I'd browse through the racks of albums, analyzing the cover art and reading through the liner notes, trying to figure out which one to buy with my hard-earned cash.

我會瀏覽一排排專輯，分析封面藝術，閱讀內頁說明，想知道該用我的血汗錢買哪一張。

Buying an album wasn't just a purchase.

購買專輯不僅僅是購買。

It was a way to prove my fandom for a particular band, artist, or even a movement.

這是一種證明我對某一特定樂隊、藝術家甚至某項運動的狂熱的方式。

A tangible way to show my passion and connect with a community of like-minded individuals.

這是展現我的熱情並與志同道合者建立聯繫的一種具體方式。

It was a personal and emotional experience that I will always treasure.

這是一次個人的情感經歷，我將永遠珍藏。

Pirate Bay, iTunes, Spotify, and now we have all the music in the world right here in our pocket.

海盜灣、iTunes、Spotify，現在我們口袋裡裝著世界上所有的音樂。

But in that, we lost part of that connection we had via the album.

但這樣一來，我們就失去了通過專輯建立的部分聯繫。

Today, I want to talk about how we can not only recreate, but potentially even enhance that connection with the tools that are about to be given to us by the metaverse.

今天，我想談談我們如何利用元宇宙即將提供給我們的工具，不僅重新建立，甚至有可能加強這種聯繫。

But what do those tools look like today?

但如今這些工具是什麼樣子的呢？

For the past 10 years, I've been working as a songwriter and producer in the world of K-pop.

在過去的 10 年裡，我一直在 K-pop 界擔任詞曲作者和製作人。

If you're a K-pop fan, you've probably heard some of my I don't speak Korean.

如果你是 K-pop 歌迷，你可能聽過我說的 "我不會說韓語"。

In 2013, I had my first K-pop release.

2013 年，我第一次發行 K-pop 唱片。

This is before it became the global phenomenon that it is today.

這是在它成為今天的全球現象之前。

But it didn't take long to realize that something special was happening in K-pop.

但沒過多久，人們就意識到 K-pop 界正在發生一些特別的事情。

I stumbled upon a YouTube video of a sold-out stadium in Seoul with thousands of fans singing along, cheering along, dancing along in a very coordinated manner that I hadn't really seen before.

我偶然在 YouTube 上看到一段視頻，視頻中首爾的一個體育場座無虛席，成千上萬的球迷一起唱歌、歡呼、跳舞，場面非常協調，這是我以前從未見過的。

And to make it even more peculiar, this went up the same day as the album came out.

更奇特的是，這張唱片是在專輯發行的同一天發佈的。

Well, turns out K-pop fans will assemble in the morning, go to the record store, buy the album, group up into groups of concertgoers, and practice these chants, moves, and coordinate outfits to get the most out of the experience.

原來，K-pop 歌迷會在早上集合，去唱片店購買專輯，分組參加演唱會，並練習這些口號、動作和協調服裝，以獲得最佳體驗。

K-pop was offering new ways for fans to connect with physical packaging that enhanced both the real world and digital experience.

K-pop 為歌迷提供了與實物包裝聯繫的新方式，增強了現實世界和數字體驗。

Unlike in the West, K-pop albums came with merchandise like a passport to get stamped at concerts, unique limited edition trading cards, and even branded jewelry unique to your particular fandom.

與西方不同的是，K-pop 唱片附帶的商品包括在演唱會上蓋章的護照、獨一無二的限量版交易卡，甚至是你的特定粉絲所獨有的品牌珠寶。

They didn't just buy albums either, but K-pop made buying albums even better.

他們也不只是買專輯，但 K-pop 讓買專輯變得更有意義。

Then the genre matured and became more authentic when bands like BTS started singing about the stresses and troubles of everyday life, and BLACKPINK went against the grain and redefined femininity.

後來，BTS 等樂隊開始歌唱日常生活中的壓力和煩惱，BLACKPINK 則反其道而行之，重新定義了女性氣質，使這一音樂類型變得更加成熟和真實。

Now, many of the bands I work with are selling out mega stadiums like the Tokyo Dome three, four nights in a row.

現在，與我合作的許多樂隊都能在東京巨蛋這樣的超大型體育場連續三、四晚賣座。

K-pop went global despite the immense drawback of a language barrier and continues to be the fastest growing music culture movement since pop music.

