Helping n00b Musicians to make money in SL

I just got asked about how a person can camp and not get timed out.

I give 'em a bit of spiel, and they say they write music in RL.

I think some SL musical performers are making a living wage performing in SL. (Am I wrong about that?)

Right or wrong, it is possible that a music composer could get a piece of the action from a performer here by writing music for them.

The question is, what do I need to say to hook this composer guy up to the music making money stream in SL?

Really? I'd love to know. I'm one of those musician / composer types.


Damned if I know, Suze. But if there's any 'live music' action / whatever, I haven't seen much of it. What I've come across so far is either 'self-service' or 'friends-of-friends-of-friends '. Which is great as far as it goes. But if you're hoping to make a living that way I'd forget it.


*If* there is such a thing! I've been looking for that elusive money-stream. If you happen to spot one, send me a landmark.

Seriously though, I'm at a loss of what to suggest. If this composer already has a catalogue of works, then he could try getting his material played on one of the radio streams fed into SL. Depending on the style of music, he could try approaching some of the DJ's (especially if he composes techno / dance / rave material). Classical music composers would definitely be at a loss in SL. There's little point in writing theme music for themed sims unless the sim owner has a dedicated server for audio streams. Chopping your latest magnum opus into uploadable 10-second chunks and hoping that it will be coherently reassembled is asking a bit too much.

His best bet would be to hook up with people who he feels might be his target audience whether that's performers for his compositions or clients for his completed compositions. As for making your fortune at it? Even less chance in SL than in RL. But all the more worthwhile to pursue as SL is such a novel medium

I have been to a number of live music events with a good crowd., say 15 people up to a sim full of 30 or so. I will tip the musician 500 lindens an hour. If my payment rate is anywhere near the average that is 7,500 to 15,000 lindens per hour for a musician that pulls in a good crowd. How many dollars an hours is that?

Even if that is way off, the camp chairs that were asked about would be paying what, 60 - 180 lindens an hour, assuming you end up getting paid before something goes wrong.

i have a seminar series with 4 classes that'll teach you exactly what you're looking to learn:

DTDJ#1 - Setting up a internet broadcast stream, server, and media programs (winamp/shoutcast/Traktor DJ Studio)... participants will gain knowledge on the logistics of the technology of streaming media in a very simple way. They will have an understanding on how to set up their computer, programs, & server/stream appropriately.

DTDJ#2 - Finding Your Music Style / Song Selection Advice.... participants will gain understanding that the DJ makes or breaks the event. to be a successful DJ, one must learn a huge knowledge of music, and the participants will gain ideas about what music selections 'work' and which 'don't work'

DTDJ#3 - The Art of Promoting A Successful Party & SL Flyer Design (basic photoshop)... participants will learn about various techniques and tips for SL marketing and promotion. They will learn how to promote themselves, the venues and companies they DJ for, and the music.

DTDJ#4 - How to Get a Job as a DJ in SL....participants will learn how to market themselves to production companies, venues, & booking agents as well as more creative approaches to getting DJ work in SL.

Classes are in groups or as one-on-one. The classes are conducted at The Skylounge Noonkkot 200,200,75.

IM me anytime inworld. I'll be happy to help.

You know, I know someone, who comes to an area I frequent, and plays a set of bagpipes for L$. Nothing special to see in RL, but I haven't seen it anywhere else in SL.

True its technically begging... but with a good soundtrack!

I am deaf IRL and have little use for music in SL...but I would take this sort of begging...a performer playing on a streetcorner for tips...over the usual begging I see anyday.

Begger347: hi hi
You: Hello. Can I help you?
Begger347: i wanna buy some stuffs, but i don't got no money. lol
Begger347: can I have 200 lindens?

At least the street performer is providing something to the second life community and enriches the atmosphere and diversity. Begging or no, it is far preferrable and I would likely tip them something even though I can't hear it.

Sue, I don't know of anyone playing in SL for what I'd really call a living wage - though it depends on what your definition is - I have enough on hand to pay for my small amount of tier for a few months and pretty much whatever gadgets, etc I decide I want. In SL terms it's not a bad living, as a RL wage, it's pretty meager, unless you were playing for many hours a day. I have no illusions of quitting my day job any time soon - that being said, I think that most of us that perform and also write / record do the performance here at least partly to build an audience who might buy/evangelize our CD's and downloads.

