Media Masters - Anthony Matchett

Published: Aug. 12, 2021, 2 p.m.

Anthony Matchett is chief executive of Napster Group. He acquired the platform - renowned for illegally sharing music in the 1990s - for \xa350m last year; and then merged it with MelodyVR, his virtual reality music company. In this in-depth interview, Anthony lays bare the depth of the devastation the pandemic has bought to live music, and his passionate belief that virtual reality will play a key part in its recovery; highlights the plight of how musicians are struggling financially, noting the irony that Napster - a platform with roots in bootlegging - is now the world leader in compensating artists fairly; and discusses the \u201cimmersive experience\u201d of attending live events through virtual reality - building on the record online audience of this year\u2019s Wireless Festival.