Soapbox, a technology company that films artists in 3D and delivers them as life-size holograms through augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) devices, is positioning human performance as a counterweight to artificial intelligence (AI)-generated music, according to founder and CEO Kevin Sellors. The app is designed to give fans access to artists outside traditional media channels.
The platform has captured 3D performances from a roster that includes:
- Smokey Robinson
- Buddy Guy
- T-Pain
- Stephen Marley
- Soulja Boy
- Jadakiss
- Waka Flocka Flame
Soapbox content is available in more than 180 countries on Meta Quest. Sellors said the company films artist performances, demonstrations, and interviews in 3D and brings them to fans as life-size holograms via AR/VR devices.
“This allows fans to get closer than ever to the actual humans behind the music. The goal is to highlight the value of authentic human technique and to create new revenue streams for the music business. It also creates historical archives of these artists, so if a kid 100 years from now is studying the blues, they’ll be able to have Buddy Guy standing in their bedroom showing them, and telling them what it was all about.”
Human-first technology in an AI era
Sellors, a former recording engineer, said standing close to artists in the studio shaped the company’s mission.
“I was a recording engineer for years, which gave me the opportunity to stand right in front of great artists in the studio and get an up-close look at the magic that makes these people special. Our mission is to provide that perspective to everyone, especially in today’s world, in an age of AI, we want to remind people why human talent is important.”
He contrasted Soapbox’s approach with stadium holograms of artists such as Tupac and Michael Jackson, which he said were created using body doubles and computer-generated imagery (CGI).
“The hologram examples you mentioned were created using body doubles and CGI to recreate artists who are no longer with us. That has its use, I think, but we’re focused on filming actual artists and their authentic techniques. We also film them in full 3D, allowing users to walk all the way around them, and for the artist to look and feel like they’re actually in your space. Concerts are great, but you can already go see T-Pain in concert. Most people can’t have him walking around their own living room, or their classroom.”
Soapbox’s tagline is “Human First. Tech Second.” Sellors said the rise of AI-generated content is likely to increase demand for authentic human experiences.
“With the explosion of AI generated content I believe there will be a resurgence in demand for authentic human experiences. This will manifest itself in live shows and real life events, and we believe the proper use of emerging technologies is to use them to bring people closer together, across continents and across generations. The human element is what makes art valuable, and what makes content valuable long term. We believe that technology is a tool for artists, not the other way around. Music platforms are being flooded with AI content, we’re building a platform for humans.”
Intimacy, performance, and artist economics
Sellors said the hologram technology is secondary to the artist.
“The technology is just a conduit, the artist is the whole thing. Just as audio recording captured artist performances, allowing them to be distributed to fans in their own generation and also into the future. We’re doing the same thing in another dimension. You can hear what the artist was doing, but you can also walk up and see it and feel it.”
Asked what he values about live music, Sellors said:
“Admittedly, I was always more of a record man, a studio guy. But live shows are great for the same reason that (IMO) the best records are great. They capture a unique moment in time that becomes meaningful to a large group of people.”
Some artists perform differently when they know audiences can view them from any angle. Sellors cited drum drills with Ralph Johnson of Earth, Wind & Fire as an example.
“It’s been interesting to see. For some of them, yes. Filming experiences like drum drills with Ralph Johnson of Earth, Wind & Fire, and knowing that fans can walk around and see what his hands and his feet are doing, it’s wild. I think the biggest differentiator we’ve felt is a sense of gravity, that these moments are forever and that kids in the future will be able to have them standing in their space. For many of them that seems to resonate, with artists from Smokey Robinson to Yelawolf, it’s caused them to really open up and share an intimate side of themselves.”
For independent artists, Sellors said the business case spans promotion, fan engagement, merchandise, and revenue.
“It’s all of the above, whether you’re independent or not. The labels really resonate with the promotional and superfan engagement potential of having their artist standing right in fans’ living rooms. The platform is growing fast with users so far across 185 countries, so it’s a unique way to reach a unique demographic. The platform is monetized and comes out to a rev share that pays the artists, the labels, and the publishers. We’re cooking up some surprises on merchandising with Soulja Boy that we will be launching soon.”