儘管存在語言障礙的巨大缺陷，K-pop 仍然走向了世界，並繼續成為自流行音樂以來發展最快的音樂文化運動。

Well, at least until COVID hit.

至少在 COVID 出臺之前是這樣。

When COVID came around, many of us in the industry were worried about the impact it would have on our livelihood.

當 COVID 出現時，我們很多業內人士都擔心它會對我們的生計造成影響。

Concerts are a big deal, and they weren't happening anymore.

音樂會是一件大事，但現在已經沒有了。

February, March, April, and then something incredible happened.

二月、三月、四月，然後不可思議的事情發生了。

Online concerts became a thing, and K-pop fans were willing to pay for those tickets.

在線演唱會成為一種時尚，K-pop 歌迷願意為這些門票買單。

This led to me working on a project to not only bring a K-pop concert to the screen, but to bring a live K-pop star into the metaverse.

這促使我參與了一個項目，不僅要把 K-pop 演唱會搬上銀幕，還要把現場的 K-pop 明星帶入元宇宙。

We brought on Alexa, an artist I've worked with since 2019 when we did her first single, Bomb, and we set out to do what we do best.

我們請來了 Alexa，她是我從 2019 年就開始合作的藝人，當時我們製作了她的首支單曲《炸彈》，我們開始做我們最擅長的事情。

We were going to put on a show.

我們要表演節目。

Let's bring a live concert into the metaverse.

讓我們把現場音樂會帶入元宇宙。

The result didn't quite live up to our expectations.

結果並沒有達到我們的預期。

Turns out, a lot of the things that we love and appreciate from a real-world live concert doesn't translate to the virtual one, so we had to look elsewhere for those interactions.

事實證明，我們在現實世界的現場音樂會上所喜愛和欣賞的很多東西並不能在虛擬音樂會上得到體現，是以我們不得不在其他地方尋找這些互動。

Where did we turn?

我們該轉向哪裡？

We turned to video games.

我們轉而玩電子遊戲。

We added things like story and narrative.

我們增加了故事和敘事等內容。

We assigned people missions.

我們給人們分配任務。

We gave them real-world physics, but we gave them the ability to sort of mess with those.

我們給了他們現實世界中的物理知識，但也給了他們一些擾亂這些知識的能力。

People loved that.

人們喜歡這樣。

We also gave them emotes, specific dance moves.

我們還賦予他們表情和特定的舞蹈動作。

They could dance along to the concert.

他們可以跟著音樂會跳舞。

Maybe most important of all, we gave the players the ability to contact and talk to Alexa directly during the show.

也許最重要的是，我們讓玩家能夠在節目中直接與 Alexa 聯繫和對話。

The result was an entirely new connection between the artist and the audience, but now all of a sudden, the individuals in the audience.

其結果是藝術家與觀眾之間建立了一種全新的聯繫，但現在突然之間，觀眾中的個人也與藝術家建立了聯繫。

Their unique participation played an entirely different role in the flow and outcome of the show.

他們獨特的參與對演出的流程和結果起到了完全不同的作用。

The result was a connection and online experience unlike any I've ever experienced before, and what we did there was just the tip of the iceberg.

我們在那裡所做的一切只是冰山一角。

Technology greatly shapes the way we interact with entertainment, and now just like music, games are going through some similar shifts.

技術在很大程度上改變了我們與娛樂的互動方式，現在就像音樂一樣，遊戲也在經歷著類似的轉變。

Gamers, like music fans, root a lot of their friendships, hobbies, and identity in their particular game fandom.

遊戲玩家和樂迷一樣，他們的許多友誼、愛好和身份認同都源於他們特定的遊戲迷。

Also, like the music industry, games have gone through a shift from physical to digital and now streaming, and who's to say we don't lose something there too?

此外，與音樂產業一樣，遊戲也經歷了從實體到數字，再到現在的流媒體的轉變，誰又能保證我們不會在這方面有所損失呢？

Thankfully, the metaverse has the opportunity to spare us from that loss by offering all of you the opportunity to buy in in whichever way you want with your assets without having to disregard the amazing access.

