I have a lot of respect for bands that go above and beyond to provide their fans with a deep and rewarding experience. I recently heard of some of the things that the eclectic LA based 4-piece 30 Seconds To Mars has been doing of late and it really caught my attention - hence this article. 

Before I took to writing this story I was somewhat familiar with the Mars’ music and knew who Jared Leto was - but didn’t really know anything else about the band. After having done some research and spoken to fans, I have a very fierce, newfound respect for what I believe is one of the smartest, most innovative bands out there. 

In December of last year, 30 Seconds To Mars celebrated their 300th live show. The show, which took place at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC, was a milestone for the group and they wanted to be able to share it with more than just the 3,400-deep capacity crowd at the heavily sold out show.

Enter: VyRT.

Leto debuted “VyRT”, a web-based live video streaming service that would host a live-stream of the 300th show to “Echelon” world-wide. The “Echelon”, a title given to the band’s rabidly dedicated fan-base, were given the opportunity to purchase a virtual ticket which granted them access not only to the live broadcast, but also behind the scenes footage with the band leading up to the show and even continuing after. In essence, they provided the opportunity to gain the same access that only the VIP’s typically do to fans in their underwear all around the world – an amazing concept to say the least.

The band later used the service to air their appearance on “MTV: Unplugged” for a mere $5.00 which could be downloaded and watched at the fans’ leisure for a given number of days.

While many bands delve into interesting promotions and new ideas, they don’t always stick. This idea, however, seems to continue evolving. This past Friday, a $10.00 broadcast from Jared Leto’s home-studio in LA took place. What’s better is that this wasn’t a quick 1 or 2 hour jaunt – it reportedly lasted nearly 5 hours! Dominique, a friend of Tri-State ROCK, proud member of the Echelon and reliable source on all things 30 Seconds To Mars, took part in the event and reported that aside from performing some of their recently released music with the same string quartet they played with during the ‘Unplugged’, the band played clips of new music they’re working on, did a lengthy Q&A session with the fans in the chat room and also detailed information on upcoming projects that are equally rich and deep as this one is. They even picked some fans to call or video-conference with at random LIVE. This is cool shit, people.

Personally, I think other bands out there need to take heed and utilize the available technology to bring the experience closer to the fans. A dedicated fanbase is what keeps a band alive, and throwing the savages a bigger and better bone keeps them coming back for more

For more information on “VyRT”, click here.

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