Making musical objects on this platform is ludicrous (compared to other content creation) since I can upload ANY texture I want for $L10 (no matter the size) but I have to chop a song into 9.9 second clips and upload - get this - uncompressed wav's that then get compressed on the server and subsequently sound like crap. If only LL would add a "personal" media stream that could be say tied into a hud and used like an ipod - well anyway, if your friend wants to perform, there is quite a "scene" here, but I wouldn't expect to live like, say Aimee Weber off performing, would be nice, but not everyone is as generous w. the tip jar as you Sue.

Technically it's busking. Which some may regard as begging -- and in the case of some buskers I've heard it might as well -- it is still providing some service for the cash, and is more pleasant personally than "Hey babe, can you spare me a dollar/L$?"

I heard Aimee Weber has a mink coat made from live minks.

Aren't there some musicians Frogg Marlowe and Jaycatt Nico (spelling?) that perform in clubs on a regular basis and do good business?

Making money performing live music in SL....

The top grossing live musicians (to the best of my knowledge) earn about $2000L-$3000L in tips on a good night for a two hour performance with about 20-30 people in attendance. They are usually the ones who pay for their own streaming media costs ($300L for that event, usually). The newest ones just starting out earn less than that, but live music patrons are very appreciative in attendance and tipping these hardworking artists in SL.

As for payment, those same top musicians usually earn $2500-$3500L for a two hour performance - it's what I pay them, anyway. There are some who charge more, but venue owners have a hard time paying live musicians anything more than that for a regular gig, since it's basically out of our pockets (I have hit that L$ blue button more times than I like to admit). Some musicians play for an hour, and they earn around $1500L. It's definitely a labour of love for venue owner and musician, in the end.

With that said, we're considering the idea of charging entrance fees for performances to guarantee musicians get paid enough Lindens to truly make it worth their efforts. If you consider that $350L is a single USD, it puts the disparity (what they earn versus what they're worth) in sharp focus. With this "ticket" price, we're working on incentives for live music fans, like free MP3s handed out, contests that would result in a "Guest DJ with the artist" event, and other things to show appreciation for their attendance.

Finally, the best things that a musician in SL has to look forward to are
(1) an enthusiastic supportive group of listeners who will be the audience you seek
(2) the chance to earn some small amount of cash doing what you love to do in virtual reality
(3) a chance to get your name heard, sell a CD in a free advertising space, and even get "discovered" eventually when more record labels consider virtual reality as a landscape for new talent

And, Alazarin, I am surprised that you don't know about the Live Music Enthusiasts group or the "Live Music" category in Events. If you select that as a category in Events, you will find an assortment of live music going on in world. It tells me we definitely need to keep getting the word out!

I have suggested the personal stream before, no one seems to see the point. Of course having a personal stream would eliminate one of the purposes of owning land.

But they could charge for having a personal stream, just charge a lot lot lot lot lot lot less, since the streaming occurs outside the SL servers and thus uses practically none of Linden Lab's bandwidth or other resources.

This would allow people to make an income being DJs or musicians here without owning land, thus enabling them to acquire some funds with which to buy some land. Same as building something or making some clothes and selling them from vendors at shops that make free or low cost vendor space available, such as Doubledown Tandino in This Thread

I am certainly not suggesting that one try to upload ten second sound clips of original music for sale for making money. If you want to do it for fun, fine, enjoy, but that doesn't sound like a good idea at all to do for profit. People do sell sounds, though, but I think it would be more little clips, sound effects, etc., plus illegally copied copyrighted music that nobody cares too much about the violations because of the extreme unportability and the fact they've been chopped into ten second clips.


One doesn't have to own land to use a media stream, one only has to get the cooperation of a landowner. Back when I had land I'd a been glad to let someone use some to play a stream on.

It just seemed sort of sad for a new user to be asking about how to get a program to keep him from timing out while on a camp chair. It may be easy money but it is a very tiny amount of easy money.


Of course, if one has the musical skill and stream access to play music of the quality the Frog Marlowe and Jaycatt and Atrin Few and the other top notch musicians I don't recall the name of offhand, you can still play for the SL audience - just not through the built-in SL audio system. Put the stream url in your profile and say - I am not a charity. Pay me if you want to listen. They listen through Winamp.

As for me being generous, that is silly. Paying 500 lindens an hour for live music is dirt cheap. It would only be enough to make it worthwhile for the player if there was a good audience.

I would pay more than that to get some live progressive rock - Emerson Lake and Palmer, say, or live classical - the Brandeburg Concertos would be great. One could meet both of those specs at one time by playing Pictures At An Exhibition.

I thought you wuz at the beach.



Like $22 to $45! I knew there was a reason I wanted to start performing in SL.

Gotta find a new power adapter for my mixer.

P2

Pitstop at my family's home in NH today. Beach tomorrow