Justin Timberlake’s Shop Concept Steps Into The Future
Justin Timberlake released a virtual reality app experience centered around his new album which brings him directly to your living room.
By nowproducerdave on April 9, 2018
Justin Timberlake, always trendsetting, and now bringing the future to now. He just debuted a new augmented reality experience about “Man of the Woods” which will bring the merchandise shop to your living room, “Outside In.”
This isn’t an ad, it’s just how he was able to bring the new experience. He partnered with American Express to make a new app for your phone. It’s an augmented reality app, like virtual reality. Using your camera phone, you can basically “walk” through the merchandise store in your own home. But it’s more than just a shop – it’s a whole behind-the-scenes look into the making of Justin’s new album “Man of the Woods,” in which Justin himself hosts and shows you around. Again, it’s all virtual reality, he’s not flying around the country showing up in people’s houses.
The app also will apparently “drop” you into a real scene in Montana, where you can “walk” around and explore the scenery while listening to Justin’s song “Breeze Off the Pond.” You can click on different icons that will show up on top of the mountains, including the merch store. Let’s give a visual – here’s a picture of the app in use showing JT standing in a living room, with himself and a few other things superimposed on the phone’s screen. It’s called “Outside In,” and it’s available through the American Express Music app. They get you coming back week after week by adding new merchandise to the store every week.
It’s really an interesting concept for connecting the artist to the consumer, and I really hope this sort of thing continues in the future with more artists – but honestly, we’d like to see it without the AmEx connection, and see more of a stand-alone version. I feel like the concept for this app is revolutionary, but the giant commercial it’s attached to is a little off putting. But still, it’s a great use of technology that we all have in our hands already, and we’d like to see more of it. Check out some more info on the app here.
