Quality Vs. Quantity: Performing In Second Life

Something I’ve noticed about myself when considering going to a concert in Second Life is that I look at who is playing at a certain time, say 7 pm slt/pdt, and if there is a performer that I enjoy but performs multiple shows a day many days a week, I will pass over their show for someone who does not play as much. I will basically say to myself “Oh X will have more shows tomorrow or later tonight, I will maybe catch them then.”

I’ve known performers in SL that are doing multiple shows a day, sometimes with only an hour between shows. I really feel like they are doing a disservice to both their career and the venues that are booking them. Second Life.

Playing multiple shows close together will affect your potential draw. People will have more possible times where they can come see you, so instead of having one really well attended show, you end up with several less attended. The exception for this in SL is if you put 6 hours between your shows, which will be targeting different time zones. If you have a show at 5pm, 7pm and 9pm, you are essentially targeting the same basic audience but if you have a 2pm show and 8pm show, there are different people on for each time period.

As a venue owner and longtime venue manager, I have also seen how overbooking negatively impacts the venue. The owner pays for a performer to come play, often the venue has stores or something that helps them generate income to pay for the performers. If you are losing draw because you are booking a lot of shows close together, you devalue yourself to the venue since your draw suffers and consequently, the venue traffic. Then venue owners will be less likely to rebook you and even want to pay less because you are not bringing in the traffic to justify  paying the full price. There are venues who book and pay for shows for the love of music and do not have an expectation of draw. However, since many venues have stores that pay rent - as their main source of revenue - they will simply will not pay performers if traffic is not repeatedly maintained.

Potentially, in performing fewer shows, you can actually generate more money. You can charge a little more per show and expect higher attendance. This means better tips for you and better donations to a happier venue (who is more likely to have you back).

Also, by performing less, you can help reduce the 6pm to 8pm slt “event congestion”. On any given day there could be 50+ concerts happening at 7pm slt. Having so many possible concerts at one time also can hurt attendance. If you eliminate a few shows a week during those “prime times” it can help the community over all.

Music and Social Media

There was a Facebook discussion started today about music and social media. That discussion inspired this blog post, so thank you Rapture.

As someone who successfully manages independent musicians, social media has been a huge help. It is social media that is changing the face of the music scene as we know it.

I remember when I was a kid reading about music in magazines and seeing shows and interviews on television. Back then, if you wanted to see independent musicians perform, you had to go to your local club or bar and if you are like me who lives in a small town, your choices were very limited.


Now, because of social media, independent musicians have so many other ways to get heard and get their music to people they otherwise might not be able to with out a "big break".  The ways of clamoring for the attention of an A&R rep from a big name music company are changing tremendously.

The face of the music industry is changing and I am excited about it. The world is at our fingertips and musicians now need to consider all their options for promoting their music.

Anyone can have a website these days. A musicians website is like their business card. However it offers more than a business card.It should have the details of the musician's musical career on it, such as, their biography, pictures, samples of their music, contact info for fans and for business, links to all their social media and any other info you would want people to see.

Social media is more socially interactive and about building relationships with your fans. Places like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and others are ways to reach out to fans and share your life and important news. So, which social media outlets do you use?

Social media changes and new things come out and become popular. So, I say to take some time and see which ones appeal most to you. If you feel like keeping up with it all spreads you too thin, then choose the few that you think the majority of your fan base uses the most. Not everyone is on all social media, so it is important to have several places for fans to connect with you. Take a look at the various ways each social media site connects you to your fans. If you don't do the research, you could be missing out on something great. It pays to stay informed.

"Using Social Networking has become a mainstay in my music career. With millions of people from all over the world on these websites, it changes the model of "grass roots" and provides a great set of power tools for indie artists to reach new fans and get them talking about your music." - Seth Regan

Also, this is where your management can help and I've seen some "managers" take a back seat in this role. Managers are supposed to do more than just book your shows and send a few notices around. They should be an important part of your business, the business of your music. There is nothing wrong with your manager posting on your fan page about your upcoming shows, new song releases or any business aspect of your music. They can also search for groups with in social media to post your info to in order to expand your reach. Your management is there to help your career, utilize them.

Blogs are another way to build a relationship with your fans. If you have more to say than a post on Facebook or Twitter allows on a certain topic, blog it. Maybe you have had an experience that you want to share about a gig or an instrument or anything you think your fans might like to read.

There are so many options now for indie musicians, it's up to manager and artist to work together and find out which direction is best for them.

