Paris Hilton has announced a partnership with The Sandbox to bring Paris World into its metaverse platform. Through her company 11:11 Media, Paris will launch a digital space allowing fans to interact with her and buy virtual merchandise.
The socialite-turned-entrepreneur already established Paris World as a Roblox island with a virtual amusement park, mansions, pets and a beach. With the addition of Paris World on The Sandbox, Paris is beginning to execute her multi metaverse approach, bringing her digital space to fans across different platforms.
Among the various features planned for Paris World on The Sandbox are virtual rooftop parties and social experiences for fans as well as new virtual avatars and merchandise for sale.
“I think it makes it so accessible for people who are unable (to travel),” said Paris talking to CNBC about her metaverse ventures. “We’re talking to some artists and musicians to come to Paris World for concerts and they can sell their merch or whatever they want.”
Her reference to merchandise was in answer to a question about selling tickets to virtual events. Her lack of response regarding tickets leaves the impression that it’s not a priority. However, NFTs have been used by others to gain access to events. On the other hand, Paris noted that online experiences enable her to reach mass audiences often a hundred times larger than in-person events. And her ability to build her brand has been a key to her success.
This is not Paris’ first foray into web3. She created her first NFT in 2019 and gave the proceeds to charity. This February, she launched her own NFT collection dubbed “Paris: Past Lives, New Beginnings”. Her collaboration with The Sandbox arguably is the natural next step in establishing her presence in the metaverse.
This venture is indicative of how entertainers might use the metaverse to engage with fans and tap into new revenue streams in this digital space. Events are uniquely suited to the metaverse because they bring together many people simultaneously, rather than visiting an empty 3D space. On the other hand, large events can be technically challenging from a scaling perspective.
Others have also partnered with The Sandbox for events, including Warner Music. Artist Snoop Dogg has a metaverse record label and a virtual mansion located in The Sandbox.
Meanwhile, two other web3 record labels, Timbaland and a Universal Music subsidiary, have based their metaverse groups on Bored Ape NFTs.
