Second Life takes off as venue for live music
Second Life is taking on a life of its own as a venue for live music. SL has long been a favorite of the online role-playing game groupies, but in the past year, it has blossomed into a diverse and vibrant mini-economy, and now, a home for music. Both stars, and rising stars feel at home in the virtual world.
Move over, MySpace: Pop legends and aspiring rock stars are heading for an online outlet that’s more Sims than social networking.
With thousands of bands now crowding the pages of MySpace.com, acts like Duran Duran and Suzanne Vega are turning to the online virtual world of Second Life to make themselves heard.
Artists are creating avatars and using the game’s audio-streaming features to play “live” concerts on stages made of polygons. With nearly 400,000 members, Second Life is considered by some record companies to be a good venue to reach fans.
Even better, it’s profitable, if not yet lucrative to the young performers:
“There’s more and more live musicians playing on here every week,” said Melanie Fudge, a Welsh acoustic songwriter who performs in-world from home most nights under the alias “Mel Cheeky.” Fudge said there’s no equipment to lug around, she doesn’t have to drive and she can mind her son while performing.
“There’s a crowd of 30 to 45 that show up to every online event (and) I have sold many more CDs through Second Life than I did previously,” she said.