Music Production in Second Life® Primer - Version
1-3
(Virtual-World-Enabled Music Performance and
Distribution)
©Copyright 2009 by
Siterma
VWP
Contributors: Chelle Fish, Cher Harrington, Dizzy Banjo,
Ham Rambler, Jaycatt Nico,
Sitearm Madonna, Tony Moore
I. Introduction
This Primer introduce music
professionals to the use of the Second Life® virtual world platform for
interactive music performance, promotion, production, and distribution.
II. Pictures
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Where The Artists Are |
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Frogg Marlowe (back) and Jaycatt Nico (front) in
Oregon, USA
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Lynne Singh and Elmo Balderdash in
Washington
D.C. Area
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Where The Listeners Are |
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Virtual World: Artist (stage) and listeners
(foreground), gather online in a virtual venue. Each
3D character represents a real listener on a real
computer, logged in somewhere in the world. (shown:
Blarney Stone Irish Bar in Second Life®)
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Real World: Performers and listeners are logged
in worldwide during live concerts. (shown: SL
Live Radio listeners)
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Details Also see
Equipment Needed |
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The musician's microphone (or mixer feed) is
plugged into their computer logged into the
internet. The streaming client (e.g., Winamp or
Nicecast) feeds a multiplier server (ShoutCast)
which in turn feeds as many listeners as needed. Not
shown is the virtual world client (Second Life)
which gives the musician their in-world presence.
Both clients can run on the same computer.
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III. Equipment Needed
Musician Provides:
1. Basic Account with Second Life (Avatar Name, Password) -
Basic Account is free
2. Computer with Second Life Client Installed (PC or Mac) -
SL Client is free
3. Computer with Audio Streaming Client Installed (Winamp, Nicecast, SAM, etc.)
-
Winamp
and
Nicecast are free; Others are not
NOTE: SL and Audio can be on the same computer. SL will
need a good
graphics card.
4. Microphone Feeding into Computer
NOTE:
Mixer intermediary is necessary for
ensemble performers; solo performers may wish to use a mixer as well
5. Broadband Internet
6. (Optional): Kiosk for automated business card giver, fan group
sign, promotional virtual giveaways, etc.
Venue Provides:
6.
Audio Stream Multiplier (URL, Password)
NOTE: Some musicians provide their own stream because they perform so much
and prefer to have their own
7. Location for Avatar Guests to Attend and Listen (Virtual Bar, Coffee House,
Event Stage, etc.)
8. Event Promotion and Guests
IV. How Monetization Works
Musician Provides
1. Live performance
2. Link to their website (MySpace,
Custom, Other) where further tracks are available
either demo and/or for sale (CD
Baby, Custom, Other)
Listener Provides:
3. Tips to musician, at listener's option
(Second Life uses the Linden Dollar; A tip of 500 L$ would be about 2 USD)
4. (Optional): Purchase tracks from Musician's sales links
Venue Provides:
5. Performance fee to musician, at venue's option (A fee of 2500
L$ would be about 10 USD)
6. (Optional): Place for musician sales kiosk permanently on display
(e.g., scripted wall poster)
Second Life Provides:
6. All fees collected in Linden Dollars can be
exchanged
through Linden Lab for USD (A
typical exchange rate is 250 L$/USD)
NOTE: You need to declare your income generated from Linden Dollars exchange to legal tender, according to
your applicable tax laws.
V. Benefits
What's the
Difference Between Real Life and Second Life Gigs?
. Performing at an SL venue does not replace the need for performing in a RL
venue (for artist development and publicity) but it supplements it tangibly and nicely.
. Performing at an SL venue as your avatar creates the 'magic spell' effect for
the audience of being there with the artist. Don't just play your audio into the
venue without "being there" as your avatar, or it won't work.
| Item |
Real Life |
Second Life® |
| Ambience |
More realistic than internet |
More realistic than web cast or web cam |
| Tips |
Few and far between |
Frequent and immediate |
| Fees |
You are rarely if ever paid by the venue, no
matter how good you are |
You are often paid by the venue, on top of
tips, if you are good |
| Venue Incentive |
Venue gets increased food and beverage sales |
Venue gets increased traffic (recurring
visitors) |
| Attendees |
Primarily listeners only
Primarily from local regional area |
Listeners often include other musicians and
promoters
Primarily from multiple regional areas, countries |
| Promotion |
You can have your business cards and CD's for
sale on a table in the back |
You can have a scripted kiosk that
automatically gives out your business card, gives out
promotional giveaways (e.g., avatar tee-shirts), and refers
people to your website for direct and immediate track and album
sales |
What's In It For Musicians?
