Projekt Melody, or Melody ( ja, メロディー) for short, is a 3D anime-styled live streamer, or

VTuber A , or , is an online entertainer who uses a virtual avatar generated using computer graphics. Real-time motion capture software or technology are often—but not always—used to capture movement. The digital trend originated in Japan in the mid- ...

. She first appeared when her Twitter account opened in July 2019, and she has

live streamed Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...

Chaturbate Chaturbate is a pornographic website providing live webcam performances by individual webcam models and couples, typically featuring nudity and sexual activity ranging from striptease and erotic talk to more explicit sexual acts such as ma ...

and

Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle co ...

since early 2020. During her first three days of Chaturbate streaming, Melody's Twitter followers rose from 700 to over 20,000, and her sudden rise in popularity had mixed reactions. In late 2020, Melody became a founding member of VShojo, one of the first VTuber

talent agencies Talent has two principal meanings: * Talent (measurement), an ancient unit of mass and value * Talent (skill), a group of aptitudes useful for some activities; talents may refer to aptitudes themselves or to possessors of those talents Talent may ...

based in the

Western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

. She describes herself as an

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech r ...

Overview

DigitrevX, an American animator of anime-style 3D character models for VTubers, was commissioned to create Projekt Melody's original avatar. She is rendered in real time using the

game engine A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games and generally includes relevant libraries and support programs. The "engine" terminology is similar to the term " software engine" used in the softwar ...

Unity Unity may refer to: Buildings * Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building * Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper * Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England * Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; a ...

. She has purple and blue hair and an adhesive bandage on her nose, and her appearance was influenced by anime such as ''

Ghost in the Shell ''Ghost in the Shell'' is a Japanese cyberpunk media franchise based on the seinen manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. The manga, first serialized in 1989 under the subtitle of ''The Ghost in the Shell' ...

'' and ''

Hyperdimension Neptunia is a series of role-playing video games created and developed by Compile Heart and Idea Factory. The series debuted in Japan on August 19, 2010, with the video game of the same name for the PlayStation 3, later re-released as an enhanced rema ...

''. Melody claims to be an artificial intelligence, with her first appearance in July 2019 on Twitter involving her acting as a broken

chat program Online chat may refer to any kind of communication over the Internet that offers a real-time transmission of text messages from sender to receiver. Chat messages are generally short in order to enable other participants to respond quickly. Ther ...

that progressively developed sentience. She describes herself as "the first ... 3D rendered hentai

camgirl A webcam model (colloquially, camgirl, camboy, or cammodel) is a video performer who streams on the Internet with a live webcam broadcast. A webcam model often performs erotic acts online, such as stripping, masturbation, or sex acts in exchan ...

Live streaming

Chaturbate

Projekt Melody hosted her first stream on Chaturbate on February 7, 2020. During the three days after this stream, her Twitter follower count increased from 700 to more than 20,000. While her streams are in progress, Melody uses a

Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limit ...

-enabled

bullet vibrator A love egg is a type of egg or bullet shaped vibrator that is used for stimulation. They can also be referred to as egg vibrators or bullet vibrators, depending on their shape. They are typically weaker than larger external vibrators, such as w ...

that reacts to donations from viewers.

Twitch

On March 7, 2020, Melody made her live streaming debut on

, where she was partnered before her first stream was broadcast. By the stream's end, she had over 50,000 followers. On March 12, 2020, Twitch issued Melody a three-day suspension.

Reddit Reddit (; stylized in all lowercase as reddit) is an American social news news aggregator, aggregation, Review site#Rating site, content rating, and Internet forum, discussion website. Registered users (commonly referred to as "Redditors") subm ...

users speculated on several possible reasons for her Twitch suspension, such as having a vibrator visible on her bed, skin becoming visible under her shirt when it

clipped ''Clipped'' is a video featuring five tracks by the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. First released in 1991, it contained three tracks from '' The Razors Edge'' and two from ''Blow Up Your Video''. In 2002 a DVD version was released which al ...

, linking to

NSFW Not safe for work (NSFW) is Internet slang or shorthand used to mark links to content, videos, or website pages the viewer may not wish to be seen looking at in a public, formal or controlled environment. The marked content may contain nudity, p ...

content, and hentai publisher Fakku providing sponsorship. On April 7, Twitch updated its nudity and attire policy, establishing new guidelines for acceptable levels of clothing coverage for all streamers on the website, including digital characters like Melody. On November 4, Twitch issued Melody a second suspension due to DigitrevX making a

DMCA The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a 1998 United States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or ...

filing related to a copyright claim over Melody's usage of her model. The suspension was lifted the following day. On November 24, 2020, Melody announced the launch of VShojo, one of the first Western VTuber talent agencies. On September 24, 2021, Melody debuted a new

Live2D Live2D is an animation software developed by Live2D Ltd. It can be used to generate real-time 2D animations, usually anime-style characters, using layered, continuous parts based on an illustration, without the need of frame-by-frame animation ...

-based character model.

Reception

Projekt Melody's popularity drew criticism from fellow webcam models, who argued that she does not experience the same degree of vulnerability as human models, and questioned if she belonged on Chaturbate. Projekt Melody subreddit moderator "jyl5555" said that fans enjoy the "wittiness and absurdity of Melody as a concept".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Melody, Projekt American animation Applications of artificial intelligence Sexuality and computing Twitch (service) streamers Virtual influencers VShojo Living people Unidentified people Year of birth missing (living people)