It's a Second Life for More & More Artists

As many of you are no doubt aware, Second Life is a successful online 3D virtual world (developed by Linden Labs) which is built and owned by its 'residents'. Fellow 'residents' retain the rights to their works which they can then buy, sell, and trade with other 'residents' in a thriving e-commerce marketplace.

Several notable musical acts (including Suzanne Vega, Duran Duran, and Chamillionaire) have already purchased 'islands' (land) within the Second Life world where, as avatars, they can stream their live music concerts to their fans in real-time. Playing a show in Second Life is done by sending a live music stream from the artist's computer to a Shoutcast server, and mapping the server's stream URL to a parcel of land in Second Life. People who visit the parcel in Second Life will immediately hear the live music stream. Musicians are also typically logged into Second Life at the same time as they are performing, so they can chat with the audience between songs and even take requests.

I think this represents a really creative opportunity for performing artists that leverages enabling technologies -- and further engages the relationship between artists and their loyal fans. Stay tuned as more artists take the plunge with a Second Life (no telling when the band The Residents will join ;), but of all artists it seems a perfect fit for their unique approach!).