Due to Covid-19, large concerts and music festivals were put on hold. As a result, the popularity of virtual concerts drastically increased. We took a deep dive into which artists have had the most success holding concerts in the metaverse. Here is our top ten list of artists who have held concerts on platforms such as Roblox, Fortnite, and Wave.
Rank | Artist | Attendance | Platform | Label |
1 | Travis Scott | 45.8 Million | Fortnite | Sony |
2 | Lil Nas X | 37 Million | Roblox | Sony |
3 | Ariana Grande | 27 Million | Fortnite | Universal |
4 | 24kGoldn | 14.6 Million | Roblox | Sony |
5 | 21 Pilots | 13.4 Million | Roblox | Warner |
6 | Marshmello | 12.7 Million | Fortnite | Universal |
7 | Justin Bieber | 10.7 Million | Wave | Universal |
8 | Charli XCX | 8.9 Million | Roblox | Warner |
9 | Denzel Curry | 8.6 Million | Roblox | Concord |
10 | Lizzo | 6.7 Million | Roblox | Warner |
1. Travis Scott
47 Million Views April 2020
With over 12 million concurrent viewers and 27 million unique viewers, Travis Scott’s Fortnite concert is one the biggest virtual concerts ever held. Although this was not the first virtual concert held in Fortnite, many key factors played a role in its success:
The concert took place during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic and the majority of the population was locked inside, thus increasing potential viewership.
Travis Scott debuted his new song with Kid Cudi, “THE SCOTTS”, during the concert.
The visual effects, which included the performance taking place underwater and in outer space, with Travis Scott sitting on a plant, also added to the popularity of the concerts.
Although official numbers have not been released Travis Scott allegedly netted around 20 million dollars.
The concert took place five times in a 3-day span.
2. Lil Nas X
37 Million Views November 2020
Lil Nas X broke records during his two day and four show concert which took place on Roblox.
This was the first concert held on Roblox and has been the largest concert on the platform since.
The performance was held in partnership with Sony Music.
Part of the reason why the concert was so successful was due to the Roblox demographic.
About 67% of Roblox users are under the age of 16 and during that time Lil Nas X was the most streamed for this age group.
Although Roblox has not released official numbers from this concert, nearly 10 million dollars was made in merchandise sales.
3. Ariana Grande
27 Million Views August 2021
Ariana Grande’s concert was the most recent one held on Fortnite. This concert was broadcast five times over three days and had 27 million total viewers.
The performance was more chaotic compared to previous Fortnite concerts. It began with players being teleported to two different dimensions that they could interact and move around in, then they were transported to a game where they had to defeat a boss using airplanes. This all happened before Ariana Grande even appeared.
The performance consisted of Grande appearing on a planet and performing numerous songs as she walked through different settings.
Although Epic Games has not released official numbers, Ariana Grande is said to have made 20 million dollars.
4. 24kGoldn
14.6 Million Views August 2021
In this collaboration between Sony Music and Roblox 24kGoldn performed many of his hit singles such as “Valentino”, “Mood”, and other songs from his album El Dorado.
While he performed, he was pitted in a fictional battle where he fought to save a city from an evil version of himself.
This experience was created in collaboration with GameFam
It lasted two days and premiered every hour during a three-day span.
5. Twenty One Pilots
13.4 Million Views September 2021
Warner Music Group and Roblox came together to create this experience which lasted three days and was viewed 13.4 million times.
The concert had viewers from over 160 countries.
Viewers could choose which order they wanted to listen to the five songs that were performed.
Around 30 unique virtual items were created for this event that fans could buy.
6. Marshmello
12.7 Million Views December 2021
This was the first of the three virtual concerts to be held on Fortnite and one of the first metaverse concerts to see mainstream success.
Even though it was not nearly as cinematic as Travis Scott and Ariana Grande’s performance.
Event boosted Marshmello’s streams by 20,000%.
7. Justin Bieber
10.7 Million Views November 2021
This partnership with Wave was broadcasted four times over a three-day span. This is the only performance on the list that was not hosted on Roblox or Fortnite.
10.7 million views on a strictly metaverse platform proves that there is a future for the industry.
Wave has also hosted metaverse concerts with artists such as The Weeknd and John Legend.
8. Charli XCX
8.9 Million Views June 2022
This event was in partnership with Samsung. Five weeks before the concert aired, Roblox users were able to access the experience and play games to unlock prizes within the game.
The concert did not receive good ratings and was said to be messy.
Was a success from a marketing perspective due to the viewership.
9. Denzel Curry
8.6 Million Views August 2022
This concert was held in partnership with Change the Ref, an American Gun safety program, to celebrate the birthday of Joaquin Oliver. Joaquin was a victim of a school shooting and this concert was held in memory of him and to help raise awareness about gun control.
Concert managed to pull it millions of views with out formal advertisement.
Developed by Melonverse.
10. Lizzo
6.7 Million Views April 2021
In partnership with Logitech, Lizzo had her debut in Roblox during the Song Breaker Awards.
This experience allowed users to ride rollercoasters, play games, and earn badges.
Although digital sales have not been reported, all proceeds went to charity.