PRG Revamps Nashville Digital Studio
PRG Digital Studios Nashville, created to serve the local music community, has hosted a multitude of performers and music events such as Blake Shelton’s Drive-In event, Ashley McBryde’s CMT Music Awards performance and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s livestream Christmas special. To provide more advanced offerings to this market, the studio recently underwent a redesign and has already accommodated artist productions including Carrie Underwood’s recent performances to promote her new gospel album.
“The studio is specifically designed to enable musicians to do what they love to do and connect with audiences, and the improvements we’ve made make it even more effective,” said Chance Stahlhut, Vice President of Audio at PRG.
PRG Nashville offers 2,400 square feet of studio space with a 60 x 40-foot stage and 32-foot ceiling height, which allows it to meet the demands of large musical acts and live and recorded video shoots. Further, the studio features live performance production elements, remote-control camera systems for an “at-the-show” fan experience and 35LIVE!®, a multi-camera production technology that combines the power and immediacy of broadcast television with the soft look and feel of film production.
The facility’s upgrades debuted during an immersive and interactive livestreamed concert featuring Lindsay Ell’s recent album “heart theory.” Design firm and PRG partner Fireplay produced the special live event viewed by thousands of fans, including 200 VIP guests who enjoyed the show and interacted in real time with the artist from the comfort of their own homes via Virtual Crowd.
Virtual Crowd by Fireplay is a fully scalable and customizable multimedia technology that allows performers to interact with their fans in real time and it is gaining momentum in the music and corporate world as a fantastic way for artists, live events, concerts and streams to re-engage their audiences who are getting tired of watching virtual events.
Photo Credit: Donny Evans
“One of the most important and ground-breaking technologies we incorporated into PRG Digital Studios Nashville is Virtual Crowd,” said Stahlhut. “Various music clients have used this technology to connect with fans in a new exciting way during the pandemic and we believe it will continue to be incorporated into entertainment of all kinds even as in-person events come back.”
“Over the last year it’s been hard to find a suitable location for us to safely produce content and virtual events to our high standard. With the opening of PRG’s new digital studio in Nashville, we have a location where we can simply turn up with an idea and leave with a finished product that is comparable to the multimillion-dollar productions we are known for creating,” said Nick Whitehouse, CEO of Fireplay. “It is the first studio in the world to be permanently equipped with Virtual Crowd so integration into any music performance, keynote or event is simple and takes live audience interaction to the next level. There simply isn’t anything else in the U.S. market that compares.”