Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Music business musings

Hi readers...

The more I have gotten into talking to people about music and music business, in both virtual and non-virtual domains, I have had a few thoughts.  I share them with you here because I am interested in dialogue about these things.  Please understand... I have some understanding of the music business, but I have not been actively engaged with it in about 15 years and I am very fully aware that things have changed a lot since then.  One of the things that keeps coming into my mind is that the large "record label" does not seem to be as dominant as it has in the past.  With the ability for independent artists to produce, distribute and promote their materials via the internet, there seems to be significantly less dependence on the big business side of things which really allows a variety of great stuff to be available.  The flip side is that pretty much anyone has the same capability to get their stuff out there regardless of the quality.  There's nobody to vet the quality before it goes on the internet for sale.  So then the issue becomes how do people who are making music get others to hear what they are doing in the sea of stuff that is out there?

I guess there is another issue... how big do some independent artists *want* to be?  In Second Life, I see a lot of what we do as venue owners as offering up the virtual equivalent of a local bar, a coffee house, or even a house party.  I am not referring to the look of the venue, I am more referring to the vibe that we get from attending the shows.  The musicians in Second Life play for audiences that rarely are more than 50 at a time... sometimes more like a dozen but usually somewhere in between.  So what's the motivation?  Several people, including my friend Zak Claxton, have said something to the effect that it is nice to be able to play without having to add the extra time of going to a venue, setting up, tearing down, etc.  There's also the opportunity to gain a worldwide audience.  I made the assumption that almost every musician in Second Life was using the platform as a stepping stone to "bigger, better things."  I have come to realize I was mistaken. And that realization has prompted me to want to spend some time learning how the music business in general and more specifically the music business in virtual domains (including but not exclusive to virtual worlds) actually works and is treated by those who participate in it.

As an aside of sorts:  I mentioned Zak's website above.. he has a blog on his website where he writes about his gigs and he also writes a few entries here, here, here, here, and there about various music business and SL topics.  There are many more posts.. I recommend his blog in general.


I am interested in dialogue.. or references to other blogs or websites... or whatever.  Look me up in world, send me an email, make a comment here... any and all options are welcome. :D










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