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The future will involve paying $25 to see a Calvin Harris hologram in a club

Peter Martin, CEO of Los Angeles’ V.A.L.I.S. studios, is at the forefront of a revolution which saw Tupac and Michael Jackson resurrected for one-off hologram shows. V.A.L.I.S were the ones who…

By Nathan JollyPublished Mar 14, 2017
2 min read
Screen Shot 2017 03 14 at 10.42.23 am

Peter Martin, CEO of Los Angeles’ V.A.L.I.S. studios, is at the forefront of a revolution which saw Tupac and Michael Jackson resurrected for one-off hologram shows. V.A.L.I.S were the ones who beamed the Gorillaz onto the Grammy stage.

In a particularly scary interview given to Billboard, he outlined plans for the future, including plans to "digitally ­resurrect" Notorious B.I.G. for the 20th anniversary of his death. He also spoke of de-aging artists through hologram technology: "I’d love to see 27-year-old Madonna or 35-year-old David Bowie", he says. "Immortalising those performances holographically makes so much sense. Fleetwood Mac from 1976 doing Rumours? I’d go to that in Vegas."

It would be a spectacle. Less exciting is the notion of touring holograms filling in geographical dead zones for currently touring artists. It's the futuristic version of Elvis's Rolls-Royce going on tour in the '50s, and people queuing to check it out.

"In 10 years’ time, if the first show your kids see is a hologram, they won’t think anything of it", Martin said. "You’ll pay a certain amount to see a ­hologram performance and more to see something live.

"Would you pay $25 to see a hologram of Calvin Harris ? Probably, if you’re in a secondary market. We’re at ground zero of that now, but every ­nightclub in the world will have a ­holographic ­projector by 2025; you’ll have live artists, and you’ll beam in 60-year-old Tiesto.

60-year-old hologram Teisto doing the oldies cruise circuit? The future is a slippery slope, and it may involve a Monkees reunion. Read the entire interview here.

 

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