Sponsors for Second Life Live Music Venues

For those who don't know, Second Life Live Music Venue owners typically carry all the costs of running the venues. They pay tier for land to have the venue on, some venues pay the performers and some are tips only and some pay a staff.  Most rely on venue tips to help recoup just a small fraction of those costs, however, it rarely comes close to covering even the costs of paying performers. So it is very important that people do tip the venues when they can. Tipping is a kind gesture to thank venues for providing free entertainment.

To further help alleviate some of the costs, I recommend venues try to find sponsors. I have had success in the past with finding sponsors for the performers I manage for their individual shows. Also, I have had success with sponsors covering costs for big events.

Here are a few ways to get started finding sponsors.....

1. Figure out your venues numbers. How many shows a week for how many hours. Then keep track of your average draw per hour. This can be done simply by looking at how many people are at the show at the mid way point which is typically the peak time. Keep track of those numbers for a few weeks and then you have something to approach sponsors with.

In real life events are sponsored all the time.

2. Know how much of your costs you are trying to cover. If you spend L$XXXXX a week, what % would you like to get sponsors to help with?

3. Put together a note card that outlines the data from your venue numbers to show the sponsors how many people they can reach by sponsoring your shows. Also, include how long the sponsorship would last.... weekly? monthly?

4. Reach out to content creators that are suitable for your venue and explain to them that you can offer to place their Logo on a clickable prim or adboard with a LM to their location near your stage for X amount of time for X amount of L$. Also, it will help to explain that the sponsors will be mentioned by you or your staff through out the shows X number of times.

Don't fear rejection, this is after all a sales pitch to the content creators. You have to go through some no's before you get to yes's but if you can point out the benefit to the creators, then eventually you will find some willing to give it a chance.

Start with creators from stores where you shop, then you can tell them that you are a regular customer and you will feel good about promoting their brand at your venue.

This is just a quick blog post with ideas, its up to you to put in the time and effort to make it happen. I'm happy to consult with venue owners if you need more information or tips on how to go about finding sponsors. Just drop me a notecard in Second Life, Kalli Birman is my legacy name.

Marketing for Second Life Venues

Marketing your venue is important to both the venue and the performers you hire. I’m sure you would like to see that the money you are putting out to hire performers, pay tier and staff is being put to its best use. One of the ways to do that is to market your venue shows to get the best possible audience you can. As most of you are aware, I manage and am business partners with musician Seth Regan, also known as Mankind Tracer in Second Life. When we are promoting anything, the following are just a few of the things we do to get the information out there to the SL public.

One of the important ways you can market shows at your venue is to list them in Second Life events. This is a very critical step in marketing as the majority of fans are looking in events to see who is performing. You should list in events as early as possible. If you book the performer a month before they actually play then list it right then because the sooner you can, the closer to the top of the event listing for that time you will be. Make sure to ask the performers if they have any promotional text just for SL Events.

When you are hiring musicians to perform at your venue, consider the time you are booking them and have realistic expectations. In SL the most live shows are starting between 6pm and 8pm. There could be 40 other shows happening at the same time and there are only so many concurrent users to attend those shows. This makes marketing even more important because if people do not know what is happening at your venue then how will they show up?

In SL another great resource is SL event groups. You can join groups and send notices and group messages about your events. There are a plethora of groups out there like Musical Metaverse, Live Music 24, Shooting Star and many more. If you do not have many group spots left, you can create an alt and join the groups and then log into your alt 30 minutes before the show and send notices.

Seth Regan performing at To The Stars live music venue.

Social media is also another great way to market your shows. Facebook has tons of groups specifically for Second Life and SL Events. There are a lot of SLers that have Facebook accounts either as their avatar or under their real life name and they use FB as a way to communicate. There is Google Plus and Twitter as well but with both of those, you need to follow people for them to follow you back, there are few groups on G+ that are SL events related and you cannot have groups on Twitter. There is also Second Friends, an SL only social media website where you can create groups, a profile, blog and list events for free.

Another great marketing tool is booking performers back to back that play similar styles of music. Then you will get carry over from one performer to the next keeping people at your venue longer. Also, keep consistent events, even if it is just once a week for a couple of hours will let people know that they can count on your venue at those times to have performances.

These are just a few ideas on how to market the shows at your venue. You can also take cues from real life and adapt them to Second Life. Think outside of what everyone else is doing or not doing to come up with some fun creative ways to get the word out there and build up a regular crowd who come back week to week. Coming soon, Seth will be posting a follow up to this topic on his blog with even more great marketing tips for SL venues.

