Deadmau5 performs at Austin City Limits in 2015.
Jack Plunkett/Invision/APProlific electronic producer Deadmau5 wanted a unique location for his next music video. Through the video game Core, he’s enlisting a legion of gamer fans to make it for him.
Deadmau5 announced today (July 15th) that he is partnering with Core and developer Manticore Games for the deadmau5 x Core Dystopian Worlds Art Collaborations, which will give fans the chance to make their own virtual world to host the producer in the music video for upcoming single “When the Summer Dies,” featuring the pop artist Lights. Core is a game and creator platform that allows players to make their own mini-games and worlds within the system.
“I’ve been blown away by the creativity I’ve seen on Core,” the artist said in a statement. “Some of my passions are game, experience, and world design, and Core’s capabilities as a platform and its creators who are capable of doing all kinds of cool stuff are the next level in user generated art and experiences. I’m looking forward to checking out what fans and artists will create for my new single with Lights.”
Contestants have from now until July 26th at noon P.S.T. to submit their worlds for the contest. Along with the chance for fans’ work to be featured in Deadmau5’s new music video, there’s a $50,000 prize pool, and Deadmau5 is giving away a meet-and-greet for a future show, lifetime VIP passes for his events and autographed merchandise.
Deadmau5’s partnership comes as video games are beefing up their status as partner to the music business. E-sports organizations like FaZe Clan and XSET are courting major stars for investments and brand partnerships, and games like Fortnite and Roblox have been prominent hosts for the likes of Travis Scott and Lil Nas X to host immersive livestream concerts. Scott’s show helped slingshot his single “The Scotts” featuring Kid Cudi to the top of the Rolling Stone 100 Songs Chart, and 33 million people “attended” Lil Nas X’s concert.
For the music business, video games are a relatively accessible tool to market new music, get more sync licensing placements and let artists interact more uniquely with fans — while for the video game industry, music and immersive musical events get press for games and are a means to helping develop richer metaverses for players to experience.
“We’re thrilled that deadmau5 shares our passion for putting the power of artistic expression in as many creators’ hands as possible,” Jordan Maynard, Manticore Games’s co-founder and chief creative officer said. “Core is more than just a place to play and make games; it has endless potential for new forms of social interactivity and artistry. We can’t wait to see the worlds our creators bring alive for the new video, and we look forward to working together with deadmau5 on future projects.”
NEWS
Brad Paisley has called Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding “one of the least pretentious weddings he’s ever seen”.
The country star attended the ceremony alongside his actress wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley. They joined around 1,000 guests at New York City’s Madison Square Garden earlier this month as the global pop icon married the American football star.
Although the celebration attracted enormous attention and involved tight security and a stunning makeover of the famous arena, Paisley said the occasion never came across as excessive.
“Ironically, (it) was one of the least pretentious weddings that I've ever seen or ever will see,” Paisley told The Associated Press during an interview. “It meant a lot to be (invited). It was, kind of, a big thank you from her to invite us.”
Paisley, who chose Swift as an opening performer for his tour when she was a teenager in 2007, said he was delighted to be included in what many considered the biggest celebrity wedding of the year.
“They were very clear with the invite, and I took this personally when I got the invite, because in the invite, it said, ‘If you're getting this, you mean a lot to us,’” he revealed.
The musician also explained that guests were not told the wedding’s exact location until the date drew nearer.
“It was really fun to watch the cat and mouse game of, like, ‘We can tell you roughly where it's going to be, we're not gonna say what building... and here's the date. If you're in, we'll tell you more,’” he continued. “I went to my wife, I said, ‘Want to go?’ and she said, ‘Absolutely, we gotta be there!’ So, we did it, it was RSVP yes.”
Other famous attendees included Brad Pitt, Gigi Hadid, Bradley Cooper, Ed Sheeran, Sabrina Carpenter, Hugh Grant, Haim and Tom Hanks.
