I have met some unique people in the real world (why did I just say real world they might wonder) the last couple years, and I get a few questions sometimes about what I am always talking about, where are all those bookings, well here is a short explanation with a video from a few years back that will help paint a picture. https://youtube/watch?v=tcqiHTjbT0c I play live concerts in a virtual platform known as second life, and made my living at that since mid 2008. while the show frequency has degraded over the years, I still find myself playing live in there from time to time. It is also where I build those motorcycles that I post on my wall. Some people think this is really strange and wonder why I would pursue such things. mainly, I went there looking for work, having read about someone selling digital land space and becoming a millionaire ( singularityhub/2011/08/23/entrepreneur-anshe-chung-makes-millions-selling-virtual-land-banking-and-fashion/ )articles like that one were all over at the time and it seemed interesting. What I found when I got there, was a digital land of wonder, filled with people from around the world. many were older then me and living a life of being younger again, as you see in the video, the avatars are usually much more appealing than you can imagine a person is in the real world, it has been called many things, escape, therapy, alternative . . . . Sadly this has become much less populated lately, from 250000 people, to now 35-40,000 people logged in per day around the world. The live music scene is unfortunately a very small percentage of that, 4-5000 people globally at the top of its game is much less now I am sure. I have been able to play shows for benefits like Wounded Warriors, Relay for Life, and various other benefits, I have been able to play virtual weddings, and in many clubs around the world. All this from the comfort of my own home, and spanning genres from blues solo to acoustic and vocal performances. I even met the love of my life there. My first 6 months, I made 16,800 dollars and never looked back. (the math in that last statement is - 21 shows a week, 5000 lindens per show cashed out to about 20 dollars a show) This sometimes had me doing up to 12 shows in one day back to back (that happened once). Musicians would likely love such an opportunity, no packing gear, no fuel or other expenses, just sit down and play. Sadly, there is no more room for new musicians for the most part, because venues have closed left and right, due to the economy and other issues with the Terms of Service, protection of created items etc. many things have been in a downward spiral for a time now. each avatar, has a real person behind it, they share real emotions, and some, live their lives in there, in a way they cannot in the real world (cancer patients, paraplegics, life threatening illnesses etc.) and even get married. This virtual music thing is a chapter of my life, that I consider closing the book on 2-3 times a month now due to hostility. I will at some point, just build motorcycles in there because I find therapy in that.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 14:56:34 +0000
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