I got a surprise message today from Leaf Shermer; a concert by Second Life/real life musician Craig Lyons was about to begin.
Craig performed on Leaf's sim last week; I think she had him back today just because she wanted to. You go girl!
He was great last week, and he was great today. I'm starting to become familiar with his songs, and that makes it even better.
Craig Lyons is quite the wonder in SL; he was recently written up in several newspapers, including The Los Angeles Times.
Times reporter Laura Ferreiro seems to get Second Life; she clearly understands that a three-dimensional virtual experience is heads above a two-dimensional one in providing an intimate and interactive listening experience.
Music could easily be THE thing that brings Second Life to large numbers of people. Attending a concert here is the second-best thing to a real life concert-- and in some ways it's better. I well remember walking out of a Nancy Griffith concert because 1) she suddenly fancied herself a rock-and-roll singer and was loudly playing tunes meant to be acoustic while backed up with an electric rock band; and 2) my seat in the first row of balcony at Atlanta's Fox Theatre was proving a pain-in-the-ass as people walked past five or six times a minute, obscuring my vision. I was out forty bucks and one evening of my life; if I had been in Second Life I could have simply teleported away.
I'm not saying Second Life will or should replace live concerts; I'm merely saying SL concerts are often rich and satisfying experiences with banter and interaction you could never get in a large concert hall.
Limitations on the number of avatars that can fit into a single space might discourage some musicians from coming to Second Life, but I think it's clear how important performing here can be in the making of a musical career. Musicians here tend to have enthusiastic fans who will tell others about their favorite musicians and buy their songs.
Attending concerts is a bargain in Second Life. A tip of $500L is considered liberal-- and for those hosting shows, it's a bargain too. Where else can you hire a musician to play for an hour for $10 or $15 dollars?
Not all Second Life musicians are as accomplished as Craig, but wherever they are in their careers, performing in Second Life can be to their benefit.
Here's a remarkable machinima by Craig; it was great to watch him play the song (he uses a live video stream) after having watched the film.
Thanks, Leaf, for making my Wednesday a bit brighter.
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