Members Jeff da Weasel Posted November 3, 2008 Members Share Posted November 3, 2008 If you folks feel like listening, here's an interview of me under my stage name/Second Life avatar name of Zak Claxton that is available online now... It's pretty in-depth, and I perform three of my original songs live (not very well, I'm afraid) on the show. Enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author MikeRivers Posted November 3, 2008 CMS Author Share Posted November 3, 2008 It's pretty in-depth, and I perform three of my original songs live (not very well, I'm afraid) on the show. Enjoy. Wow! Totally awesome! Well spoken, too, as I'd expect from you. I learned something about the Second Life music community, though not enough to jump into it. Good luck with the CD. It'll be an interesting study in marketing to see how many of your SL fans pony up for a real life product. Got me thinking about the shallow pockets of the on-line listeners though. BluegrassCountry.org just wrapped up a two week (rather annoying, too) fundraiser concurrent with the radio station WAMU. I was surprised at how few contributors they had for an Internet radio station that plays a specialized (but not really off the wall) brand of music full time, and has been doing it for several years. Total number of contributors: 227! (including my $25) They managed to raise a pretty good chunk of change, about $33,000, but they had one $10,000 donation and several at the $500 and Dollar-a-day levels. You should do so well in Second Life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff da Weasel Posted November 3, 2008 Author Members Share Posted November 3, 2008 Wow! Totally awesome! Well spoken, too, as I'd expect from you. I learned something about the Second Life music community, though not enough to jump into it. Good luck with the CD. It'll be an interesting study in marketing to see how many of your SL fans pony up for a real life product. Thanks Mike!!! And I'm glad to see that you got what I was doing there. Some folks perform in SL because, well, they don't have many opportunities to perform in real life for whatever reason. Others do it to be a big fish in a small pond, and enjoy the microcosmic rock star life. But for me, as you gathered, it's a vehicle to get people to know my music as I'm in the midst of recording this album. So, what I'll be doing is this: as soon as the tunes are mastered and ready to be purchased via iTunes, Amazon, etc., I'll have album release party in Second Life as well as one in real life. Then, as I continue to do shows in SL, there will be ways to buy music from me at my gigs, using direct links to purchase the music (you can link to Internet URLs from Second Life). I'm not anticipating any tremendous success from it on its own, but a) I will sell more tracks than I would otherwise, b) I'm hitting an international audience as opposed to a local one, and c) it's at least (for the time being) a slightly unique way of going about artist promotions. And again, thanks for listening to the interview! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted November 3, 2008 Members Share Posted November 3, 2008 The blog is interesting. I'll have to listen to this interview later...can't do it at work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff da Weasel Posted November 3, 2008 Author Members Share Posted November 3, 2008 The blog is interesting. I'll have to listen to this interview later...can't do it at work. As I said, Ken, do it at your leisure. It's close to an hour long, so listen when you have some "free" time (yeah, I know how unlikely it is that you ever actually have "free" time). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rasputin1963 Posted November 3, 2008 Members Share Posted November 3, 2008 Very kewl, Mister Jeffers! Are you still "Jeff" to us? I listened to that podcast in its entirety... I loved your songs, and think that what you're doing in SL is very kewl. Those two girls sounded very cute as well. All I can say is, SL must have changed since I first tried it two years ago.... At that time, I walked and floated all around the properties and boardwalks, etc., but every person I encountered seemed to be in that "stunned" state... where they don't interact. I didn't care for all the blinking !SEX! ads, but hey, maybe that's just me. I must confess, I was gobsmacked that people can sell "virtual" property for megabux on SL... Is that still the case? Have investors recouped their investments (by selling concert tickets or tickets to lectures, etc.) ? Dave "rasputin" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff da Weasel Posted November 3, 2008 Author Members Share Posted November 3, 2008 Very kewl, Mister Jeffers! Thanks Mr. Ras! Are you still "Jeff" to us? Always. Funny side note: after all I'd done on the interview to explain to those ladies why I've chosen to do my music under the Zak Claxton name, they still contacted me afterwards to see if I wanted to have my real name listed on the Podcast along with my stage name. I'm like, "Um... no. No, I wouldn't." I listened to that podcast in its entirety... I loved your songs, and think that what you're doing in SL is very kewl. Thanks! That's why I do it. If it wasn't cool and fun and all that, I'd have blown it off ages ago. Those two girls sounded very cute as well. Who knows? Their avatars seem cute. Reality might be a harsh awakening. All I can say is, SL must have changed since I first tried it two years ago.... At that time, I walked