Second Life Supports Seth Regan / Mankind Tracer

("Paper Cup" is Seth Regan's Original Song entered into the Contest)

For 6 years straight, Seth has been entertaining us, raising money for our charities, creating fun SL events and much more. WE HAVE THE POWER to show our appreciation for all he has contributed to SL! I know we would all like to see one of our own succeed.

The way it works is very simple. The more increase in fans he receives on his Social Profiles from now until December 23, the higher up he will move in the contest. In order to support him, take just a few minutes to “Like” Seth on Facebook, “Follow” him on Twitter, MySpace and SoundCloud, and “Subscribe” to his YouTube channel.

Take just a few minutes to support Seth's Social Profiles

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/sethreganmusic

YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/user/sgregan

TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/sethreganmusic

MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/sethregan

SOUNDCLOUD: http://www.soundcloud.com/sethreganmusic

You can find out more about the contest here: http://songwriter.whooznxt.com/

Musicians and Venues Working Together

In an effort to assist live music venues, many of which pay for their overhead out of their own pockets to provide live entertainment, Seth Regan (Mankind Tracer in SL) and I have recently started offering venues something which we believe to be a reasonable solution.

The first idea Seth had was to only have one tip jar for venue and musician. Since the majority of audiences tip the artists considerably more than the venues, Seth offered to automatically split the tips he receives with the venue and remove the venue tip jar completely. This could work to the venues benefit in several ways.

The first benefit of splitting the tips, using only Seth's tip jar, is that at a concert with 60 people or more in attendance (Seth's average draw) it can get very laggy. This way, people only have to find one tip jar.

Another benefit is that there will be less "tip that, tip this" in local chat. This allows people to socialize more with less interruption.

During the week, we approached the venue, Ground Zero, owned by our friends Thea and GMetal, about this idea. They were both very open to trying a something new. We decided to try it out that coming Saturday.

After the concert, we all got together on Skype, discussed the outcome and worked out the numbers. We found that the venue saw a 33% increase in tips. Also, Thea and GMetal reported that several people expressed to them how they enjoyed the lack of "tip reminders" in local chat and it was a much more fun and relaxed show with greater audience interaction.

With this success, Seth and I didn't want to rest on our laurels, so we decided to revisit something we had discussed in the past: Sponsorship.

We then approached long time live music venue owner Liz Harley at Key West, where Seth's next show was scheduled. We asked if she was open to the idea of not only having paying sponsors to reduce the cost she pays Seth as a booking fee, but to also try the tip split as well. After informing her of the success at Ground Zero, Liz was very receptive to trying a new approach.

Seth and I got to work and found three sponsors for that show.

I'm happy to say that this show was also a success! The venue made good tips from the split. Further, the reduced booking fee kept money in her pocket. Liz was very pleased at the outcome, as were the sponsors and the idea of having sponsors was well received by the people attending the show.

We have decided to continue on with this model of splitting tips and getting businesses to sponsor Seth's shows. We are also continuing our brainstorming to try to come up with new ways to help the venues reduce their out of pocket expenses.

While this model may or may not work for every venue and performer, I felt it was worth mentioning to perhaps encourage more ideas but also to just inform that there are different ways to do things.

If you own a business (SL or RL) and would like to discuss sponsoring Seth's shows, please contact me by email brandy@sethregan.com or message in Second Life (Kalli Birman).

What Should A Serious Musician Expect From Their SL Manager?

If you are a musician who is serious about their Second Life career, you should expect a higher level of service from your management. This is not really written for the hobbyist who is just coming into SL to play every now and then. Those management expectations would be different. However, for the serious musician, here is a list of things you should expect from your manager.

Seth Regan / Mankind Tracer performing at Club Graffiti in SL

1. The most important thing to expect from a serious manager in SL is COMMITMENT. A real commitment to you and your brand. Commitment means different things to different people. It will be up to you to define what commitment means to you.

2. You should expect your manager to BE AT YOUR SHOWS (barring any real emergencies or internet failure) and be there working. During the gig the manager's job is to get people to the show, work the crowd, answer messages about you, booking, your music or the show. Your manager should also be your liaison to the venue owner or manager, make sure the show runs smoothly, let you know if there is something wrong with the sound or stream, generally communicate anything you may need to know and promote you and your brand. Sometime a musician will also have a host that will greet people and remind people to tip you and the venue, let them know how to find your social media, videos and CDs. If you do not have a host, then these things would also fall on the manager. Which leads to my next item....

3. Your manager should PROMOTE YOU to the best of their ability. They should hunt down every group possible in Second Life to send notices to and then actually send the notices to all those groups before your show starts. You should be discussing the content of those notices with your manager to make sure what they are saying accurately reflects your brand. They should also be promoting you over social media. There are a lot of social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter your manager can use to promote your Second Life shows.

