So.... what's the new idea

A very good friend of mine was talking to another very good friend of me. The one friend said, “I've read Zorch's blog, and I don't see the new idea”. Then she continued, “So.... what is the new idea”.

I think the problem here is she is confusing this project with ones that have happened in the past. Allow me to differentiate.

About three days after I arrived in the wonderful world of Second Life, an organization called, “Music Not Politics” hosted a big huge “Music awareness weekend”. After it was over, the insane women that pushes “Music Not Politics” around like a rusty wheelbarrow full of rancid gopher dung declared the event a smashing success.

She cobbled together some numbers to substantiate the blistering super nova that was the event's glory, but these numbers turned out to be 28% substandard math skills, 23 % fabrication, 43% wishful thinking, and 7% bald face lies. I did make those numbers up and they do add up to 101% but my imagination falls between + or – 1% of “Da Troof”.

Now maybe I'm being a bit harsh calling it an dismal failure. But if the intention was to rise the awareness of live music in Second Life, it was in fact a dismal failure. It did kind of pull the factions in the music community together, kind of.. for a weekend. There were lots of people milling about, and a lot of act performing (???), but a week later, it was business a normal.

Now, the “Music awareness weekend” doesn't have to be a failure, just change the name to the “Music awareness weekend experiment” and you have a resounding success because we have gleaned valuable information on what doesn't work. Of course when you leave a crater the size of “Music awareness weekend”, it can take a while to find the “Black Box”.

So let's compare and contrast the “Music awareness weekend experiment”, with my proposals for “Iconica”.

The “Music awareness weekend experiment” was HUGE. It lasted a weekend (imagine that) and featured every blip on the Second Life music radar. A few were good, most were horrible. Yes it was an accurate reflection of music in Second Life, perhaps that is why so few cared a week later.

Iconica would be good deal shorter, 3 to 4 hours max. Only acts that are Iconic would be featured. This means not only original music, but music that has an unique signature sound. I feel I should point out, the name Iconica refers to the Iconic nature of the music and NOT the Icon status of those performing. Most making the roster are not as popular as they should be. But this is due to the social nature of the Second Life music community, the scope of Iconica is not pandering to the music community, but providing the best possible live music to people that are actually interested in live music outside of the music community.

FUN FACT: Almost every person on the planet enjoys music. Most people love live music, so why it is so marginal in Second Life? Because the vast majority of Second Life music is amateurish, uninteresting, and devoid of talent. Some of the most popular acts in Second Life fall into that amateurish, uninteresting, and devoid of talent category, so when many people stumble into a big event they see a mob of well wishers drooling over some dullard that is going, “ah...ahhhh...ahhhhhhhh.... Stuff”, and figure it's a waste of time.

The “Music awareness weekend experiment” was a big huge media blitz. Ad boards were pimping it all over Second life. People were passing out note cards and packets. They Marketed the crap out of it, then scooped up the crap and sold that as fertilizer. Pump enough pablum and some of it sticks. This gave the event quite a high profile with people already involved with the Second Life music community. But seriously, what is your reaction to spam? Unless it's something you are already interested in, you click the button that makes it go away.

Iconica is promoted via a grassroots collection of Iconic music supporters. The plan is to have 25 “Outreach Liaisons” that simply invite two “Growth Candidates” to the event. A “Growth Candidate” is any person unaware of live music in Second Life, or a person that has decided music in Second Life is a waste of time.

When spam pops up you close the window. When your friend says hello you answer. It's personal. It's NOT a media blitz. Our “Outreach Liaisons” also know the taste and proclivities of their friends. They only have to bring two out to see the show, and we put up the banner that says “Mission accomplished”.

The “Music awareness weekend experiment” was based on a flawed premise, founded firmly in the realm of “Wishful thinking”. It was thought that by performing the proper rote actions, everybody would become aware of music and because music is cool, once they were aware, they would embrace it.

The music scene would BOOM. The event would be a mile stone that all Second Life musical history would reference itself by. It would be the silver bullet that fixes everything.

I don't think I'm founding Iconica on “Wishful thinking”.

I realize that when all is said and done, unless more is done, momentum will die quickly.

But at the very least it's a pro-active step forward. Taking charge rather the sitting by passively and whining about how badly things suck.

The scale of the project is reasonable. The goals I believe are attainable. I'm also convinced a program designed to expand the listener base is what is needed. Even if just one person become excited and involved in Iconic music, that is the first step on a journey of a million miles.

If we should fall, let us fall forward.