Benefits include:
. Broader audience exposure
. Additional referrals to your website
. Actual money per performance
. Reduced travel, setup/takedown time
. Faster, broader networking with other musicians and producers
. Instant feedback via text to the musician that you wouldn’t get in a
crowded bar - every listener gets heard instantly
. A good way to try out new material before completely "off-book" with
it (i.e. still using music/lyrics)
. May be tipped by listeners via kiosk tip jar or direct pay (built-in
micropayment system)
. May sell your songs directly to listeners via kiosks that have
immediate download capability
Musicians may reach a broader global audience by performing regularly
in virtual world venues as well as in real world venues. This is done by
performing in virtual venues (bars,
coffee houses, classrooms, clubs, arenas,
stages, event spaces) where a large number of attendees are present. Performances
may be more interactive, innovative, and paying. Performing in virtual world
venues does not replace the need to continue to perform in real world
venues for experience and publicity, but it supplements it tangibly and
nicely.
The differences between a virtual world venue compared to
other internet alternatives (web casts, web cams, etc.) for
interactive music performance and distribution include:
a) Performers
can interact with listeners more immediately and completely (e.g., read
their comments while playing, call them by name / thank them for tips
between songs)
b) Performers can be tipped by listeners / sell their
music immediately directly
c) Performers can create and use new kinds
of instruments and experiences
d) The experience for performers is more convincing ('magic') in a
virtual world environment with 3D depth then on a flat web cam or
screen.
What's In It For
Listeners?
Benefits include:
. Broader artist exposure
. Live music firsthand experience even in remote areas
. Be part of the creative process by providing suggestions and comments
to musicians
. Listen to live music with a minimum amount of effort and no travel
. Listen to live music with a maximum amount of convenience (doing laundry at the same time,
etc.)
The differences between a virtual world venue compared to
other internet alternatives (web casts, web cams, etc.) for interactive
music performance and distribution include:
a) Listeners can interact
with performers more immediately and completely
b) Listeners can tip performers / buy their music immediately and
directly
d) The experience for listeners is more convincing ('magic')
in a virtual world environment with 3D depth then on a flat web cam or
screen.
What's In It For Real World Venues?
Benefits include:
. Increased worldwide awareness and reputation
. Increased local recurring visitors
For those venues wishing to be perceived as live music venue leaders,
benefits include:
. Ability to introduce people to music and artists who aren't even in
the same country much less the same city
. This is crucial to development as a venue with a worldwide reputation
(pre-existing online web presence is key here)
. Hosts interact not only with the live audience in the physical venue
but also in SL to create a true sense of community and unity between the
two sets of audiences
. Reputation as an innovative and fun locale for artists and audience to
interact
. Reputation as a prime performance venue to spread the word of
brilliant emerging acts
. Credibility as a venue to simulcast branded shows in other locations
around the world including influential
music industry conferences such as
MIDEM in Cannes, France and
SXSW in Austin, US
. Reputation for achieving many world firsts
. Reputation for riding at the forefront of the latest music performance
and distribution technology
. Reputation for providing the most interactive, organic and natural of
music for people to share and love
What's In It For
Producers?
. Music production means the creation, arrangement and
recording of music
. A discussion of how this is possible in a 3d virtual environment is very
interesting - i.e., actually using SL as a music creation tool
. This includes creation of instruments within SL
. The progressive use of virtual environments for music production is:
1. Persistent
2. Interactive - e.g., the user is part of the music
3. Flexible - e.g., music becomes software
. This has numerous implications to the creation and distribution of music and
how it's listened to
. This is a hot topic in the music industry in many areas and being taken very
seriously
. SL has many amazing advantages in this field - global reach, sale of virtual
objects, sale of software music, easy micropayment system already in place - so
it is well placed
. There are significant challenges inherent in the platform architecture though
VI. Where Can I Learn
More?
Information for real world musicians, promoters, producers, and distributors
wishing to 'debut' into Second Life is extensive but fragmented.
