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Virtual-Vancouver.com to Present the
World’s Biggest Online Music Event
Virtual world hosts online portion of New Music West;
Enables millions of would-be concert goers to experience festival from their home

VANCOUVER, B.C. – Virtual-Vancouver.com, an online virtual world that serves as a network for music-lovers, today announced it has partnered with New Music West to create the world’s first massively multi-user online music festival. The festival, held annually in Vancouver and sponsored by 29 Productions Inc., is offering free live concerts of more than one hundred bands in Virtual-Vancouver’s unique online festival atmosphere.

Since New Music West draws bands from Canada, the US, Australia, Brazil, the Netherlands, Iceland and other countries to play for a crowd of more than forty thousand attendees, Virtual-Vancouver’s online concert space allows fans in home countries to enjoy the rich virtual festival experience rather than simply watching a video.  The main Virtual-Vancouver amphitheater can host more than fifty thousand simultaneous virtual concertgoers who will mingle, dance and enjoy a festival atmosphere with live music and video – all from their own homes.

“Local fans that aren’t able to make the trip to Vancouver can still enjoy attending live virtual concerts of their favorite bands,” said Jory Groberman, CEO of 29 Productions Inc. “We also think this is a great platform for record labels to check out how well a band performs live. Today, it’s all about the live performance, and Virtual-Vancouver will provide the next best alternative for busy executives that might not be able to make it to New Music West.”

Virtual-Vancouver’s unique setting recreates the music venues digitally. The festival is the biggest online music event to date.

“Nothing like this has ever been done online before,” commented Virtual-Vancouver CEO Brian Shuster. “In addition to the forty thousand plus fans that will be attending the festival in real-time, Virtual-Vancouver has the capacity to accommodate millions more. This is a huge step for virtual worlds, as well as for the music business, which has increasingly been employing online outlets as a means to gain exposure.”

Virtual-Vancouver.com is a free virtual world that is modeled after the city of Vancouver. It was developed by Utherverse.com in the interest of music-lovers everywhere as a place for networking, socializing, and entertainment.

“Because Virtual-Vancouver’s focus is music networking, we really couldn’t imagine a better partnership,” said Groberman.

About Virtual-Vancouver.com
A child site of Utherverse.com, Virtual-Vancouver.com is a social experience within a 3D virtual reality space, with a focus on music and related activities . Modeled after Vancouver, CA, Virtual-Vancouver’s unique atmosphere offers users a venue for nightlife, dating, and music-appreciation from the comfort of the users’ homes. Users can also shop for real-world items in the virtual world’s network of online stores.

For more information, please visit: www.virtual-vancouver.com.

About New Music West
Operating since 1990, New Music West is the largest and most influential new music event in Western North America. As the only annual public new music showcase in Western Canada, NMW showcases over 200 bands throughout 30 venues across Vancouver. The festival includes conferences, networking events and educational workshops in addition to live performances.

New Music West is currently owned & operated by 29 Productions Inc. Past performers have included Nickelback, Marilyn Manson, Gene Simmons, Perry Farrell, Swollen Members, Sam Roberts, The Flaming Lips, Frank Black, Hot Hot Heat, Matthew Good, Run DMC, Metric, Mark Farina, Blind Boys of Alabama, Midnight Oil, The Trews, Stars, Liz Phair, and Modest Mouse.

For more information, please visit: www.newmusicwest.com.

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