Pixelynx, maker of the Korus immersive and gamified music platform, said Korus will be integrated with the Vipe avatar VTuber marketplace for metaverse-like music applications.
Korus has teamed with Vipe, a Virtual Reality Model (VRM) avatar marketplace with a catalog of 261,000 avatars and a community of 80,000 users geared up for the metaverse, VR, and Vtubing.
In an interview with GamesBeat, Pixelynx CEO Inder Phull said there is so much potential for artisic expression in the intersection of music and gaming. Underpinning is a Web3 protocol that allows for tracking of artist rights. That’s important, considering artists are distrustful of AI.
“My vision has always been to see how the value of the music industry will grow once it fully integrates with the gaming sector and enables new formats for consumption that feel more natural in games as opposed to being forced into games,” he said. “So what we’re trying to do is really build out a space that uses interoperable elements that use the latest game-centric mechanics and use a new style of artistry coming from the interactive and social space.”
This strategic alliance marks a step toward enhancing the music creation experience within avatar and virtual reality environments.
“We sit in that sweet spot of gamified music, and our goal is really make music more immersive and more playable. And underpinning all of this is a protocol we’re launching that’s based around around user-generated content (UGC), with attribution and tracking as well,” Phull said.
Korus, known for its AI technology and commitment to pushing creative boundaries, will integrate VRM functionality from Vipe directly into its platform. Users will now have seamless access to an extensive array of high-quality avatars, enabling them to personalize their virtual presence while engaging in music creation, live performance and video recording within the platform, Phull said.
“Collaborating with Vipe is a game-changer for Korus and for music creators looking to express Themselves in new ways,” said Phull. “The integration of Vipe’s expansive library of avatars into our platform unlocks a new way to inspire creators to build their musical identity and grow their career through KORUS. This partnership aligns perfectly with our mission to empower artists by providing them with the tools to express their creativity in the most dynamic and inclusive ways possible. This year Korus and Vipe will breakthrough a new generation of artists.”
Working with Vipe
Vipe’s CEO, Daniel Garcia, a.k.a. ToxSam, said in a statement, “Teaming up with Korus represents an exciting convergence of cutting-edge technologies. Together, we’re pioneering the future of music creation within virtual spaces. The synergy between Vipe’s diverse avatar offerings and Korus’ immersive platform will undoubtedly inspire a new wave of artists and creativity among users.”
Korus’ integration of Vipe’s VRM avatars caters not only to musicians but also to hobbyists and enthusiasts exploring the burgeoning realms of metaverse, VR, and Vtubing.
The integration of Vipe’s avatars into Korus’ platform is slated for release in Q1, promising an unparalleled music creation experience for users worldwide.
Vipe is looking to provide everyone with an interoperable and verifiable digital identity across all platforms. At Vipe, character artists can mint their own creations and users can acquire these avatars. On top of that, Vipe develops bridges between avatars and the places where they can be used and tools for avatar users to easily create content.
With Korus, you can play music in the browser and perform music live while generating visuals. And then you can also collect and own and distribute your creations, Phull said.
In a demo, he showed a feature that allows users to select video clips and audio and perform them all at the same time.
“We’ve packed it all into the browser,” he said. “You can perform in the browser with the avatar and it gives a lot of new dynamic control for users to be able to create in really interesting, fun ways. Some of the things that we have coming out include multiplayer and social creation. You can also invite friends to create and perform at the same time, or have fans in the crowd, liking voting, and even tipping the experience.”
There is a reward system built into the platform so you can redeem prizes and earn XP.
The target audience includes fans of artists who want to remix their favorite artist songs. Pixelynx is trying to make those creations more accessible to fans and give them the tools to create and get closer to their favorite artists without needing to have technical knowledge.
Animoca Brands acquired Pixelynx last year. Earlier, Animoca Brands was Pixelynx’s first investor, helping it raised $4.5 million from investors. Over time, the company raised $14 million. The company has about 15 people. The VRM feature goes live this week in an early beta stage. Korus has been in testing for eight months.
“The protocol basically enables creators to own their IP, bring it on chain, and then set permissions for how people can play with it,” Phull said. “Similar to Story Protocol, which has the tagline of the programmable IP layer, we have a similar sort of framework around what we’re doing with our platform.”
He added, “We let people bring their IP on chain, package up set permissions, and then enable co-creation.”
About 40% to 50% of testers are minting their songs and creations on the blockchain. That lets them earn royalties on the creations on the Korus protocol.
It is working with major partners that include some of the largest content producers in the world, he said.
“With the way it works, we have this construct of Korus DNA, or how we bring IP on chain, set permissions, and then allow for new forms of distribution and consumption. So Korus enables remixing and dynamic music,” Phull said. “We enable personalized media and adaptive storytelling, where users are able to own a character in this universe, and go through branching narratives and other things like that all enabled through AI and Web3 technology. Underneath all of this has been a really cool way for us to be transparent about licenses and royalties.”
He said everything is built in a modular way and the music engine can be integrated into four lines of code.
“That music engine comes with a whole universe of licensed content, libraries of music libraries of IP that developers can utilize,” he said.
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