For practical experience your best bet is to
get a (free) account,
which will send you into a basic welcome and orientation area. Then
look up and attend a few live music events. Then casually introduce yourself and ask around, "who's good to talk to about
this?" This will help get some immediate answers and time-saving referrals.
For written information see
Additional Online Sources.
Contributors
Many thanks to the contributors to this article! You'd do well to talk to any
of them, however, they tend
to be busy people, which is why they've helped to get the latest basics presented
here in one location.
. Chelle Fish - Performer, Promoter, Producer, Distributor - Keltish
Manager, First Band In
Second Life
http://www.musicbyanthem.com/
. Cher Harrington - Audio Coach, Live Music Booker - SL Live Radio Manager,
SL Audio Coach
http://www.myspace.com/radiocher
. Dizzy Banjo - Reactive Music Composer for Virtual Worlds, Games,
and Mobile
applications - Industry Expert
http://www.dizzybanjo.com
. Ham Rambler - The Blarney Stone Irish Bar in Second Life - Second
Life's Most Publicized Venue
http://www.dublinvl.com
. Jaycatt Nico - Composer, Performer with Frogg Marlowe - Second
Life's Most Publicized Performers
http://www.effinjay.com
. Sitearm Madonna - Promoter, Producer, Distributor, Developer -
Online-Media-Enabled Organization Development
http://www.siterma.com
. Tony Moore - Song Writer, Performer, Manager, MC - UK Outstanding
Music Manager, UK Best Pub and Club; MC Let's Talk Music
http://www.tony-moore.com/
VII. Additional Online Sources
If you like to listen and/or read online these are good resources:
.
SL Live Radio
+ Read the intro then open the streaming URL (in Windows Media Player,
iTunes, WinAmp or whatever you use)
+ Instructions show how to tell what's playing
+ May just want to let it play on your computer in the background a bit.
.
New World Notes Open Forum: What Do You Like Most About Live Music in Second
Life? What Do You Like Least?
+ Experiences and opinions, pro and con
.
Music Community Forum
Second Life
+ Technical information
+ Experiences and opinions
.
Mixing Realities: A Primer for Producing Virtual and Live Events
+ Creating the experience in the real room (pc large screen projection
etc.)
The following are copied from the Second Life® Knowledge Base:
Astrin Few's Guide to Second Life Music
(First Musician to Perform in Second Life) |
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https://support.secondlife.com/ics/support/KBAnswer.asp?questionID=4096 Ever wanted to get into the live music scene as a musician? Here are
some words of wisdom from Astrin Few, one of Second Life's accomplished
live performers:
On the technical side, there are several layers. First is good audio.
Nothing to do with SL or the Internet (well, nothing about audio
streaming really has much to do with SL). I recommend an external USB or
Firewire mixer, like the Alesis Multimix 8USB, 12USB, however many
channels you need. The reason for an externalUSB/Firewire mixer: Windows
sound card drivers can be hard to work with. If you move your audio to
an external mixer, your life becomes very simple, since you bypass a
sound card and all its quirky driver behavior. But in any case, good
audio quality into your computer is paramount; if you don't have clean
sound with good levels, you won't sound good. Since every sound card
driver and audio setup is different, it's very hard to provide general
tips on getting audio into your computer.
Secondly, you need a stream client. The Winamp DSP plugin is ok, I've
been using the Oddcast v3 client, which also requires that you install
the LAME MPEG encoder, which is an extra step which may throw a few
people off. But the Oddcast v3 client supports both ShoutCast and
icecast servers, and seems a bit more stable than the Winamp DSP plugin.
I can't say anything about streaming on a Mac, as I haven't done it. In
the stream client you'll select your audio source, which in my case is
"USB Audio".
Thirdly, you need a server to connect your client to. This is a host,
port and password that you enter into your stream client. Since most of
the venues in Second Life now provide stream servers, this is no longer
an issue for live performance. In the good ol' days, we all provided our
own streams. I still provide my own stream, but that's just my choice.
After that, it's just hooking up with venue owners and managers and
getting gigs. A perusal of the Live Music event listings is a good way
to see which clubs are active.
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Overview of Music in Second Life
(Second Life Knowledge Base) |
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https://support.secondlife.com/ics/support/KBAnswer.asp?questionID=3987 Second Life is a great place for people who enjoy listening to or
creating music. People who like to listen to music will find a wide
range of styles and unique venues to explore. Musicians can share their
work with a global audience by performing live concerts in Second Life.
