Digital Crowds, Real Connections

Abstract Avatar-driven virtual concerts are often framed as a pandemic-era necessity—but their origins and potential extend far beyond that moment. This article challenges the notion that these concerts are failed imitations of physical events, instead proposing that they be understood as a distinct and evolving format of live music. Drawing on research across media studies, ludomusicology, and digital anthropology, I explore how these performances enable new forms of digital, social, and participatory liveness. Rather than focusing on what they lack in comparison to physical concerts, the article argues for evaluating virtual concerts on their own terms—as participatory, inclusive, and socially curated spaces that reimagine what live music can be in digital worlds.