The COMMON Multiverse Initiative is taking on streaming services and festival livestreams with an experimental, open digital space. To call it a festival is a bit underrated. Over 10 days from March 12 to 21, hundreds of artists from all over the world will come together in an online hub with curated breakout rooms to tune into live sets and public chatrooms to talk to other listeners. Once connected to the COMMON Multiverse, you can seamlessly hop from room to room or even set up private chat rooms with other listeners.

Currently, the lineup has billed Anthony Child (AKA Surgeon), Hodge, Lychee, Nico, and Sepehr, with rooms curated by Fever AM, Househeads Collective, BYTE, Female:Pressure, Darker Than Wax, and Taipei Community Radio. Other than music sets, you can also expect AV installations of different mediums, readings, films, panel discussions and many other workshops from collectives. 

To call it a festival is a bit underrated. Created by music community for the music community, COMMON is driven by Current.fm which was birthed as an aftereffect of the pandemic. While we might be feeling the effects of a year without festivals, the musicians and performers are having a much more brutal time with the disappearance of gigging, which makes up bulk of their income. Constantly evolving as it adapts to the dynamic music scene, Currents.fm hopes to help artists make meaningful interactions with their music and audiences, whilst carving it out a sustainable source of income.

In just the past 6 months, COMMON has been active eight times, drawing in thousands in both participants and much-needed financial support for the artists. The latest Multiverse Initiative also launches a series of beta upgrades and bug fixes, where artists will be given more freedom over the curation of their own universes. Drawing back to the idea focuses on sharing music in the way that it was meant to be listened to, artists are given more control over how their music is experienced – whether it’s through hearing new sounds, feeling new things, or simply organising a playlist of songs from different artists.

Growing from a shared vision of a sustainable world where artists and musicians are able to connect over their appreciation of the arts, the performances from COMMON Multiverse Initiative will remain accessible online as an online showcase.

Access to the online event is free, but listeners are encouraged to support the artists with a donation which goes directly to the performers. Stop by to discover new music, and if you really like what you hear, buy an artist a virtual round of drinks or a universe if you’re feeling generous. 100% of all donations will be split evenly by the performers.

More info here: https://a.currents.fm/common