(Click for larger image!)
BAILEY TZUKE,
a unique and mesmerizing young singer songwriter based in London, plays
for a live audience in Cannes France and an in-world audience at the
Blarney Stone in Second Life. This was the first time the world music
trade show called MIDEM was simulcast into SL.
PHOTO BY SITEARM MADONNA
(Click for larger image!)
DUBLIN SL
regulars dance and applaud while listening to four British artists play
a two hour program of folk, blues, soul and pop. Selected by national
award winning music producer, Tony Moore, the rising stars performed
live at the prestigious Marché international de l'édition musicale trade
show in Cannes, France and were simulcast into Dublin in SL.
PHOTO BY SITEARM MADONNA
BY SITEARM MADONNA
Another first for Second Life occurred Monday, 28th January, 2008 when the MIDEM British Acoustic Music concert was simulcast live from Cannes, France into the Blarney Stone Irish Bar in Dublin in SL.
MIDEM (short for Marché international de l'édition musicale) is the world's largest music industry trade fair, which has been held annually at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France since 1966. Bringing together musicians, businesspeople, cultural policy makers, and journalists from many countries, it provides a forum for business talks, discussing political and legal issues, and showcasing new artists, musical trends and music-related products.
Sponsors for the event included the Association of Independent Music (AIM), British Recorded Music Industry (BPI), Music Publishers Association (MPA), Dublin in SL, and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI). Tony Moore, UK singer, songwriter, producer and champion of live music, produced and MC'd the event. Featured were four rising UK artists performing folk, blues, soul and pop: Karl Morgan, Beth Rowley, Jack Savoretti, and Bailey Tzuke. Each group performed for a half hour.
Moore obtained permission to simulcast the event from conference organizers. He explained, "This is a world first as we take an exclusive performance from MIDEM and share it with the world in this unique way. We shall be working with John Mahon [Ham Rambler] and his team who have built and run 'Virtual Dublin'."
Moore has plenty of experience explaining Second Life live music to real world audiences from MC'ing his weekly Bedford Music Pub / Blarney Stone Irish Bar Simulcasts running since 2006. Moore sent organizers YouTube links of videos recorded at the Blarney Stone to show what MIDEM in Second Life would look and sound like. He explained to them, "Within virtual Dublin is a bar called The Blarney Stone and the Audio from the British at MIDEM will be broadcast into this environment. Digital avatars of the artists will be created and operated by the Team."
Running an in-world simulcast requires close coordination between real world and in world staff. Moore not only MC'd live in Cannes but had his laptop connected to sound stage and internet to stream the concert audio into the Blarney Stone. In world guests were greeted by staff manager Emmie Fairymeadow and hostess Ginger Marseille. Band avatars were prepared and run by Padula Bing, Elsibeth Pierterson, Spook Maroon, Soulman Beckett, and Shawwn Noel.
Moore has run all music programs at the Bedford Music Pub in Balham, London since 2003 (it won Best Pub in Country in 2004). He expanded in 2007 and 2008 to additional special programs also simulcast into Second Life: "Wavelength @ The Regal Room," sponsored by Gibson Guitars, and "Bedford Bandstand @ IndigO2". For his support of new talent and innovation in the music arts and industry, Moore was awarded the 2004 Music Managers Forum Roll of Honour - Outstanding Contribution to British Music Industry.
At one point in the concert, real world Tony Moore asked in world staff to find out where the SL residents were from. He then read off their names and locations to the audience in France. Included were Maddie Bereznyak: USA, Ginger Marseille: TEXAS!!!!, Sauvage Chatnoir: BOSTON, Plava Ryba: DUBAI!, Kath Kanto: OREGON!, Maddie Bereznyak: INDIANA!, Korko Bracken: ARGENTINA ,Tazare Mulligan: FRANCE, Quarters Bailey: WASHINGTON DC, Nigel Brandenburg: NEW HAMPSHIRE, Dave93 Nieuport: SCOTLAND, Charley Ihnen: NEW YORK!, Ezone Nakajima: LJUBLJANA!
Moore jokingly asked if anyone in Cannes had their laptop with them in the room and were the one from France.
The Blarney Stoned Regulars were their usual enthusiastic selves, applauding long and loudly at the end of each piece, and wrangling, bragging, and exchanging witty banter in chat using slash keys. When asked how he liked the music, one patron responded, "/ouch, got bonked on the head with a giant teddy bear!," then stated as the piece ended, "enthusiastic applause!" There was no getting any sense out of them, they were enjoying themselves too much.
MIDEM comes once a year but Moore's UK Artists Live Music simulcasts into Second Life will continue every Thursday 1pm-3:30pm slt and his Wavelength and Bedford Bandstand events once a month (next ones are scheduled February 4th and 19th). For information on Dublin in SL see www.dublinsl.com. For information on MIDEM see www.midem.com.
