Hardly Anyone's Using KCRW's Virtual Reality App

KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" is generally considered the most influential music show on America's most influential radio station, heard by millions here in the Los Angeles area where it's based and millions more online, and it regularly promotes the station's virtual reality app, which offers to make you "a part of KCRW's intimate in-studio performances, virtually just steps away from the cutting edge musicians that matter!"

So after all that promotion, is anyone actually using KCRW's VR app?

No, no they are not:

Since launching in January, less than 1000 people have downloaded the Android version of the app from Google Play. Likely iOS download numbers are also around there, but even if they were 3X that number, the total would still be miniscule.

Not to bash KCRW -- it's also my own favorite radio station, one I regularly donate to -- but this is yet another example of a media outlet jumping on the VR bandwagon, only to find few following it. (See also The New York Times' little-used VR app.)

Jason Bentley and crew -- I love and treasure you guys more than anything, so speaking as a fan and a VR blogger... maybe spend less of your precious resources on VR, and more on what you all excel at?

Please share this post:

Tweet

 

Comments

[Iggy]

Seems one of the best early-use cases for VR. I certainly would use a rig to watch a live-music event. Yes, the Trough of Disillusionment cannot be far off..

[Catten]

Wouldn't it be easier putting a big label on top of the page saying "I don't believe in VR" or "I predict VR won't be a big thing", that way every other post wouldn't have to be about how VR will fail and the blog can go back to being why sl will fail, or why sansar will fail or why... :D

I really enjoyed this blog but its become more and more of a letdown. From being about new technologies to bashing on new technologies.

VR, SL, Sansar, Google Glasses, etc, everything getting a good beating :)

[Issa Heckroth]

I would like to hear less complaining about things that probably wont work and more complaining about things we know dont work please :)

Also, wheres your report on Insilco?!

[Wagner James Au]

"VR, SL, Sansar, Google Glasses, etc, everything getting a good beating :)"

That's a fair point -- I try to balance skepticism with genuine enthusiasm for this tech, which I do think is cool, but I know it can often get unbalanced to the negative side.