值得慶幸的是，元宇宙為我們提供了避免這種損失的機會，它讓你們所有人都有機會用自己的資產以任何方式購買，而不必無視令人驚歎的訪問權限。

It's an add-on, but just owning an asset doesn't necessarily warrant an experience.

它是一種附加物，但僅僅擁有資產並不一定就能獲得體驗。

It's a springboard.

這是一個跳板。

The interactions that follow are where the magic happens, but what are these interactions that we oh so crave?

我們如此渴望的互動是什麼？

Well, I break them down into three separate categories.

我把它們抽成三類。

Personal, group, and interpersonal, or simply burger, fries, milkshake.

個人、團體和人際關係，或者僅僅是漢堡、薯條和奶昔。

Think of it as if you're reading a book.

把它想象成你在讀一本書。

You get the story, the burger, and hopefully it's exhilarating and it takes you to this otherworldly place of adventure.

你會聽到故事，吃到漢堡，希望它能讓你興奮不已，帶你進入這個異世界的冒險之地。

Now, I want you to imagine that you're going to book club.

現在，我要你想象一下，你要去參加讀書俱樂部。

You put the book down a long time ago, but you're feeling excited.

你很久以前就放下了這本書，但你感到很興奮。

You're looking forward to meeting your fellow readers and talking about the adventure you went through when you were reading the book, and you're also looking forward to hearing about how they experienced flipping through those pages too.

你期待著與你的讀者朋友見面，談論你在閱讀這本書時經歷的冒險，你也期待著聽聽他們也是如何翻閱這些書頁的。

That's the milkshake, but the same feeling can be sparked from the group experience.

這就是奶昔，但同樣的感覺也可以從集體體驗中激發出來。

The OMG, did that just happen?

天哪，這是真的嗎？

And you turned to your friend and they freaking saw it too.

你轉頭看向你的朋友，他們也嚇了一跳。

It could have been a moment that lasted for as little as a microsecond, but you may speak of this moment a thousand more times throughout your life.

那一刻可能只持續了一微秒，但在你的一生中，你可能會無數次提起這一刻。

Shared moments are the most powerful tool we have when it comes to building relationships, and I believe the metaverse will do so even better than K-pop.

共享時刻是我們建立關係的最有力工具，我相信元宇宙在這方面會比 K-pop 做得更好。

What K-pop did was incredible.

K-pop 的所作所為令人難以置信。

By bridging the gap between album and merchandise, the album maintained its relevance despite the dawn of streaming.

通過彌合專輯和商品之間的差距，儘管流媒體時代已經來臨，但這張專輯仍然保持了其相關性。

The true creators of the metaverse will create assets that have intrinsic value to the world in which they inhabit.

真正的元宇宙創造者將創造出對他們所居住的世界具有內在價值的資產。

Instead of an album, you may get a key that opens up a door to an experience built just for you.

你得到的可能不是一本相冊，而是一把鑰匙，打開一扇通往專為你打造的體驗之門。

Or maybe there's other key holders, and maybe you can't even buy this key.

或許還有其他鑰匙持有者，或許你根本買不到這把鑰匙。

It has to be earned through your involvement and unique participation in your community of fandom.

它必須通過你在你的粉絲社區中的參與和獨特的參與來贏得。

The metaverse won't just change the way we interact with games and music.

元宇宙不僅會改變我們與遊戲和音樂的互動方式。

The metaverse will be the democratization of pop culture, an experience currently outpriced for most of the world.

元宇宙將是流行文化的民主化，目前世界上大多數人都無法享受到這種體驗。

Imagine a world where everyone can go backstage, everyone can talk to their favorite stars, together with your closest and most distant friends.

想象一下，在這個世界上，每個人都可以進入後臺，每個人都可以與自己喜愛的明星交談，還有你最親密和最遙遠的朋友。

The winners of the metaverse won't be who has the most money or the best tech.

元宇宙的贏家不會是誰擁有最多的錢或最好的技術。

It'll be whoever can give me that feeling I had as a teenager with my first album to the teenagers of today, logging on to the metaverse for the very first time.

無論是誰，只要能讓我感受到我青少年時期的第一張專輯，還是今天的青少年第一次登錄元宇宙時的那種感覺，那就是我的夢想。

Thank you.

謝謝。