Re: Second Life as a Paying Venue

["Dennis Moser" <sinsofmachaut@gmail.com>]

For some reason, my posting got delayed for some folks. Anyhow ...

Jim: The difference between SL and a webcast or a podcast ... a
podcast is a "fixed" file, i.e., it is recorded and then available
from a "permanent" location, either a single URL or a website with
multiple listings of other podcasts,each with their own URIs. A
webcast is a URL pointing to a server that will stream a file. That
file may be pre-recorded (as in, using the file from a podcast) or a
live transmission (like we did for the electro-music New Year's Eve
performances, or what Darrell Burgan does each Saturday night for his
Blue Water Drift Dive over at stillstream.com ...).

In general usage, a podacst is static and may consist of multiple
files over time (each perhaps representing unique performances). A
webcast is generally seen as the streaming of a "live"
situation/broadcast, though in the case of "web radio" that stream may
be "recorded" files.

Sometimes the distinctions are a little on the whiffy side of semantic 
shading!

Second Life takes advantage of both. In my case, it is more analogous
to a webcast, as I am performing the work live in my humble 2nd
bedroom studio, feeding the audio into an interface of a computer,
streaming the results out to an aggregating server which then feeds
the audio into SL. The "live performance" aspect kicks in once I log
on to the Second Life environment, where my avatar is doing an
animation of playing a guitar (a Fender; working on getting a copy of
my Godin made!) in front of an audience of other avatars who are
logged in, literally, from all over the world. During breaks in
playing, I can interact with the audience via typed Chat or Instant
Message and through voice via the webstream.

Last November, I did a live performance on stage at Princeton
University; this was a "simulcast" into Second Life, with a feed in of
both audio and video, along with my avatar being present.  This is the
second time I have tried something like this (the first being at the
"@ Lab" of Ohio University last Spring to inaugurate their new Second
Life performance space). There is a growing number of people looking
at this latter kind of virtual performance of combining live audio and
video feeds in to SL from their real world performances.

Most recently, I have done a session, using ninjam, with a group of
performers scattered between Chicago, Boston, Munich and Berlin,
Germany  and Sköndal, Sweden (I hope I types right!) with the ninjam
server streaming our combined audio into SL, where our avatars are.
For a group like Chinapainting, this might offer some interesting
possibilities.

Hope this helps and gives some ideas ... let me know if I can assist.

Dennis

On Sun, Apr 13, 2008 at 3:08 PM, Jim Goodin <jimgoodinmusic@gmail.com> 
wrote:
> Dennis I'm just now seeing this.  Is this (SL) different from a web
>  cast or podcast, is it in theory 'live'?  We [Daryl] and I were at one
>  point in that we are remote more than live in person thus far, were
>  looking for something like what this sounds like for Chinapainting
>  performances and have since settled for doing a  monthly podcast
>  (http://chinapainting.podomatic.com) series..
>
>  It sounds a bit like one of my son's Habo Hotel things but audio only?
>
>  Anyhow sounds like it might be an option when the actual live market
>  can be lean.
>
>  Thanks for clueing me in...
>
>  Jim Goodin
>  www.jimgoodinmusic.com
>  www.chinapaintingmusic.com
>
>
>
>  On 4/11/08, Dennis Moser <sinsofmachaut@gmail.com> wrote:
>  > Thanks, Todd ...
>  >
>  >  Yes, Second Life CAN actually be a good regular gig and can provide a
>  >  few extra hundred bucks per month for playing while wearing your
>  >  pajamas, not smelling like stale beer and smoke when you finish and
>  >  not having to worry about lugging your gear up 4 flights of stairs or
>  >  having it ripped off from your car.
>  >
>  >  But it's like any other gig in that you have to take it seriously and
>  >  work hard at giving your best to the audience.
>  >
>  >  Last year I think I did over 200 concerts; this year, I've scaled 
>back
>  >  considerably, but only because I have some real life projects that 
>are
>  >  keeping my hands full. I have a regular monthly concert series that I
>  >  am doing this year at one particular venue (Bibi's Sky Castle, for 
>the
>  >  cognescenti!) and will probably add a couple of extra performances
>  >  through the rest of the year.
>  >
>  >  There are not many folks who are self-professed Loopers performing in
>  >  SL; don't know why and maybe it isn't important.
>  >
>  >  But if you want to share your music and are willling to spending some
>  >  time developing a highly appreciative audience, then you should
>  >  consider it. It always amazes me to see the spikes in downloads and 
>CD
>  >  sales after each performance, with more of them coming from Europe 
>and
>  >  the UK than the US ... what is it they say about a prophet not being
>  >  appreciated in their own land?
>  >
>  >  If you do sign on to Second Life, feel free to drop me a notecard 
>(the
>  >  IMs get capped regularly) ... look for AldoManutio Abruzzo ...
>  >
>  >  Best you all,
>  >
>  >  ~~D.
>  >
>  >
>  >  On 4/11/08, todd reynolds <toddreyn@gmail.com> wrote:
>  >  > I'm on there (Kamerin Kokorin) and so is LD community member 
>Dennis Moser,
>  >  > but frankly, I've found it difficult to start a community there 
>without
>  >  > quite a bit of time spent, and it is HIGHLY addictive for me... 
>Thanks for
>  >  > bringing it again to the list, Jeff.
>  >  >
>  >  > but I did get all my live stuff working so that I could perform 
>'inworld',
>  >  > and Dennis performs at the Princeton University performance space 
>often,
>  >  > which is a beautiful space, and Dennis has established a nice 
>audience for
>  >  > himself (everytime I've visited to watch)...
>  >  >
>  >  > time for a new thread for this stuff if we get into it, cuz it's a 
>DOOZY of
>  >  > a convo...
>  >  >
>  >  > Todd