Review Blog for Live Music in SL Launches, Seeks Reviewers

Performance SL is a new blog which aims to serve an under-served audience: fans of live music in Second Life. "[S]everal of us have been paying attention to the calls for an honest and truthful review site for SL performances," blog staffer Bob Mahley tells me. "We have RL review experience from print media to blogcritics and technorati." And they're looking for more reviewers: Go here for all the details.

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[Bob Mahley]

Thanks much for the mention, we are all super excited about how momentum we are feeling on this project. Honest, ethica, and independent will be our mission statement as we hope to affect great upward change in this great performance industry SL has.

[Pussycat Catnap]

In the current climate of SL, live music is one of the last things left that still draws a crowd and can pay revenue for a venue. Tiny small revenue... but something.

Tiny because performers sometimes expect to be both paid and tipped, and resent venues that expect to get tips themselves as well... resulting in, yet again... the endless drama where venues pay all the costs and reap none of the rewards for SL.

I'd love to see the reviews call out any performer who's being predatory against the venue, while at the same time giving props to any who recognize the need for the venue to get paid -first-.

While also of course, critiquing the music.

We as 'consumers' of the music need to know which of them are helping keep access between the music and its audience intact in SL, and which are looking to make a quick 50-cents off of us...

Or maybe I'm just jaded from the SL club scene. The live performers I've actually seen (rather than just read about) were always supportive of venues - unlike the drama of 'club dancers / hosts' who tend to prey upon venues they don't themselves own/co-own.

[jo yardley]

Got any 1920s artists?

Interesting picture by the way, first thing I thought was that it was a creepy guy holding a knife.

[Bob Mahley]

@ Pussycat: You are spot on. One of the reasons that spawned this project is the inherent issues with venues and performers. The inequality is shocking. However, we feel an honest and truthful source of reviews will elevate the whole industry. I personally feel that just by having this integrity in reviews will expose scammers, hacks, and predatory lots on both sides fo the industry.

The industry could do better, for both performers and venues. We hope this transparency will provide. We hope to encourage our writers to review venues as well. We all know that some are better than others and some don't try hard at all.

Goal: Quality elevation of performers and venues through transparency and integrity of industry reviews.

*Fingers crossed at least :P*

[Bob Mahley]

@Jo: There are some great "Gypsy Jazz" style artists in SL if that's what you mean, so yea! We do and will! Yea, that is a creepy photo now that I look at it. Great conversation piece. :P

[Bob Mahley]

@Jo: There are some great "Gypsy Jazz" style artists in SL if that's what you mean, so yea! We do and will! Yea, that is a creepy photo now that I look at it. Great conversation piece. :P

[Arcadia Codesmith]

I've seen musicians dump their entire take for the night (plus a little extra) to help out a venue that they like and value. And that comes from having venue owners and management that know how to connect with players and singers. If you value the talent, the talent will value you.

You'll see some big names in the SL music scene playing little hole-in-the-wall clubs sometimes, usually because they've made friends with the management and they like to help out people who helped them get started.

It all comes down to treating people like people, not like commodities.

[Pussycat Catnap]

"It all comes down to treating people like people, not like commodities."

Yes. And I've also seen plenty of good honest musicians. I've only read about the bad ones.

DJs - about even.

Its in the dancers and "hosts" that I've seen mostly bad ones, and only read about honest ones. :) But then I personally have trouble seeing why these two 'jobs' even exist in the context of SL. The #1 sim in Second Life, every week, on Hamlet's report - uses neither and has an active club.
- It does have dance poles, but anyone can get a group tag, hop on a pole, and play, and the tip jar by that pole auto-splits the tips.
- That sim has stayed active since I rejoined SL in 2009 with packed crowds for a reason...
- It also has no host. That role is entirely superfluous in SL for most of the places it gets used. About the only kind of host I could see as valid would be a virtual talk show or open mic moderator.

[Bob Mahley]

@ Arcadia, well said. Honestly, what gets me is how many venues don't value performers and try to exploit them. Insane.