Live Musical Acts, Coming to a Sim Near You

Posted on Aug 18, 2006

From Wired News

The avatar of musician Suzanne Vega performs for the online members of the virtual community Second Life. The real-life Vega was playing at a radio station, which was simulcasting the performance. (Someone else was controlling the movements of her avatar.)

Now this is a cool sign of the times: Musicians are playing “live” concerts streamed through virtual reality environments like “Second Life.” In the photo to the right, the avatar of Suzanne Vega plays in what was billed as “the first time a major recording artist performed live in avatar form.” (U2 has gotten the avatar treatment, too.)

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Wired News:

Move over, MySpace: Pop legends and aspiring rock stars are heading for an online outlet that’s more Sims than social networking.

With thousands of bands now crowding the pages of MySpace.com, acts like Duran Duran and Suzanne Vega are turning to the online virtual world of Second Life to make themselves heard.

Artists are creating avatars and using the game’s audio-streaming features to play “live” concerts on stages made of polygons. With nearly 400,000 members, Second Life is considered by some record companies to be a good venue to reach fans.

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