Tupac live at Coachella 2012

[Alpha]

THIS

How awesome are hologram performers?

Or do you think this is actually a little disturbing? What if it wasn't Coachella... but something more controversial? What if he had been programmed (is that the right verb for doing something as a hologram) to say something he wouldn't have agreed with? The guy's dead -- should we just leave it at that?

Should someone go ahead with a Beatles reunion? Should Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones sidestep the wishes of Robert Plant (and the deceased-ness of Bonham) and holagramise a reunion?

So. Hologrammatic musical performances of real people. Cool or perverse? Or both?



EDIT: Also take a moment to think about how futuristic we ALREADY ARE. The year 2000 may have arrived without jetpacks, but we've got holograms now, goddamit.

[Mystyrion]

Cool? definitely. Would I pay money to see it? Definitely not.

I may go depending on who and if there are live (alive) artists.

He is dead just leave it at that. It's not like getting an actual live performance. Your just watching a programmed hologram move to a song.

Now something like the gorillaz, where the singer (forgot his name) could actually be singing a live performance just not on stage, I guess I could go to that. Wouldn't really want to pay money to see it, but I could see myself going to one if I got invited or something.

[loaf]

Gorillaz did this back in 2005. 2D is the name of the singer btw.

I find it funny I hear more hype over this hologram then about tupac making albums after he died. I'm told Japan has been doing this for awhile. It's cool I think.

[che]

I was SERIOUSLY thinking about this when I saw it live. I was like...what if I died and people just used my image to do whatever? However, I figured it was a recording of Tupac doing a live event during his life, something that he liked to do (I'd imagine), so I thought that was morally okay.

Reminds me of futurama, except it's much weirder when it's not a cartoon president head. I think it will become more "normal", and there will definitely have to be set some rules now for after people die, if it's okay to use this type of media.

As a viewer, I thought it was cool to see Tupac "on stage" with Snoop in 2012. But I would instantly not think its cool if I knew Tupac wouldn't want that. Though how was he supposed to know that this could happen after his death, and especially so soon?

Anyway, without thinking "so deeply" lol, I thought it was really cool and I enjoyed the show as a fan.

[Alpha]

I just read an article rumouring that Dr Dre and Snoop are to take Tupac out on tour. Which brings up a few questions.

Who makes money from this? Apparently the technology is tightly patented and licensed from a particular company. I think it's a US patent, so it's probably near-perpetual, too. So Tupac goes on tour, and the hologram company profits from it -- but whose talents are they profiting from? Their own, or Tupac's?

Isn't it kind of stealing from Tupac?

[Clint]

The hologram is unrealistic. Where are the bullet wounds? Or the autopsy scar?

That's stupid. The guy has been dead for 16 years. The hologram is about as ridiculous and disrespectful as when years ago, people were claiming that he was still alive. It isn't him. It's in his likeness and namesake, but it's not him. The actual guy is dead, and this seems to me like a desecration of his grave.

[Pete]

So did the Brits invite Keith Moons holograph to perform at the Olympics?

[Unknown Entity]

I see nothing wrong with it. It's a new kind of experience and media, and will take time getting used to. Quite frankly, I think it's pretty cool that you can enjoy someone's music like that even after they're dead - listening to their music on iTunes doesn't hurt, but if you never got the experience to see someone live, alive, then you get to see them this way.

As for the issue with the profits? I think you'd just be paying to go and see the hologram. People work on those things. They might've used Tupac's work with the hologram, but it's not like it's not something you've not seen before. If anything, it'll keep him going for other generations to come. I'd also like to think that permission was granted from a relative or next of kin - just grabbing someone's work like that, dead or alive, isn't right.

Maybe people in the music industry would have to sign a contract if they wish their music to continue after their death in the form of a hologram?

I'd be pissed if I went to see my favourite [alive] band, but they decided to have a hologram play for them that day because they weren't up to it. I'd rather they cancelled.

[Mystyrion]

Gorillaz did this back in 2005. 2D is the name of the singer btw.

I find it funny I hear more hype over this hologram then about tupac making albums after he died. I'm told Japan has been doing this for awhile. It's cool I think.

I meant the actual voice of 2D. The lead singer for the Blur. Damon Albarn

In other news I found this to be quite funny.

[Pete]

Honestly, my only problem with that would be if they were charging some ridiculous fee to see a show with that kind of lineup. I can understand paying a ton of money to see some bands perform live, because some of them won't be around for much longer, and they put on awesome shows.

I think it's cool to do the whole hologram thing for people like Hendrix and the like, but I'd like to know how the music was and the overall quality of the show. I wouldn't be happy if I went to a live show and someone was lip syncing, so I'm not sure if I'd really be willing to pay to watch holograms mime a performance to a greatest hits cd.