Inspired by the depiction of the Afterworld, a virtual, planet-scale tribute to the life and music of legendary musician Prince Rogers Nelson in Ernest Cline’s novel Ready Player Two, we flex our creative juices to imagine what other artist-inspired worlds the Metaverse might one day have in store for us.
Musical artists and bands have already been quick to establish a presence in the Metaverse. American electronic music producer and DJ Christopher Comstock, otherwise known as Marshmello, made history by performing the first ever in-game concert in Fortnite, Travis Scott’s Astronomical Tour in Fortnite, attracted over 45 million viewers, Ariana Grande has performed a series on concerts in Fortnite, and, in 2021, Justin Bieber made his debut performance on the immersive extended reality, or XR, platform Wave. More recently, American heavy metal band Slipknot have recently launched their own Metaverse, the Knotverse, in virtual world The Sandbox, and, on the 24th of May, Ringo Starr auctioned off a series of digital/physical assets in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFT’s) and signed artworks.
Which leads us nicely on to our starting point. Where else would we begin with a foray into Metaverse-based, artist-inspired worlds than with arguably the most famous musical artists of all time? The Fab Four of John, Paul, George and Ringo, also known as … The Beatles! So, what might the “Beatleverse” have in store for us?
First things first, what would a Beatles-inspired Metaverse look like? Starting at what we at themetabite consider to be an appropriate planet-scale Metaverse, we went for the perhaps convenient, but undoubtedly suitable, planet-shaped Apple Corps logo, which takes the form of a large Granny Smith apple. As we descend into the upper atmosphere of the Beatleverse, we need to start considering what types of area/zone might populate the planet’s landmass.
There are some gimmies right off the bat. First, the most obvious, “Pepperland”. Not only the opening track to the second side of the Yellow Submarine soundtrack LP released in January 1969, but also fictional home to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Beatles alter-ego band and studio album of the same name. This cheerful, music-loving, undersea paradise of Pepperland would be a great place for fans to explore, while defending it against an army of invading Blue Meanies!
Next, we must have a virtual replica of early sixties Hamburg, complete with faithful reproductions of the Indra Club, the Kaiserkeller, the Top Ten Club, and the Star-Club, which include “live” Beatles performances, recreations of the band’s live shows, that allow fans to connect with the band’s early residencies in the German city.
There will be lots of space for a late-fifties virtual Liverpool, where fans can visit the Beatles’ childhood homes and Lennon and McCartney’s first live gigs as The Quarrymen. The Beatles back-catalogue also comes with a myriad of opportunities for exploration. EMI's London headquarters, a pictured on the Beatles debut studio album Please Please Me, could provide a virtual location, where mono and stereo recordings, live performances, and interviews hide behind every door.
What area/zone would you like to visit in the Beatleverse? Please leave a comment below!
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