AMAZE (company)
 | |
| Formerly | AmazeVR |
|---|---|
| Industry | XR, Virtual Reality, Entertainment, Music |
| Founded | July 2015 |
| Founders | JB Lee, Steve Lee, Jeremy Nam and Steven Koo[1] |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Products | VR Concert apps, Theatrical VR Concerts |
| Website | www www |
AMAZE (formerly AmazeVR) is a virtual reality concert production company founded in July 2015 by former executives and founders of Kakao.[1] Its headquarters is located in Los Angeles, California, with a second office in Seoul, South Korea. AMAZE develops VR concert experiences for global pop and K-pop artists, distributed via VR headset apps and theatrical installations.
History
[edit]Founded in Silicon Valley in 2015, AMAZE secured $7 million in Series A funding between December 2018 and April 2019 from investors including LG Technology Ventures, CJ Timewise Investment, and Smilegate Investment.[1] This was followed by $2.5 million in Series A2 funding in December 2019 and $9.5 million in bridge funding in April 2021.[2]
In June 2021, AMAZE partnered with Megan Thee Stallion as its first featured artist, resulting in the U.S. theatrical debut of her VR concert, Enter the Hottieverse, in March 2022.[3] A stand-alone app version for the Meta Quest was released in November 2022.[4]
In July 2022, AMAZE formed a joint venture,[5] Studio A, with SM Entertainment, expanding into K-pop VR concert production. In September 2022, the company raised $17 million in Series B funding from investors including GS and Mirae Asset.[6]
In July 2023, AMAZE launched the AmazeVR Concerts App on Meta Quest,[7] followed by its release as a Day 1 app on Apple Vision Pro in February 2024.[8]
From July 2024 to June 2025, AMAZE presented the HYPERFOCUS: TOMORROW X TOGETHER VR CONCERT with Tomorrow X Together globally in territories including South Korea, the United States, Japan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Singapore, China, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Poland, and Mexico.[9]
Products and services
[edit]AMAZE Concerts App
[edit]The AMAZE Concerts app offers cinematic VR concert experiences for Meta Quest[10] and Apple Vision Pro.[11]
Theatrical VR concerts
[edit]The company also produces in-theater VR concerts, offering shared immersive experiences combining 3D visuals and audio.[12]
Major releases
[edit]2022
- Megan Thee Stallion, Enter the Hottieverse — U.S. Theater Tour (Mar–Sept);[13] Meta Quest app (Nov)[14]
2023
- Zara Larsson — Meta Quest (Jul)[7]
- UPSAHL — Meta Quest (Jul)[15]
- T-Pain — Meta Quest (Nov)[16]
- aespa — Theatrical release, Seoul (Oct)[17]
2024
- Zara Larsson, UPSAHL, T-Pain — Apple Vision Pro (Feb)[18]
- Avenged Sevenfold — Meta Quest & Apple Vision Pro (Feb)[19]
- aespa — Theatrical release in Tokyo & Osaka (Feb–Apr)[20]
- KAI — Theatrical release in Seoul, Tokyo & Osaka (Feb–May)[20]
- HYPERFOCUS: Tomorrow X Together VR CONCERT — Global Theater Tour (Jul 2024–Jun 2025)[21]
2025
- HYPERFOCUS: TOMORROW X TOGETHER VR CONCERT — Meta Quest & Apple Vision Pro (Jun)[citation needed]
- Cha Eun-woo VR CONCERT : MEMORIES - Global Theater Tour (Jun)[22]
Awards and recognition
[edit]In 2023 and 2024, AMAZE was included in Fast Company's "Most Innovative Companies" list.[23][24] The company was also a Webby Awards honoree for Best VR Headset Experience[25] and received a Vega Digital Award for VR production.[26]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Park, Kate (January 11, 2022). "AmazeVR gets another $15M to forge the future of immersive concerts".
- ^ "AmazeVR Announces $9.5 Million In Funding; Immersive Concert Experiences In The Works (Exclusive) - Pollstar News". news.pollstar.com. April 8, 2021.
- ^ Lamarre, Carl (February 28, 2022). "Megan Thee Stallion & AmazeVR Announce First-Ever Virtual Reality Concert Tour". Billboard.
- ^ "Megan Thee Stallion VR Concert Experience Available Now On Quest". UploadVR. November 30, 2022.
- ^ "K-pop giant SM Entertainment forms JV with AmazeVR to produce immersive VR concerts for the metaverse". Music Business Worldwide. July 13, 2022.
- ^ Park, Kate (September 27, 2022). "| TechCrunch AmazeVR wants to scale its virtual concert platform with $17M funding".
- ^ a b "AmazeVR Launches VR Concerts App With Zara Larsson Show". UploadVR. July 14, 2023.
- ^ "Apple announces more than 600 new apps built for Apple Vision Pro". Apple Newsroom.
- ^ Fell, Nicole (June 18, 2024). "K-Pop Group Tomorrow X Together Heads to Theaters With VR Concert Tour". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "AMAZE VR Concerts on Meta Quest | Quest VR Games | Meta Store".
- ^ "AmazeVR Concerts: Immersive 3D". App Store. December 12, 2024.
- ^ "VR concerts and events: What AmazeVR plans for 2023". 19 February 2023.
- ^ "AmazeVR partners with Megan Thee Stallion on VR Concert tour that uses Unreal Engine-based visual effects". Music Business Worldwide. March 2, 2022.
- ^ Rouhani, Neena (November 30, 2022). "Enter 'Thee Hottieverse' at Home: Megan Thee Stallion's Performance Now Available Through Your VR Headset". Billboard.
- ^ Stone, Sling &. "Pop-Rock Artist UPSAHL Joins AmazeVR's Concert App Line Up". www.prweb.com.
- ^ Bresnahan, Samantha (August 30, 2023). "T-Pain in your living room: Are virtual concerts the future of live entertainment?". CNN.
- ^ Ji-won, Choi (October 31, 2023). "[Herald Review] Up-close experience with aespa makes VR concert worth it". The Korea Herald.
- ^ Lang, Ben (February 4, 2024). "The Best Vision Pro Apps to Download First – 8 Expert Picks".
- ^ "Into the metal-verse: Why Avenged Sevenfold is doing virtual reality concerts". Los Angeles Times. December 6, 2023.
- ^ a b "Events - RED° TOKYO TOWER OFFICIAL WEBSITE".
- ^ Yeo, Amanda (June 18, 2024). "TOMORROW X TOGETHER VR concert coming to the U.S. this fall". Mashable.
- ^ "Cha Eun-Woo VR Concert 'MEMORIES': Details on Interactive Concert Film". Forbes.
- ^ "The 10 most innovative companies producing live events in 2023". Fast Company. March 2, 2023.
- ^ "This VR app turns headsets into concert halls". Fast Company. 19 March 2024.
- ^ "NEW Webby Gallery + Index". NEW Webby Gallery + Index.
- ^ Awards, Vega Website. "AmazeVR Megan Thee Stallion VR Concert by AmazeVR". Vega Website Awards.