There's a row brewing over live music at the SLCC this year. Slim Warrior appears to have been the first to speak out, when the release agreement for his performances was presented to her, and at least one other pair of performers (Kaoru and Jennie of The Deathline) are also objecting.

The issue here specifically is not actually the terms of the release agreement (which seem to be rather broader than is usual for a performance release), or who the rights are assigned to (Phreak Radio, in this instance), but a matter of timing. You see, the musicians have already agreed to perform, booked hotels, paid conference registration (albeit discounted) and booked and paid for flights. Now additional terms are being imposed on a take-it-or-leave-it basis, leaving the musicians out-of-pocket.

Well-loved musician Cylindrian Rutabaga will be performing a show both in RL and SL on June 30th at 5 PM SL Time, simulcast from Raleigh, North Carolina, SoHo-podshow Island, and various sims across SL. Additionally, you'll also be able to hear the stream here. This may be the largest simulcast of music in SL history, much as I'm loathe to use the word 'first' on this blog.

One thing I'm also curious about: Once Voice hits SL, will it be enabled for music venues? Would it enhance the experience to hear a crowd singing along with a performer, or partying and drunk in the background? Will it open things up for virtual heckling? Sound off in the Comments!

(Via emediawire.com)

Welcome to the ninth episode of On the Inside, Second Life Insider's Official Podcast!

This episode features our interview with Slim "Slimmie" Warrior, musician in both SL and RL. Aimee Weber co-hosts with me, and we talk about tolerance, the realities of being SL famous, and how voice might change attending live music shows. As always, feel free to leave your questions and comments!

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to On the Inside directly in iTunes (MP3)
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[Mp3] Download the MP3 directly

Bongo Beat records, a critically-acclaimed indie music label, has brought its wares to SL, which includes past and current artists of note, such as Jeb Loy Nichols and Katrina and the Waves. Their service is available on Aroha Island, where residents can experience the music directly from "crossover" RL to SL concerts as they're streamed into the island.

Each song is available for purchase at the better-than-iTunes price of about $0.90 American, or 250L. The service has just recently been upgraded to allow the download of entire albums, and they're working on streaming previews of each song. The build itself was created by TransStellar, and it's a beaut!

(Thanks, Moxor!)

This sounds like an interesting experiment/installation: The hive23 environment, in Mabinogion, is a space in which residents can take part in a shared musical experience. Apparently, each visitor attaches a piece of music to themselves and enters a room with other avatars, each of whom has similar music bits attached to them.

Upon entering the space, the musical pieces interact with each other, producing new variations on melody and rhythm. These soundscapes shift as avatars enter and leave, creating a new way to explore musical creation. If anyone in our audience gets a chance to try it out, please drop us a comment and share your experience!

Nashville's Bluebird Cafe, famous for helping to expose the talent of musicians such as Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, has opened a SL branch where music lovers will be able to see live music every night. However, unlike many music venues in SL, there will be a fee for watching the video streams from the RL Bluebird Cafe, anywhere between 1000L and 2500L, though Sunday performances will be free.

Additionally, the venue will display memorabilia from the Cafe's history, including a retrospective of over 25 years of singer/songwriter music. Check out the venue's website here.

(via prnewswire.com)

Those of you who know me know I'm a huge fan of 80s music. This band, however, somehow escaped my notice. Second Life was the name of a Belgium-based musical group who released two albums, entitled 'Why' and 'Who Cares'.

So many ... jokes ... can't pick ... just one ...

Please, do yourselves a favor and go visit the linked site, where you'll find the band members' names in the comments section. Gramo, you've done the world a massive favor; thank you.

(Via Gramo's World)

Tonight from 5-7 PM SLT or 8-10 PM EST NBC will host "Sessions Live from the Peacock Room," featuring Marc Roberge of O.A.R. and Robert Randolph of Robert Randolph & The Family Band. This live jam session will take place on NBC's Headquarters in Second Life on NBC 1 through NBC 10. The Electric Sheep Company is organizing the event, so you know it will be high quality. Also, if all else fails the event will be broadcast on www.VirtualNBC.com.

I have yet to head over to NBC's Island chain, but I am looking forward to seeing it. My understanding is that the show will be held live on one of their islands and fed through video to the others. Unfortunately, I am unsure which island will be holding the show live. If you find it, post it in the comments for others. Otherwise, come on out and enjoy the music, participate in live Q&A, and possibly even win a signed CD from the artists.

If there is one thing I like better than Pirated Tunes, its Ninja Tunes. The UK record label has plans to launch its on music video channel within Second Life. The channel is going to be part of the Virtual Life TV network being created by Rivers Run Red. Will Ninja Tunes station, to be called Ninja TV, be the virtual world version of MTV (or at least MTV when it played music videos)? Well considering the list of artist provided by Digital Media New for Europe I am leaning towards no. With a line up consisting of Roots Manuva, Coldcut, Spank Rock, Cinematic Orchestra, Pop Levi, and Mr Scruff, I am not sure how compelled people will be to tune in. Of course, I am not an expert on the UK Music scene. If you know more about these artists please let us know in the comments.

On a more interesting note this led Mac World UK to wonder, if Second Life is the new MySpace. The article doesn't delve into this question at all, but I found it quite provocative. I believe the question stems from MySpace's roots as a place where indie bands could showcase their music and create a place for their fans to congregate. Is Second Life a good place for an indie band to make a name for themselves? Maybe so. It certainly is a great place for self expression and meeting friends in an anonymous and safe feeling environment, and many of the social networking aspects of MySpace are already prevalent in Second Life.

I got a chance to slip into a pre-SL-launch gig with the band Deathline. According to their promo material: "Deathline are a new London-based rock duo. They play nagging, noisy, simple, repetitive songs perhaps reminiscent of The Fall, Jesus & Mary Chain, Pixies, Elastica and original 70s punk and post punk." This might be one true thing to say about them. A better one would be that these two seriously bloody rock. They can rock your ass out of the room, down the street and into the nearest pub.

Kaoru Deadlight, and Jennie Deadlight (Second Life names) aren't any stranger to the worlds of social inter-networking and technology. Kaoru's an old-time Second Life resident, and the band have established a small presence on the web and a rather larger one on Myspace, where you can hear their demos.

Go, and listen to them. If they do it for you, and you can get to one of their London gigs, get on down there, get smashed and go absolutely nuts. It's going to be worth it.

Looking forward to their official launch in Second Life, real soon now!

Here's a little piece about the range of musical instruments in SL, from a blog called Music Thing. I found the tone of the post to be slightly dismissive, as though the author was unable to reconcile his hopes for finding something awe-inspiring with the reality of what he found in-world. The piece completely skips over the feat of virtual engineering Robbie Dingo utilized simply to create what he has in the first place.

Regardless, it's always nice to see different sources cover SL with a focus on something new. There are a lot of links in the article, too, pointing to some worthwhile content. So, when can I get my Rick Nielsen 5-necked guitar?

(Thanks, Ryan!)

In the time-honored tradition of Suzanne Vega, Jonathan Coulton, Duran Duran, and Seether, all-female band The Hedrons plan to play a concert in SL on October 9th, making them the first British band to do so.

Ostensibly to promote their new single 'I Need You', the band will be hanging out after the show, so if you're a fan, now's your chance to get up close and personal! The concert will take place at their Hedron Dome in Nonsan. The Times Online UK has an article about the upcoming concert, though it describes SL as " ... the online fantasy world, where players live out their secret desires in an alternative existence." Sounds pretty sordid when you put it like that!

For more information on The Hedrons, visit their site.