4. Your SL group should GROW! Ultimately, it is your talent that people will come back for but it is up to your manager to make sure your fans do get into your SL group and make sure they stay informed of events. It is also up to your manager to get people to your shows, which ultimately will lead to growth of your group.

5. The manager you choose should be able to BOOK SHOWS for you. It is your managers job to make sure you have gigs booked and listed in events. They should be booking shows that will help expand your fan base and get you paid.

6. You should expect to pay your manager the INDUSTRY STANDARD of 15 - 20% of each gig booked or the same % of tips if the show is a tips only show. No manager should get a flat weekly fee because it does not motivate them to book more shows. To make more money, they book more shows.

7. As a serious musician, your manager should TAKE YOUR CAREER SERIOUSLY as well. If your manager ever says "It's only SL", RUN... Run Quickly and find someone who doesn't look at your career as just a game.

Do You REALLY Want To Manage a Musician in Second Life?

So, you think you want to manage a musician in Second Life?

Photo by Syx Sixpence

I got very lucky when Seth Regan (Mankind Tracer in SL) and I started working together because he had been managing his own career for 3 years already and knew the ins and outs of the SL music industry. He and I both have backgrounds in business and marketing, the same strong work ethic, similar business beliefs and our philosophies about life and work just mesh well. All that lead us to very quickly becoming not only manager and musician, but best friends as well and still are almost two years later. We have even become business partners in The Tracer|Birman Agency and The Village. It is rare that people will get as fortunate as we have been in this area.

Often times a musician will not understand the business side of music and make no mistake, music is a business.  As a musician manager, you need to really have a good grasp of business. The artist and their music are your products and you are selling them. You will sell them to venues, bloggers, magazines, radio stations and the general public. It will be up to you to sit down with your artist and decide how best to brand and market them. You NEED a business plan and a marketing plan.

Communication with your musician and in general is so important, I cannot stress this enough. Seth and I often are on the phone, skype, or SL voice 6 times a day or more but do not expect that from the musician you manage. As I stated, we are business partners and best friends too, so we are very involved in each others lives. I've have heard from other managers in the past that they can have real issues with communicating with their artist. The musician does not log in except to perform, they won't provide a means to get in touch with them outside of Second Life or there could be days between finding time to discuss important business matters. Other people you will need to communicate with will be venues, the press, fans and the public. If you cannot communicate, how can you effectively manage?

Another thing to keep in mind is that the musician is an artist. Sometimes an artist is a bit touchy on certain topics like their music. "Now keep in mind that I'm an artist, and I'm sensitive about my shit"- Eyrkah Badu, singer/songwriter. Everyone has insecurities or things they are sensitive about but sometimes with an artist they can be more sensitive than others. You might find that your musician cannot take constructive (or any) criticism, they might be sensitive about their age, or feel insecure about their talent even. These are personality quirks you have to decide if you can handle or not. When it comes to Seth and his music I can tell him if he is sounding off or if I don't like a song or if he needs to tweek something here or there and it's okay. An artist needs to appreciate professional input as they should always want to sound their best, but sometimes, need that extra set of ears. Seth knows this and truly appreciates my input. However, some people will not want that input or you need to walk on eggshells and choose your words carefully to express things to the musician. Some musicians want to be "true artists" and do not want any advice at all, so my question is... How do you grow as an artist with out at least listening to the input of the people with your best intentions at heart?

The last thing I want to touch on here is commitment. You HAVE to be really committed to your musician. In the course of the time that I have been managing musicians, even before Seth, I have missed 4 shows. I was in world working a show with 102 degree fever and throwing up but I was there and the audience had no idea that I was sick. If you make a commitment to your musician then follow through on every level.

Second Life Manager? Booking Agent? Publicist?

For those of you who don't know by my previous blogs or because you know me personally, one of the things I do in Second Life is Musician Management. Currently I am managing the most recognized rock musician in SL, Mankind Tracer (Seth Regan in RL). Before I managed Mankind, I managed other well known musicians in Second Life.

In my four years in Second Life, I have come to find that not all "managers" are created equal. There are a lot of Musician Managers in SL that are not really managers, they are Booking Agents or Publicist/PR people. Booking Agents and Publicists are very important in the career of the musician as well but they are not managers.

There are many sorts of managers for real life musicians, Artist/Band Manager, Business Manager, Tour Manager, etc. Many times for smaller musicians/bands in RL, one person takes on all these roles, just like in Second Life. However, I think the title of "manager" is not always accurate in some cases in Second Life.

