Second Life Mainland Survey: Ownership & Premium Subscriber Rates Remained Flat in 2017 -- About 9% of the Regular User Base of 600K

Second Life economy expert Tyche Shepherd just posted her well-sourced survey of the Second Life mainland economy here, and while there's a lot of data worth discussing, the most surprising point is how much little changed in 2017, from previous years:

"The change (or lack of) in total number of land owners is surprising," as Tyche puts it to me. "2017 has been a year of slowing loss all round but that is one statistic which has hardly changed. The amount of land they own is down and abandoned land is up. Of course the change from last year is a net figure so new owners may be replacing old ones." Specifically, there are now 56,797 mainland owners, she tells me -- a small change from 56,946, the total in January 2017. "That breaks down as 46,940 individuals and 9857 groups." To be totally precise, she adds smiling: "Actually that includes 5 or 6 major Linden accounts."

Another interesting point is the number of people who occupy a Linden Home -- which by definition, makes them Premimum monthly subscribers:

The total number of Linden Home regions remained unchanged since the last census at 1163 (17.1% of Mainland) . In total there are currently 42,733 Linden Home Plots which is also unchanged since last census. Of these, 36742 are occupied (86.0%). This is a fall of 172 owners since Jan 2017 (a drop of 0.5%).

"Am I right to conclude that means Premium accounts haven't changed much either (since you need one to get a Home)?"

"I'd guess that is the case," Tyche tells me. "Of course I only have visibility of current land owners but that's probably very close to total premium accounts."

56,797 or so 42,733 subscribers is a small amount -- about 9% of the roughly 600,000 active users. Linden Lab has been trying to drive more users into becoming Premium subscribers, but sad to say, that's not happening. Last year the company made somewhere between $4 million to $6.8 million $3 million to $5.1 million. Which is nothing to sneeze at -- but not anywhere near enough to start discounting private sim tier, which still needs to be the company's main revenue source.

Update, 1/16: In Comments, Tyche clarified a quote I garbled, and have updated the post accordingly:

"42,733 is the number of Linden home plots not subscribers , of which 36742 are occupied Unique mainland land owners including Linden Home owners stands at 56,797 which is a reasonable conservative estimate of current number of Premium Account Holders - It has to be at least 46,940 since that's the number of individual who are mainland owners (the other mainland owners are 9857 groups)".

I originally wrote about 7% of the roughly 600,000 active user base has a Premium account, and so I have corrected that in the copy and the subhead to be about 9%.

Comments

[Amanda]

Not every premium subscriber has a Linden Home. I do not have a Linden Home since I do not want one of the pre built houses. I am premium and have a private region as well as a plot on mainland.

[patchouli woollahra]

Ditto. I'm a premium subscriber only as a stepping stone to owning a 1/16th of a mainland sim for a mini sandbox.

[Tyche Shepherd]

42,733 is the number of Linden home plots not subscribers , of which 36742 are occupied

Unique mainland land owners including Linden Home owners stands at 56,797 which is a reasonable conservative estimate of current number of Premium Account Holders - It has to be at least 46,940 since that's the number of individual who are mainland owners (the other mainland owners are 9857 groups)

[Wagner J Au]

Thanks for clarifying, Tyche, sorry I garbled your quote a bit -- will correct!

[Guest]

To them, you're just a freak, like me! They need you right now, but when they don't, they'll cast you out, like a leper! You see, their morals, their code, it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these... these civilized people, they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve.
-Ebbe Linden