BY KEVIN YOUNG
YOOP ’ S eSPACES ARE BRINGING FANS CLOSER THAN EVER
Montreal-based entertainment company , Yoop , specializes in developing products and services to help creators distribute their content directly to their fans and improve their experience in-person and virtually . Most recently , they ’ ve launched a platform called the Yoop eSpace , which facilitates “ real-time visual and audio interaction between artists and spectators ” via a virtual and multifunctional production environment that allows for the kind of two-way communication that is typical of the live show experience .
What sets Yoop apart , explains Founder and CEO Benoit Fredette , is instantaneous two-way communication that elevates “ performers ” and “ viewers ” involved in a virtual space to the status of active participants ; viewing , listening , and taking part similarly to how they would at a pre-pandemic live show .
A great deal of that is dependent on visual livestreaming elements and equipment – broadcast cameras , projectors , display screens , and so on , as well as Yoop ’ s own “ perspective ” cameras , which capture an audience ’ s eye view of the performance . But as it is for musicians on stage , it ’ s the audible interaction between artist and audience that ’ s most integral to enhancing the remote live experience for artists and fans alike . And , since teaming up with Solotech for both Yoop ’ s Montreal eSpace , and their ongoing expansion in the U . S ., they ’ ve been able to do that even more effectively .
In late 2020 , after partnering with Solotech to streamline their first e- Space in Montreal , Yoop has launched two additional eSpaces in Nashville and Los Angeles – all providing two-way visual and audio communication , with zero lag , between artists and audiences .
Initially , the company partnered with a different equipment provider , explains Solotech ’ s Montreal Events and Corporate Division VP , Robert Tomeo , adding that the Montreal eSpace is , essentially , a broadcast space . Therefore , Solotech was perfectly positioned to help Yoop enhance what was possible there in terms of the technology and expertise . They could provide for Yoop ’ s multifunctional , virtual production environment to fulfill Fredette ’ s vision of bringing content providers and their audiences closer together in real-time .
All that said , prior to 2020 , Yoop was primarily focused on in-person events . But they had also been researching ways to augment live events with a virtual component for about two and a half years before that . What they discovered was that for almost any type of in-person gathering , there was an increasing appetite for more effective , real-time communication that would better connect those attending and those who , for whatever reason , couldn ’ t be there .
“ But we expected this would have been maybe 10 % of what we do ,” Fredette says , adding that since March 2020 , it has become their entire focus – a unique platform they ’ ve used to host over 100 events , ranging from corporate and government applications to comedy shows , and even the presentation of Montreal ’ s Metropolitan Opera .
While there are virtual solutions popping up regularly owing to the pandemic , what sets Yoop apart , Fredette says , is the real-time audio and visual interaction Yoop ’ s eSpace provides .
Yoop is “ three things together ,” Fredette explains : “ One , we use a real stage environment . With Yoop , artists can literally perform their whole show on the full stage with the equipment that they know . That ’ s why teaming up with Solotech was so important for us ; to provide the artists the environment they ’ re used to – and that they deserve and need – in terms of providing the quality of entertainment [ they would normally ].”
“ The second value to Yoop ,” Fredette continues , “ Is the production value we offer – a high quality , TV broadcast-like product – but all live , not prerecorded .”
Thirdly : “ We bring in this interactive technology of ours , which basically allows every fan watching the event to have an equal chance to participate and end up , themselves , ‘ on stage .’ The way it works for the user is , as they ’ re watching , they ’ ll receive a notification on their screen – and if they accept – they get ‘ teleported ’ to the stage and they can view the artist from where they are on stage . There ’ s this notion of perspective and the users can change their view . They can view from the centre and from the back . But our biggest feature is the ability to do this with zero lag .”
When it comes to audio , he adds : “ Similar to a live show , we need to handle the sound distribution but also maintain the synchronization for
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