Lets take a look at the possible Second Life positions:

The Manager:

The Artist Manager needs to help direct the career of the artist and research the various people in Second Life such as booking agents, publicists, photographers, machinamists/video directors, stylists/designers, graphic artists and how they play into the artist career plan. The more contacts you have the better equipped you are for the manager job. In managing the career of the musicians they may also help with song selections, sound and give feedback on shows.Unlike in RL, the manager also In SL the manager often assumes the role of the other sort of managers that I have listed. Making sure the artist gets paid and their expenses are covered, checking that the venues have done their parts by listing, promoting and setting up performance space and other details of the show.

The Booking Agent:

The booking agent role is different than what a manager does. The booking agent will work with the artist to agree on dates and times available for performances, how much to charge for bookings and how negotiable that fee is, what the goals are for the "tour" and contact promoters ad venues to pitch the musician and book the performances. They also arrange the contracts regarding fees, equipment (ie the venue must provide a stage) and the rider or terms of the contract. They must have great  communication skills to sell the talent and develop contacts, as well as, communicating with the artist as to when shows are and if anything needs to or has changed with the scheduled shows. In Second Life this role is often taken on by the manager as well or the musician does their own booking.

The Publicist (PR Person):

A Publicist handles the publicity and press needs of the artist in SL. Publicity helps get people to the shows in Second Life. A publicist must be able to get an artist's name out there in as many ways as possible and consistently research new ways to promote.  Sending group notices to as many places as possible including: SL groups, Facebook, Twitter, Second Friends, bloggers or any other avenue they can find. In second life this role can also be done by the "assistant" or "host" and also could fall on the manager. Again this person's communication skills and professionalism are critical because they are the public face of the performer.

It is immensely important for musicians to consider what their needs are for their careers and what people they will need to work with to make their career plan happen. You can have someone who takes the role of Manager and another person for Booking Agent and Publicist or you can find one person who can do it all. Often I have seen in Second Life that the person being titled manager is not really managing but maybe just doing the job of a Booking Agent or Publicist. Some are just Booking Agents or just Publicists. It can de difficult to find someone in Second Life that can take on all roles and do them well and all these roles are very critical to a musician's career. Sometimes you might find that you don't need a Manager or Booking Agent because you are comfortable handling those aspects on your own. Maybe you just need a host that can do notices and work the crowd. Ultimately, it us up to the artist to figure out what they need in the way of representation and I encourage all performers to sit down with their current staff and sort out what is needed and what works for you and the goals you have set.

If you are interested in performing in Second Life, just email me and I can help connect you or point you in the right direction. brandy@maltasmanagement.com

Seth Regan "Underground" CD Release

Cover Art for "Underground" Created by Seth Regan

Seth Regan, known in SL as Mankind Tracer, will be releasing his fourth CD this weekend with an exclusive event in Second Life. With this newest CD, Regan gifts us with a cathartic landscape.  Song themes include falling down in life and getting back up to dust off and try again and the help that we can get from other people when we let go of our pride and reach out.

Emile Sands-Stratten, venue owner, stated, "Seth's latest effort, 'Underground', takes us on a musical journey as deep as the name promises."

Ground Zero Owner, Theadee, comments "Seth Regan is a talented performer and songwriter.  He writes about themes that I can relate and connect to, especially in songs like 'Do It Again' and 'Underground.' The music that goes with his lyrics is equally amazing and I keep wanting to hear more!"

Seth remains Second Life's most well known "rock star." In the five-and-a-half years that he has been performing live in SL, he has self released 3 CD's and shared them with the SL community. More than that, he released them first into SL.  "Underground" will be Seth's fourth self release into Second Life. Seth has said, "Much of the lyrics and music are incredibly personal to me, I didn't want to hold back on this album." He went on to say "…and as the listeners are in the songs, I just hope they can understand these things that have happened in my own life influencing me and relate on a deeper level."

Previous CD releases include "Beyond the Shade" and Depth of Shadows." They are full of Seth's insightful original music featuring haunting melodies and recognizable vocal performances that pull the listener closer to his meaningful lyrics. Seth's most popular and requested song, "Inside Your Dreams," is a moving ballad played in rotation on many SL radio stations. "Stream of Sound", Seth's third release, contains acoustic version of twelve covers and 4 originals. All recordings for "Stream of Sound"  were voted on and chosen to appear on the album by SL residents.

