MTV introduces new award for best metaverse performance

The annual MTV Video Music Awards has created a new category this year to honour outstanding music videos in the metaverse. 

Six artists have been nominated for the “Best Metaverse Performance” award in its inaugural year. 

They include American singer Ariana Grande’s “the Rift Tour” in Fortnite; Korean girl group Blackpink’s “The Virtual” in PUBG Mobile; Korean boy band BTS’s special performance in Minecraft and on Youtube; and Canadian singer Justin Bieber’s “An Interactive Virtual Experience” on the XR platform Wave.

The remaining two nominations come from a performance by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX and “Twenty One Pilots Concert Experience” on the online game platform Roblox.

Presented by American cable channel MTV, the award show began in 1984 as a recognition for outstanding music videos. Its most notable awards include “Video of the Year,” “Artist of the Year,” “Song of the Year,” “New Artist of the Year,” etc. Madonna, Nirvana, Kanye West are among previous award recipients. 

The 2022 awards will be announced in New Jersey, U.S., on August 28.

According to media reports, the VMA award show has seen declining viewing rates in recent years. Its addition of a metaverse award may help it attract more young audiences.