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/

Supporting Independent Musicians Or Big Labels?

I saw this quote today on Facebook in one of my friend's feed. I did share it on my page as well and it really got me thinking.

Do I want to support a big label musician buying a new Mercedes or would I rather put my money back into the independent music community?

As someone who manages and works with indie musicians, I would rather support the struggling indie musicians.

If it is a Second Life indie artist or a real life indie artist, the chances are that my dollar will be going to help feed and house them, not buy their next line of coke or pay for their big house and the BMW in the drive.

When I go to see a Second Life performer, I always tip them. On average I tip 200L$ - 300L$ or more if they are a close friend or someone I particularly enjoy. In SL 250L$ equals approximately ONE DOLLAR. It is absolutely worth $1 to get an hour of live music streamed to the comfort of my home. I also will always tip the venue about the same amount because the venue is paying the performer and usually relies on venue tips to recoup at least part of that expense. They cannot sell booze and the only way a cover charge will work is for most venues to get on board. There are tips only venues in Second Life, a plethora of them actually, those venues I might tip a little less because I know their expenses do not include paying the performer but mostly I do frequent the venues I know are paying the musicians at least something.

Another way to support indie musicians is to buy their music. Sometimes musicians in Second Life will have SL CD's you can purchase and often those CD's can be listened to in SL or downloaded to your computer as MP3s and typically it is less expensive than purchasing them on the web. However, if your favorite musician doesn't have a SL CD, go buy the music online.

Just because a musician is popular or books for a higher fee does not mean they are wealthy. They may be struggling financially, like most are these days. Forgetting everything else, what they are offering you is their heart and soul in the music they have worked long and hard to write and perform and that deserves respect. Musicians do like to hear nice things about their music but they also have to put food on the table, clothing on their children and make repairs to their homes. Unless a musician shares their financial situation, we don't know what's going on in their lives.

I understand that it is hard sometimes to tip because you might be struggling as well in real life and cannot afford to buy L$. One possible and fun solution might be to get an enjoyable job in Second Life which will also help you make some tip money. Especially for live music fans. There are more venues in SL than you can shake a stick at. Maybe apply for a venue hosting job, then you get to listen to and support the musicians and make some extra money as well. I know that if I went out in real life to the local pub to listen to my favorite local band,  I will have to take time to get dressed up, do my hair, maybe grab a bite to eat, buy expensive gas, pay a cover of  $5- $20, depending on the pub and performer, buy a couple drinks, tip the bartender, pay a babysitter.... we are talking an easy $100 for one night out.

Going to live music in Second Life saves a LOT of money. I can sit here in my PJ's while my kids are sleeping and go see a couple musicians, grab a snack from my fridge and enjoy myself and at the same time, support an indie musician and venue with just a few dollars of tip money.

I can almost guarantee you that all the musicians in Second Life are not getting rich by performing. What they are getting is a way to help them make more music to share with you.

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

Tricks Of The Trade - Venue and 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. Currently I am also co-producing and the creator of the Where Is The Concert? HUNT.

Often I am approached by people asking for advice on one or the other by both friends and strangers. Friends I will help as my time permits, however, a stranger seeking advice might get a little but I have worked really hard over the past almost 4 years to acquire the knowledge I have. I think that the learning process itself was very valuable as well.

After a lot of thought about the advice I give and all my years of experience, I have decided to offer two workshops. One on live music venue management and the other on musician management.

The workshop on LIVE MUSIC VENUE MANAGEMENT will including things like: Promotion, hiring staff, tips, hiring musicians, the art of negotiation, what to do when the unexpected happens, gestures, hosting, and other topics that are important to running a successful venue in Second Life. There is much more to owning a venue than renting land, putting up a stage/building and hiring a musician. Venue ownership is a business and in order to be successful you need to make sure to arm yourself with knowledge.

The MUSICIAN MANAGEMENT workshop will include interesting topics such as: Promotions, getting paid, getting your musician paid, building an audience, gestures, negotiating, booking info, hosting, dress for success, finding new venues, groups, scribos, stalkers, what to look for in a quality venue, social networking sites, giving back to the community, charity events and networking in SL. Just like venue management, being a musician manager is a job and should be taken seriously. You should want to do everything in your power to help further the career of the musician you manage.

If you would like more information and pricing for either workshop you may email me at brandy@tracerbirman.com or contact me in SL where my name is Kalli Birman. Please send me an email or notecard with your SL name (NOT your display name), what venue or musician you manage and what you would like to get from the workshop.