The Release Party for "Underground" is set for Sunday, April 1, 2012, at 2:00 p.m. SLT at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Good%20Day%20Sunshine/207/79/22 , a location exemplifying the theme of the album, its music, and artwork. Devoted to every aspect of the album's creation, Seth let us know, "I really enjoyed every aspect of bringing this project to fruition."


For more information, promo requests or to set up an interview please contact:

Brandy Maltas/ Kalli Birman in SL
Mankind Tracer Manager
Email - brandy@sethregan.com

Second Life Business Basics

As a follow up to yesterday's post, I decided to post a few helpful tips for businesses in Second Life.

Let us start with, SL is not a game. People treat it as a game but in fact it is not. It would be more accurate to describe it as a 3D social network with some game like qualities.

There are people in Second Life that make their living here, however, most people are here for recreational reasons. The people who make their living in SL already see it as a real business, now I'm not saying they all run that business well or effectively but they do likely consider it a real business and not play time.

The thing is, even if SL is recreational or a creative outlet for you, if you exchange goods or services for currency or services, you are doing a business transaction. Due to the nature of SL anyone can start a business very inexpensively and just because one owns a business, does not make them professional business people. However, they still need to take those business transactions seriously.

It is never easy to balance work and recreation, even in real life, but it can be done and maintain professionalism. Starting with the basic of time management. If you are trying to have time for both work and play then it might behoove you to delineate a set time for dealing with note cards from clients or customers and do list in your profile your preferred method of contacts (i.e. note card, IM, email). If you run a venue and have events as your work time, make sure you give yourself enough of a time window to send notices and do promotion, get the musician set up and time after to wish people well.

Sometimes delays happen, it is inevitable. I've had to postpone things or rearrange things because something happened in real life that didn't allow me to be in SL. If these events occure, let people know! I cannot express that enough... LET PEOPLE KNOW.  The general populous of SL doesn't need to know your personal business, however, if you have agreed to some sort of business arrangement, like setting up a store, performing a show, meeting with a client, give them as much notice as you can that you need to rearrange or change a timeline. Most people will be understanding and willing to work with you, but if you do not let them know that you cannot do what is agreed to, they will feel blown off or not be willing to work with you in the future. It is about having integrity or a strong work ethic.

I could keep writing on and on...there might be more blog posts in this series in the future but for now, if you need assistance with your business you can always contact my business partner, Seth Regan/ Mankind Tracer in SL or myself. We own the Tracer|Birman Agency and can help with many different aspects of your business, such as: Website Design, Graphics Design and other Digital Design, Social Media, Marketing, Social Marketing, Brand Creation, Event Planning, Brand Introduction, Logo Design, Corporate Identity. More specific services geared toward Second Life include, Logo Design, Social Integration, Custom Builds, Event Planning, Marketing, Product Design and Sim Layout/Design. If you would like more information you can email us at info@tracerbirman.com

You can also check out Seth's blog HERE which has a lot of useful marketing information.

A Little Rock & Roll

Tonight at 9pm pdt, Seth Regan (Mankind Tracer in SL) will be performing at our place, Club Graffiti. I went to my wardrobe to find something to wear. I wanted something red for the upcoming Valentine's Day but I also wanted something a little rock & roll. I found this cute body suit from 1 Hundred and paired it with my favorite jeans. Threw on some jewelry and blonde hair from Truth and there we go...Valentine's Rock & Roll

Venue & Musician Management Workshops

Many of you may know that I plan to hold two workshops, one on venue management and one on musician management.

I have been in Second Life since early 2008 and in that time I have built up a great career managing musicians and venues, as well as doing PR and Marketing and various other ventures. Currently I manage the music career of Mankind Tracer/Seth Regan, who is also my business partner in the Tracer|Birman Agency and The Village & Club Graffiti and I manage two venues for Solace Beach Estates. In the past I have managed such performers as Craig Lyons and Guitar Zane. I  also co-produced and the creator of the Where Is The Concert? HUNT and just opened a vintage clothing store, Brandy's Attic.

Several people have expressed interest in the workshops. Below the times and dates are listed.


The workshops will be broken up into two sessions:

Live Music Venue Owner/Manager:

Feb. 11, 2012 from 1-3pm slt
Feb. 25, 2012 from  1-3pm slt

Musician Managers:

Feb 11, 2012, from 3-5pm slt
Feb 25, 2012, from 3-5pm slt

The cost for these workshops is $40 for each two session workshop, payable via paypal or in SL in L$.

Please contact me ASAP signed up.

In Second Life you can send me a note card with your SL name (not display name) and the name of the venue or musician you manage or you can send me the same info via email to brandy@tracerbirman.com