Back in November, multi-genre artist B. Dolan organized a virtual festival in sandbox game Minecraft, #NetherRap. Now he’s announced a second, happening on April 9 and 10, in the game and streaming on YouTube. Galactic Federation of Musicians & Allied Workers benefits the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers, and the lineup features over 20 bands and artists, including Eve 6, Thursday, Ted Leo, Backxwash, Julia Holter, Kimya Dawson, Mary Lattimore, Palberta, Pictureplane, Xenia Rubinos, Vockah Redu, and more. See the lineup so far on the poster below.

Here’s more about the event from organizers:

Last November, multi-genre artist and performer B. Dolan and his team of volunteers managed to pull of an amazing feat. They threw a virtual concert called #NetherRap on Twitch and in Minecraft that was watched by over 4,000 people and attended in-game by over 300, raising over $6k for artists who’d been unable to tour during the pandemic.

Following this success, the team sought out an opportunity to bring this incredible new experience to even more people and bands, and to do something truly impactful with this technology.

The #NetherRap builders reached out to the newly formed UNION OF MUSICIANS AND ALLIED WORKERS (UMAW), who had formed during the pandemic to demand safer venues, equity from streaming services, and transparency from the music industry, and offered to throw a benefit show in Minecraft.

At the same time, a new Minecraft built collective called THE MISFIT SOCIETY reached out and offered help building and programming the next virtual venue.

From these humble beginnings, has sprung a 2 day, 20+ band festival lineup that is unlike anything ever attempted in the game. On April 9th & 10th, 2021, a custom multiplayer server will be opened for the first time, and a 12+ hour stream will commence on http://youtube.com/BDolanOfficial.

Learn more about how to attend in-game at netherrap.com, and watch a trailer below.