(sphere) Drops First NFT VR Music Video

(sphere) releases the first ever immersive VR music video NFT shot on the RED Monstro 8K VV using the (sphere) Pro1. The VR music video features Brooklyn native, Joe Fugelsang, performing his original song “Hard to Tell.” Joe, a singer/songwriter now based in Upstate NY, is interested in pushing the boundaries of technology and he has worked with (sphere) on multiple occasions. This was filmed during the height of the pandemic lockdown in the spring of 2020 using a special rig mounted in the back of a pickup truck. Viewing this in a VR headset is like getting your own private one-on-one concert.

We believe NFTs (or a derivative of) can provide music artists a direct path to monetization while controlling the rights to their original music and performances using the power of blockchain smart contracts. Music artists were some of the first in the creative class to be negatively affected by the digital age. Today average streaming services pay out roughly $5K for every million plays, forcing artists to rely on live performances and merchandise sales to survive, which was nearly impossible during the pandemic. NFTs have the potential to equalize the playing field and shift the balance of power back into the hands of the artists themselves. (sphere) technology can be the backbone of an entire music artist platform and this has always been part of our original vision. Since the (sphere) Pro1 uses only a single camera, VR footage can be captured and streamed in real time using the existing equipment and workflows used today.

In addition to this VR music video experience NFT, we are also offering a token that acts as a voucher that can be exchanged for a (sphere) Pro1 as more become available. (sphere) is actively seeking additional strategic partners and tech savvy investors. If you read this and believe you can help or if you are an artist interested in working with us, please contact us directly at info@sphereoptics.io

Token purchase includes the video in standard equirectangular format (shown above) at 8K resolution for viewing via VR headset, along with the native circular projection of the (sphere) Pro 1 lens (as seen in the preview GIF image) at the native 3650x3650 resolution.

(sphere) Pro 1 lens - the world’s first and only single-lens 360° capture solution. Voucher to exchange for one unit of the (sphere) Pro 1 360° full-spherical lens. The lens captures the entire omnidirectional field of view (4Pi Steradians) on a single frame using a single camera, the first of its kind.

We are industrial and interaction designers, artists at the core, who have created this unique tool for other artists, photographers, filmmakers, journalists, and musicians. We strongly believe that NFTs (or an evolution of them) have enormous potential, especially for the creative class, whose original work has long been undervalued, often appropriated and difficult to authenticate in a digital world.

About (sphere): Syracuse, New York based industrial & interaction designers Rob Englert and Meyer Giordano partnered with Jay-Z and Roc Nation to form (sphere) optics in 2015. Long time AR/VR enthusiasts, they continue to explore the intersection between objects and digital experiences for some of the biggest brands in the world at their design consultancy ram.