, which featured the band’s performance of “Carry On,” written specifically for the game. Avenged Sevenfold self-released the action-adventure mobile video game Hail To The King:Deathbat to rave reviews; with music, concept, and gameplay created entirely by the band. Avenged Sevenfold appeared in stores and homes globally as the featured pre-launch artist in 2015’s Guitar Hero: Live including an industry first playable live performance.

About Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries.  Featuring the most comprehensive catalog of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world.  Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. Universal Music Group is a Vivendi company. Find out more at: http://www.universalmusic.com.

About VRLIVE

VRLIVE is a first generation virtual reality 360° broadcast network, production, and technology company that provides the ultimate live VR 360° immersive experiences for VR headsets (HMDs), desktop computers, and mobile devices. The company creates, captures, and broadcasts live and recorded VR/360° entertainment, sporting and other virtual events for today’s global virtual reality audiences.

Pioneers in this exciting new space, VRLIVE has continued to educate and pave the VR road for the entertainment industry since delivering the world’s first 360º broadcast.

Founded by experienced lifelong technologists, broadcast professionals, and music industry veterans, VRLIVE stays ahead of the curve by creating technology that not only pushes the entertainment industry forward, but that also pushes the frontiers of humanity.

For more information on VRLIVE, please visit http://www.vrlive.com/. You can also visit Facebook, Instagram @VRLIVE and Twitter @VRLIVECOM

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