Launch of industry's first VR service 'Genie VR'... Production of 100 VR content titles by the end of the year
Providing personalized content with the big data-based recommendation engine 'Genius'

KT Music (CEO Kim Seong-wook, www.genie.co.kr) announced its ambition to lead the era of music VR based on KT's GiGA VR service. KT Music held a press conference at KT Square in Gwanghwamun on the 9th and explained that it is providing the nation's first music-specialized VR service (hereinafter Genie VR) based on KT's IT and network technologies.

KT Music announced its ambition to provide high-level music services that transcend time and space through the industry's first VR service, and further to leap forward as a leading operator in the industry. KT Music plans to produce and provide 100 premium VR content titles within the year, including VR performances and showcases, 'Star's Recording Studio,' and 'Traveling with a Star.'

The Genie VR service introduced by KT Music was planned as part of KT Group's 'GiGA VR' project. KT was responsible for business planning, content production investment, and VR player development for the launch of the Genie VR service, while KT Music took on the role of planning, producing, and operating competitive VR content in partnership with major domestic entertainment agencies.

Genie VR will be unveiled in the 'Genie VR Exclusive Hall' of the Genie mobile application. Genie users can experience VR live performances and music videos of popular singers such as TWICE, Skull & Haha, and Sam Kim. Additionally, users can view 360-degree VR videos by touching their smartphone, or watch VR videos by attaching their smartphone to an HMD (Head Mounted Display).

In addition, there are plans to livestream new song showcases and performances in the second half of this year by applying the real-time VR broadcasting technology first introduced by KT. The 'Real-time Live Streaming Genie VR Service' is expected to provide users with new experiences and value.

In particular, this service utilizes 'stitching' technology that connects high-definition VR videos captured simultaneously by 5 to 6 cameras, allowing them to be viewed from a 360-degree perspective. The stitched video is then transmitted in real-time over KT's high-speed network.

Lee Mi-hyang, Senior Vice President of KT’s Future Business Development TF, explained, “The Genie VR service was born by combining KT’s unrivaled network and infrastructure with KT Music’s music content service capabilities,” adding, “KT plans to create a VR world that transcends space in various fields such as sports, music, and VR live broadcasting.”

In addition, the girl group TWICE made a surprise appearance at the event, which became a hot topic. TWICE members Nayeon and Jihyo, who were invited to the KT Music press conference announcing the launch of Genie VR in collaboration with a major domestic entertainment agency, watched a video of TWICE's guerrilla concert that was released on Genie for the first time on a domestic music site. TWICE's lead vocalist Nayeon said, "I was surprised to see that our guerrilla concert was produced and released in VR, as it was different from the existing video," adding, "It was new because it showed everything about the stage that couldn't be seen in the existing video."

Providing smart curation services with the proprietary recommendation engine 'Genius'

In addition, KT Music is set to launch 'Genie Smart Life' this coming July, which is expected to allow customers to experience advanced curation services. Based on 'Genius,' a recommendation engine developed in-house by KT Music, this service provides customers with smart, big data-driven curation.

'Genius' analyzes 7 million audio files to extract metadata and analyzes 10 billion streaming histories. Simultaneously, it analyzes Genie users' music usage situations (TPO: Time, Place, Occasion) in real time to provide customized music content to customers. The analyzed music tracks are matched with customers' situations, locations, behaviors, weather, time, etc., to be served to Genie users.

In addition, 'Genie Sports,' a curation service that analyzes the customer's situation, has been expanded from a smartwatch-based platform to smartphones. The newly introduced 'Beat Run' detects the customer's footsteps using a step sensor, and the recommended music changes according to the walking speed.

In addition, the music service Genie plans to provide a personalized UI (User Interface) for the first time in Korea this coming July, which allows customers to easily configure the main screen by touching or dragging the menus they want at any given moment.

Kim Sung-wook, CEO of KT Music, expressed his aspirations, stating, “We have introduced a differentiated Genie VR service through collaboration between KT and major domestic entertainment agencies, and we will continue to provide virtual reality music services alongside the advancement of VR technology.” He added, “In the future, we will operate mid-to-long-term big data curation projects to provide curated music services optimized for our customers.”