It's also a unique opportunity for artists to directly connect with fans
around the world, taking requests and communicating with them in a live
environment. Just like playing a gig in Real Life, but without the
hassle of carrying your gear around and travelling!
How does this all work?
Land owners in Second Life can stream music to their parcels to be
enjoyed by anyone who visits their land. If you own a parcel of land,
you can set a "Music URL" specific for your land. This "Music URL" can
be MPEG-audio (.mp2, .mp3) and Ogg Vorbis (.ogg) from streaming servers
or a basic web server. Anyone visiting your land in Second Life will
automatically hear the music you wish to share with them.
I'm a musician and want to perform my music live to an audience in
Second Life. Where do I start?
There are many musicians who regularly have concerts in Second Life.
This is done by sending a live music stream from your own computer to a
Shoutcast or Icecast server, and mapping the server's stream URL to a
parcel of land in Second Life. People who visit the parcel in Second
Life will immediately hear the live music stream. Musicians are also
typically logged into Second Life at the same time as they are
performing, so they can chat with the audience between songs and even
take requests! There are also many Residents in Second Life who run
clubs and venues specifically to host and feature live musicians, so you
don't necessarily have to own your own parcel of land to get started.
When you are in Second Life, try joining and talking with people in the
"Live Music Enthusiasts" Group to find venue opportunities.
I'm a DJ. Can I spin my music live to fans in Second Life?
Absolutely! It basically works the same way as described above for
musicians. There are many popular clubs in Second life full of Residents
who socialize and dance the night away, listening to live DJs who can
take requests from the audience during their set. Or you could build
your own club on your own land, creating not only the musical experience
for your audience but also the entire virtual venue.
I'd like to listen to some live music going on in Second Life. How do
I find it?
Log into Second Life, click the "Search" button, and under "Events"
select the category "Live Music." Click the Search button and you'll
immediately see a list of upcoming Live Music events and venues. Click
on one you find interesting, and you can teleport right to it. Be sure
you have have the "play streaming music" option turned on in our Audio
Preferences (press control-P). When you are on a parcel of land that has
streaming music, a small Music Control window will automatically pop up
on your screen. Click the play button, and you're listening to
music...live!
Additional Notes
Please keep in mind that the audio streams come directly to your
Second Life viewer, they do not get streamed by Linden Lab's servers.
None of this content comes via Linden Lab's servers at all, so
performance issues with streams are completely outside of Linden Lab's
control. Some streams reach a maximum number of listeners and then
accept no more. Some have poor connections and may stutter or stop.
Most internet radio stations will provide a playlist link (.pls)
file, which will will trigger your local mp3 player to start up and
stream music on your computer. In SecondLife you cannot use playlist
file links, instead you require the specific address of the music
stream. This information is contained within the playlist file,
therefore if you open the playlist file in notepad or similar, you can
see the actual mp3 or ogg music stream (usually listed as File1= or
File2= in the file). For a list of some of the public available
stations, try visiting Shoutcast's homepage and looking at the radio
directory.
A few important things to remember:
Legal Issues: If you choose to stream your own music into SL directly
or using a streaming relay host, the content and any copyright/royalty
fees and any other possible issues are your responsibility.
To hear streaming audio, remember that you need to enable the options on
the Audio/Video tab of your Preferences (ctrl-P) in the Second Life
client.
If there is an invalid URL in the "Music URL" field on the land, you
won't get an error message in Second Life (you simply won't hear
anything). Try double checking the stream in an external player such as
Winamp or iTunes to make sure it is the correct URL and actually
broadcasting, and that it has not run out of available streams for
listeners.
You can only change the Music URL on land that you own or on group
land when you have sufficient group abilities.
You can stream MPEG-audio (.mp2, .mp3) and Ogg Vorbis (.ogg) from
streaming servers or a basic web server.
Streaming directly from an audio file URL (as opposed to a live
streaming URL) will play the file once, but not loop it.
It is possible for a land owner to create a scripted object that
anyone can use to change the streaming music URL. (See:
llSetParcelMusicURL)
Can't get your shoutcast stream to work? If your stream url looks
like http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:8000/ remove the trailing slash:
http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:8000 Stream URLs typically have a port number
like :8000 in the example above. And remember, currently you cannot use
playlist files (.pls/.m3u) in Second Life.
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