Posted by Paisley Beebe in Uncategorized | 1 Comment
The Music Biz in SL, why isn’t it doing better?
There’s been a lot of posts on the subject of the slide in popularity of Live Music Events….(is it a slide? or just more musicians working much more gigs!)
Some like DJ Doubledown Tandino have seen it just in the last few weeks,
And Morris Vig has his theories, he doesn’t think musicians are using a successful model for success in SL,
and DJ Nexus Fatale weighs in also
People site, Lagg, confusing listings, bad Musicianship, boring shows, repetitive themes, bad platform stability, and the RL recession, for the reason that crowd number and finances have all dropped since the glory days of 2006-2007. Ive been interviewed a few times this month to talk about Music in SL, once by a Japanese Student as part of an exhibition in Tokyo, and once by Ciaran Lavel
and Ive posted on a few Blogs First Life is full of Crap (If it gets posted there, I’m writting this before the post has been moderated) and Double’s and Morris’s blog posts on the same subject (above).
As you can see by my comment below, The onus in SL is often put squarely on the musician to create a show worth returning to over and over again but, in my theory no amount of bells and whistles can in reality, or virtual reality create a situation where the same audience would WANT to keep comming back to see the same act or variations of it over and over again….In RL we musicians move around…for good reason unless you are, or want to be background music, al la the Piano Man in your local bar…you need to change audiences and spread the love.
Here is my Comment on Craps Blog, see the other blogs above for other comments and posts, I should basically one day put it in a book…but it wouldn’t rate Im afraid.
Ok so I had to have 2 beers while reading your post Crap, you and I disagree on some things, but I agree with you on this, of course. I’ll give you your due, you are passionate about the music scene in SL and one of its biggest most generous supporters and Im not saying that to get in your good books, its just the truth.All the comments about how to find good live music in SL make my head spin, its got to be easier! I said on another blog post and I’ll say it here, SL needs an interactive log in screen, like other virtual worlds do. I think we are all aware that the common reason people don’t give Second Life a Second chance is that, over and over again new people come to SL and have no idea what there is to do and where to do it. You should be able to log in, as a noobie or a seasoned user, and choose to go home, last location or visit….places and events….click this shiny button and get a list of …..what ever. Im not clever enough to even know if this is possible but why should people google, write lists or get word of mouth…. Re the amount of bad performers…. you know what?…going to see a “bad” performer only makes you appreciate a good one, if you are going to give up on all Music in SL by seeing one “bad” performer you are clearly not that keen.
As far as Critic’s go, I can read the reviews of a movie or a performer in RL and still go see that movie or performance and either agree or disagree with the critics, Critics are not Objective!!!! and the artist may have had an “off” night! The most hyped advertised lorded performers have left me cold, “Nicole Kidman” sorry…..it was only a matter of time that that lovely lady got found out.. Its not really in our total control to “fix” this, the SL interface needs to make events and places to easier to find. I think the showcase was an attempt to do this, but it is not an event listing, or even up to date, there are places listed on there that haven’t had music on for a verrrrry long time…
In both RL and SL ,bells and whistles do not make me come back over and over again to see the same performer, Im sorry… I may be in the minority but special effects don’t do it for me…collaborations are interesting but not at the expense of great music, in RL I am soooo sick of great musicians being teamed up with the damn National Orchestra, just to cover both bases and get more crowds. I will go see a musician in RL probably once in 6 years…not because I can’t afford to go, ( I can’t actually) but because usually its a really special event and I really only want to see that person once, much like movies I rarely watch movies more than once (Ground Hog Day is an exception…)or twice…now thats just me, lots of people do watch the same movies over and over. I guess the thrill for me is seeing that artist live for the first time! not necessarily over and over.
I agree that we have an opportunity to use this platform to do things absolutely impossible in RL and we should use this!, but there are a hell of a lot of musicians out there who just play their music or just sing, they maybe and often are, in both RL and in SL… hopeless at all the theatrics, and that’s ok! We do need for those theatrically challenged, promoters, and event planners, people with vision with creativity to use this platform in such a way that in order to make up for the fact that we are not in the same RL space with the musician we get something we cant get in RL. People like Chou Chou are an extraordinary combination of Graphic Designers and Musicians, I personally know and work with some of the best musicians in Australia and I know for a fact they play like absolute geniuses, but to actually conceive of a show, a visual experience! they would be absolutely hopeless!
We are missing some important elements of RL music here, ease of finding Live music, Promoters, and consumers, regardless of spring, footy or recession. Many of these posts and comments are getting to that. It will take time to get there. In the short term I still think its getting the word out to those 80% of users on SL that have no idea how to find the music. As far as unity goes, look to be honest about this….Musicians, and Singers have to be the most insular, self focused, child like people, (other than Actors) in the world. Its very very difficult for us to “unite” when we are competing against each other for gigs, and in all honesty we are. Its EXACTLY the same in RL. We can’t even have a decent union here in Aust. Do not expect a great united front of musicians we are far to self absorbed, sorry to those that think they aren’t. Its part of our make up. There will be factions and cliques but basically we are lone wolves. Great that this is being thrashed out its all good for Music. I have heaps more to say, but Ive said it on many forums and in many posts, I don’t like to repeat myself… Paisley
Here’s an idea that every Musician is going to hate!!!!
Work Less! let everyone have a go 
Then you won’t hogg all the crowds oh and can you excellent Musicians be a little less excellent so that some people will leave and go to a less excellent gig to share the Lindens and Love around.
Regards Paisley
A note on the Picture…thats from Tonight Live our pre-show reminders, do you think it works? nope…its the old “Oh they aren’t meaning me, everyone else is over ARC’d”
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
- What’s Wrong With the Music Biz in SL!!!!!! « iheartsl.com Second Life’s largest community blog - [...] give up on all Music in SL by seeing one “bad” performer you are clearly not that keen.read more ...
- What’s Missing From Second Life Events | Nexeus Fatale - [...] with their audience and collaborations between artists and locations need to occur more often. Paisley Beebe joined in the ...
Perhaps the photo and the warning on attachments and lag speaks volumes about the future of music on the grid.
Maybe… just maybe… it’s the platform itself?
I’m looking forward to see what Betti of NPIRL digs up in her explorations… Grace McD has already done a chatbridged event between two grids for music… I’ve seen Cyl and Louis Volare do simulcasts into uStream and SL… JueL and Cyl and others post their stream raw for those who can’t get into SL and just want the music… it all points to the fact that SL suffers at either end: the crowds are dwindling… thinning… spread like butter over too much bread, but when there’s plenty of butter, the bread gets soggy and comes apart.
I emailed my thoughts on copy-paste. Was in a Dennis Hopper Apocalypse Now mood heading into Downtown, more ramble than rant.
-ls/cm