On December 11th 2014, Attica Singapore, the official after-party venue of the International Music Summit 'Asia-Pacific' conference, collaborated with Google+ with the aim to revolutionise live performance.
Featuring international superstar DJ, Paul Oakenfold, the project 'Closer', which was promoted as 'Asia's most interactive club experience' and designed by Google+ to bring people closer to music, each other and the future.
Using state of the art wearable technology, Google removed the barrier between audience and artist. Motion and emotional data transformed the space and music in real-time, connecting people to the music in ways like never before. The entire experience was streamed live to the world via Google+ Hangouts and YouTube, and Paul Oakenfold also took part in a pre-event Google Hangout to further boost fan interaction and interest in the event.
WHAT WERE OUR OBJECTIVES?
KEY FEATURES
Launch Plan:
On the morning of the live performance at Attica, Paul Oakenfold held a Hangout Masterclass for 5 lucky fans, which was broadcasted live on Google+ Hangouts to thousands of followers. Fans were given a sneak preview of the live club experiment and told that innovative 'Light-Wave' bio-metric bands were to be given out to the first 150 people who attended the event that night. The Hangout also included a masterclass session and Q&A with the legendary Oakenfold himself.
Extensive press coverage, both locally and internationally, and social media exposure across Attica & Oakenfold channels also boosted awareness of the live Google experiment.
The Event:
The event experiment set out to blur the barrier between the artist and the crowd, and between party-goers and the audience - via live digital streaming all across the world.
A branded booth to 'experience the future of live performance' was set up in the courtyard area of Attica. Upon registration through the dedicated Google+ team, 150 people were given Lightwave bands that would track the wearer's emotion and biometric data (heartbeat, body temperature, sweat level, etc.). This would enable the data to be displayed in the form of beautiful reactive art with the audience reacting to the DJ's every move, and vice versa.
The dynamic club experience was shaped through four ways;
1. Creation of live interactive art on the night: Large screens were installed around the club to create art and reveal the key data - including who was dancing the hardest and generated the best emotional reaction to the night - with the Top 10 most active dancers were highlighted on a leaderboard. This allowed Google Hangout to tell a story from multiple angles and deepen the fan experience.
2. Taking the interaction between artist and audience to a new level: The same data was packaged in a meaningful way and sent real-time to Oakenfold's iPad for an immediate feedback on the audience's reaction to each song played. Those on the leaderboards got a personal shout-out from Paul himself via his iPad, and when Paul saw emotional levels flagging he could also boost the mood by changing music style and pace, as well as alerting the tech teams to alter the club's environmental effects - from lighting to smoke.
3. Deepening the personal experience: To give a lasting experience of the event, all those registered would also receive a personalised data chart from Paul Oakenfold's Google account very next day - showing their emotional and biotmetric levels. Each person's data was then used to create a complete representation of the night subsequently shared on Paul's channels.
4. Paul Oakenfold's entire set broadcasted live on Youtube: The power of openly using the platform to stream the event allowed the audience at home to get an honest cross-section of all facets of the experience. It put Hangouts at the centre of a creative curation and positioned Google as the Artist, Connector and Innovator - taking the experience outside of the club.
RESULTS
Results included:
