Speaking at this year’s Audio Collaborative conference, an annual event organised by data analytics company Futuresource Consulting, presenters and panellists throughout the day discussed the key issues around the future of audio for both the industry and the consumer.
Delivering the conference keynote speech, Carsten Olesen, president of Harman, said that “audio is critical for immersion and believability in virtual spaces”, noting that there were 76 million Fortnite viewers globally for an Ariana Grande virtual gig in 2021, with that figure only representing 20 per cent of active users. “It’s too big to ignore, from an industry perspective,” Olesen added.
Virtual worlds such as Fortnite, Roblox and the Metaverse all need immersive audio to deliver an optimal experience. Music fans engaging with their favourite artists want better audio, as do regular users interacting within the worlds. This is driving the surging demand for spatial audio – the ability...