AMAZE (company)

Last updated
AMAZE
FormerlyAmazeVR
IndustryXR, Virtual Reality, Entertainment, Music
FoundedJuly 2015 (2015-07)
FoundersJB Lee, Steve Lee, Jeremy Nam and Steven Koo [1]
Headquarters Los Angeles, California, U.S.
ProductsVR Concert apps, Theatrical VR Concerts
Website www.amazevr.com
www.amazevrconcerts.com

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.

Contents

History

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

AMAZE Concerts App

The AMAZE Concerts app offers cinematic VR concert experiences for Meta Quest [10] and Apple Vision Pro. [11]

Theatrical VR concerts

The company also produces in-theater VR concerts, offering shared immersive experiences combining 3D visuals and audio. [12]

Major releases

2022

2023

2024

2025

Awards and recognition

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

References

  1. 1 2 3 Park, Kate (January 11, 2022). "AmazeVR gets another $15M to forge the future of immersive concerts".
  2. ↑ "AmazeVR Announces $9.5 Million In Funding; Immersive Concert Experiences In The Works (Exclusive) - Pollstar News". news.pollstar.com. April 8, 2021.
  3. ↑ Lamarre, Carl (February 28, 2022). "Megan Thee Stallion & AmazeVR Announce First-Ever Virtual Reality Concert Tour". Billboard .
  4. ↑ "Megan Thee Stallion VR Concert Experience Available Now On Quest". UploadVR. November 30, 2022.
  5. ↑ "K-pop giant SM Entertainment forms JV with AmazeVR to produce immersive VR concerts for the metaverse". Music Business Worldwide. July 13, 2022.
  6. ↑ Park, Kate (September 27, 2022). "| TechCrunch AmazeVR wants to scale its virtual concert platform with $17M funding".
  7. 1 2 "AmazeVR Launches VR Concerts App With Zara Larsson Show". UploadVR. July 14, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Apple announces more than 600 new apps built for Apple Vision Pro". Apple Newsroom.
  9. ↑ Fell, Nicole (June 18, 2024). "K-Pop Group Tomorrow X Together Heads to Theaters With VR Concert Tour". The Hollywood Reporter .
  10. ↑ "AMAZE VR Concerts on Meta Quest | Quest VR Games | Meta Store".
  11. ↑ "AmazeVR Concerts: Immersive 3D". App Store. December 12, 2024.
  12. ↑ "VR concerts and events: What AmazeVR plans for 2023". 19 February 2023.
  13. ↑ "AmazeVR partners with Megan Thee Stallion on VR Concert tour that uses Unreal Engine-based visual effects". Music Business Worldwide. March 2, 2022.
  14. ↑ Rouhani, Neena (November 30, 2022). "Enter 'Thee Hottieverse' at Home: Megan Thee Stallion's Performance Now Available Through Your VR Headset". Billboard .
  15. ↑ Stone, Sling &. "Pop-Rock Artist UPSAHL Joins AmazeVR's Concert App Line Up". www.prweb.com.
  16. ↑ Bresnahan, Samantha (August 30, 2023). "T-Pain in your living room: Are virtual concerts the future of live entertainment?". CNN.
  17. ↑ Ji-won, Choi (October 31, 2023). "[Herald Review] Up-close experience with aespa makes VR concert worth it". The Korea Herald.
  18. ↑ Lang, Ben (February 4, 2024). "The Best Vision Pro Apps to Download First – 8 Expert Picks".
  19. ↑ "Into the metal-verse: Why Avenged Sevenfold is doing virtual reality concerts". Los Angeles Times. December 6, 2023.
  20. 1 2 "Events - RED° TOKYO TOWER OFFICIAL WEBSITE".
  21. ↑ Yeo, Amanda (June 18, 2024). "TOMORROW X TOGETHER VR concert coming to the U.S. this fall". Mashable.
  22. ↑ "Cha Eun-Woo VR Concert 'MEMORIES': Details on Interactive Concert Film". Forbes .
  23. ↑ "The 10 most innovative companies producing live events in 2023". Fast Company. March 2, 2023.
  24. ↑ "This VR app turns headsets into concert halls". Fast Company. 19 March 2024.
  25. ↑ "NEW Webby Gallery + Index". NEW Webby Gallery + Index.
  26. ↑ Awards, Vega Website. "AmazeVR Megan Thee Stallion VR Concert by AmazeVR". Vega Website Awards.
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