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iHeart and Universal are partnering for VR concerts

Sadly, this sounds like little more than a high-tech advertising opportunity.

iHeartMedia and Universal Music Group are teaming up to take music into virtual reality. From the sounds of it, this isn't going to be just a music visualizer a la what game developer Harmonix is doing. Nope, this will work to "leverage" the strengths of both companies, like UMG's massive roster of artists (including Katy Perry) and iHeart's hundreds of millions of listeners, to sell you stuff. "The companies will create entertainment experiences that leverage cutting-edge technology, making immersive VR performances and experiences accessible to U.S. audiences for the first time at scale," the prepared statement reads.

The idea is to bring a new VR experience to each of iHeart's big events throughout the year, with the kick-off being the outfit's music award show in April. "Full shows" (whether those are headlining sets or something else) are on tap from a quartet of unnamed artists, all of which will be shot and distributed in VR.

In case you were hoping this was some sort of misunderstanding and it'd actually be a genuine, awesome way to experience a concert without physically being there, well, I hate to break it to you, but you're probably wrong.

In a canned press release quote, iHeart's CEO Bob Pittman says that, "As advertisers seek to tie their brands and products to music and artists in innovative ways, we can use our industry-leading reach and best-of-breed music events to unlock the combined power of music and VR as a revolutionary marketing tool." And there you have it, folks: It's just a high-tech way to bombard you with product placement and marketing. If you need me, I'll be chugging Pepto-Bismol in the corner.

[Image credit: Vittorio Zunino Celotto via Getty Images]