and floated all around the properties and boardwalks, etc., but every person I encountered seemed to be in that "stunned" state... where they don't interact. I didn't care for all the blinking !SEX! ads, but hey, maybe that's just me. It's changed in some ways, and in others, not at all. It's kind of like the planet we live on; there's no one definition for it that's in the slightest bit accurate. I must confess, I was gobsmacked that people can sell "virtual" property for megabux on SL... Is that still the case? Have investors recouped their investments (by selling concert tickets or tickets to lectures, etc.) ? I'd say the thought of SL as being some kind of get-rich-quick scheme died out early on. The virtual property business pretty much went belly up for all but a few. Today, I'd describe SL as being more of a collection of special interests. People get into whatever they do, be it music, art, education, business meetings, sex, friendships, and so on, and there's no more a single description that fits it as does any definition of "What's on the Internet?". There's still not a good business plan for musicians, venues, and the like either. However, I would say that at least on a microcosmic scale, SL has remained profitable for me as a musician. My pay and tips from performing far cover the costs of participating in SL, and I've actually made a small amount of money... enough to cover my lunch for the last year or so. Not bad. But most of us aren't in it for the money, just like real life. For me, obviously, it's all about having a place to showcase my own songs, and have fun in the social scene of the music community, which (in the latter aspect) doesn't make it much different from hanging around here on SSS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pink floyd cramer Posted November 3, 2008 Members Share Posted November 3, 2008 enjoyed yer songs man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rasputin1963 Posted November 3, 2008 Members Share Posted November 3, 2008 However, I would say that at least on a microcosmic scale, SL has remained profitable for me as a musician. My pay and tips from performing far cover the costs of participating in SL, and I've actually made a small amount of money... enough to cover my lunch for the last year or so. Not bad. But most of us aren't in it for the money, just like real life. (vinyl record ripping sound) Wait-a-minnit! You mean you're getting paid to gig there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff da Weasel Posted November 3, 2008 Author Members Share Posted November 3, 2008 enjoyed yer songs man! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff da Weasel Posted November 3, 2008 Author Members Share Posted November 3, 2008 (vinyl record ripping sound) Wait-a-minnit! You mean you're getting paid to gig there? Not a lot, but sure. I charge venues about $15 for a one-hour show, and make another $10 or so in tips at each gig. Not a lot, but it's fun and I don't have to leave home to do the show. As I said, though: the much bigger value for me is the exposure. Invaluable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ernest Buckley Posted November 4, 2008 Members Share Posted November 4, 2008 sorry Jeff, was trying to start another thread... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super 8 Posted November 4, 2008 Members Share Posted November 4, 2008 Not a lot, but sure. I charge venues about $15 for a one-hour show, and make another $10 or so in tips at each gig. Not a lot, but it's fun and I don't have to leave home to do the show. :idea So do they write you a check? Send $$ via Paypal?Is the owner of the venue paying SL for space to set up their place, and then also paying for entertainment out of pocket? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff da Weasel Posted November 4, 2008 Author Members Share Posted November 4, 2008 So do they write you a check? Send $$ via Paypal? They do either, though a paper check will cost you a $10 service fee while a PayPal transfer is free. Is the owner of the venue paying SL for space to set up their place, and then also paying for entertainment out of pocket? You got it! Smart observation by the way. The venues try and make their money back in a few ways. A small number of them are sponsored on an outside basis (corporations, colleges, etc.), so they're not worried about the relative small costs involved. But others try and exist only on venue tips from the audiences, and very few of them operate without losing money. So, many venues do NOT pay artists, but have them play for tips only. Usually it's beginning artists who they book at those places. The way it often goes is that once you develop a good fan base, you can start demanding a fee. In any case, for most non-sponsored paying gigs in SL, it's crucial that during your show, you remind people to drop some money into the venue tip jar. I've done quite a lot to try and support the venues where I play. It's a give and take thing. The artists who are all about "me me me me me" tend not to get booked very often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted November 4, 2008 Members Share Posted November 4, 2008 I got just seven and a half minutes into it before I had to leave for a Clippers game, and found it interesting. I should have stayed home and listened to the rest.... (yes, a bunch of us got Clippers tix for free...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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