There are at least a few dozen theories on how the music scene should evolve in Second Life. Most of these theories are based on wishful thinking. There are also some well-established paradigms that really don’t work. I contend nobody is an expert regardless of what they might tell you. Allow me to make a few observations, and then offer a conclusion based on those observations. While I may be wrong in my conclusions I think you will find the observations valid.Venues close due to economic shortfall.
I’ve seen it time and time again. Great venues that support artist just vanish. The venue operators can simply not afford the overhead to stay open.
Venues can break even or perhaps turn a profit.
I know of two venues I play at that are covering overhead and turning a small profit. Both of these venues feature artist that play for tips only, and only feature quality music. Footnote, they both use the extra money to tip musicians.
Venue operators pay for the music scene in Second Life.
People want to listen to live music, and musicians want to present live music. Without venues the two parties could not get together.
Music management types do much harm and no good at all.
I’m sure some slimy schemer demanded the first fee from some struggling venue owner; confident the Second Life music scene was about to explode. There are a few kind-hearted people trying to help out a friend and I commend them for their assistance. But the management organizations suck rancid sweaty moose ass. Their main job is to fill everybody’s heads with all kind of wild ideas based on… wishful thinking.
Some musicians need to have more realistic expectations.
You won’t get rich and famous playing in second life. You are deluded if you think in the current state of development you can make a living playing in second life.
Fees kill venues.
There are some venues that have a budget and this budget included money for fees. However, in over 550 shows, I’ve never seen venue tips equal even the most meager fee. When an artist plays for “Tips only” every L$ in the venue tip jar goes towards covering the cost of operation. Even if it’s only L$ 1, that is still a sum towards overhead.
Listeners need to be more altruistic
I see a couple of guys that have been to at least a dozen of my shows and never tip me. They don’t tip the venue either. They hang out, chat it up and leave when the show is over. In the real world, entertainment cost money. You really should tips something, each according to their ability seems fair enough. If you live in your Mom’s basement, don’t have a job and Mom won’t give you money for no dang computer game… then a kind word goes a long way.
Show some support to the people that work so hard to entertain you.
And the most important observation of all… Love is the fuel that runs the big Music scene engine.
People that run venues LOVE music, the musicians LOVE playing music and the many wonderful supporters of both Musicians and venues LOVE being involved with the scene they’ve created.
While this is a wonderful thing, it does have a dark side. Love sometimes creates unrealistic expectations.
Some venue owners figure when the music scene EXPLODES, they’ll be right in the middle of it… moving and shaking
Some musicians quit their day job and try to eek out a living streaming their music.
Some listeners decided they know what they are doing, love music, and want to start a record company, or management agency.
There are my observations, so what are my conclusions.
We operate in a donation-based economy. People assign worth to music and venues and donate as they see fit.
Demanding a fee for performance is not fair, considering that fee only generates debt for the venue operator.
Quality should be a major concern for musicians and venue operators alike. People find more worth in something good then something that sucks. If a musician has a consistent quality show, and venues book quality acts, both can expect to thrive in a donation based economy.
Not every act that plays for “Tips only” is worth booking. When a venue gets a reputation as an OPEN MIC scene, real music fans avoid it. Open mic crowds come to support friends and tip their friend very well, but seem to ignore the needs of the venue. They are not very interested in improving the situation for live music.
Some seem to feel their needs to be a huge sophisticated infrastructure in place in order for the music scene to grow. A good, or bad example of this is Trax music resource center. Quite a set up they have there and I’m sure they are full of good intentions… but it doesn’t do shit. The most salient point toward growth is an influx of great music and efficiently operated venues. As it stands now you are more likely to see a horrible act then a good one.
In a more perfect world, the music management types would be publicly ostracized, but in our less then perfect world they should be simply ignored. They are a cancer on the music scene.
And the most profound conclusion…
When the music comes first a lot of things are going to fall into place. Love the music, listen to the music, and support the music. Embrace the passion, get lost in the moment. But don’t get swept up in magical thinking.
When established quality brands, both as musicians and venues arise, this will be the major inroad to a greater impact on the general public.
3 comments:
Wholeheartedly disagree with fee-free shows to support venues. Depending upon the charity of others is a business model doomed to failure, as has been proved time and time and time and time again in SL. Why do people keep banging their ideological heads against the wall? You yourself have noted that MP3's are your merchandise.
Firstly, there has been little discussion - not just here but everywhere - about the number of live music clubs in SL. While SL/RL have many differences, how many live music clubs are required to support a single small town (the population equivalent of SL)? There is a huge number of live music clubs in SL, too many, and musicians cannot be expected to prop up them all up. Competition for limited performance spaces would raise the level of music for audiences (just as it does in RL) and likely improve tips but there is no venue competition, just too many of them.
Many venues in RL, such as clubs and bars, are businesses that sell alcohol and food. Most SL clubs sell nothing and make no effort, other than requesting tips, to leverage the traffic they generate. I have several regular weekly gigs where the owners run and pay for their club out their own pockets - they know they cannot depend upon the charity of others but do it for their own personal enjoyment, not necessarily for some kind of free love that I must subscribe too. In fact, they are very professional and understand that making music is also a job like any other. (Bless them I say!)
However there are other approaches to venues generating revenue. For example, Blaze Columbia sponsors live music concerts which then provides traffic for her store; many SL art galleries have live music or DJs at openings to help move pieces, etc. I am still very surprised that there are so few in-store concerts in SL.
Musicians should not be forced to subsidize venue owners who are not smart enough to figure this out. If the venue owner is simply into the fantasy of running a music club then pay up for it. Otherwise it is akin to pay-to-play in RL where clubs impose their incompetent management upon the musicians.
You get what you pay for most of the time and the huge vast majority of the too-many clubs will not survive programming free musicians. Donate for crap music? Not sustainable.
I was really on the bubble about publishing this comment. Not because I get upset when people disagree, but because you are so freaking wrong.
Venue owners deal with the reality of their situation monthly. Tier fees are due.
Musicians seem to have the warped sense of reality. They sit in front of their computer and play a few tunes, and then charge a venue owner for the privilege of being on the receiving end of that stream.
Outside of charity events I’ve never had a show I didn’t make money at.
Without the aid of fees, I manage to make as much in tips as I would make if I played in band in a real life situation.
Playing for tips is not charity. I make money and I hope the venue owner makes money. I just don’t want to make my money reaching into the venue owner’s pocket.
I also don’t play every venue that offers me a gig. I play the venues that do right by me and give me the support that continues to make my musical adventures profitable.
In all honesty it is venue that subsidize musician. Venues pay to provide musicians a place to ply their trade.
As for the concept “you get what you pay for”, I’ve never heard you play, I don’t know who you are. But I’m quite sure the show I put on is vastly superior to yours.
When people listen to my show, they make an on the spot evaluation of the worth of my music and choose to pay me as they see fit. They don’t pay me to support some elaborate business plan, the tip me because they feel my music is worth paying money for.
The following comment was given to me in world to post.
Catharina Jacobus: I wanted to post this on your blog, but you force me to take a Google account or an open ID, so I could not.. Anyway, here's my comment: Nice story! What this makes clear is that money does not make the world go round (anymore?). I am dedicated to the world of free software (Richard Stallman) and that is where the spirit of freedom comes from. It has now spread to music and other creative works and it is great to see that happen. It gives people control over their lives and work together without big coorperate's interests.
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