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.

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.