I’ve been wanting to do a quantitative statistical analysis of the format of the music being performed in Second Life, and to compare it to the general kinds of music Americans are exposed to with traditional broadcast radio. I have a working hypothesis that, similar to streaming radio, Second Life music performances are filling unfilled music niches that are not being served by traditional radio.
After the fold, you can see my initial findings upon looking at 203 music performances that occurred between June and September 2006 in Second Life.
I looked at 203 music performances in Second Life between June and
September of 2006. I broke down each event into genre (or "format" as radio broadcasters calls it), using
a modified version of BIA’s format
structure that they use to measure the kinds of programming being played on broadcast radio
stations in the US. (I discarded a number of formats like News and Talk, which were not relevant to this study. And I added other genres that weren’t represented on BIA’s list like Folk and Blues.)
Of the 203 music performances, I was able to
determine the genre of 151 of the events, based on descriptive
information about the event available on Second Life’s website, and background information I was able to find about the performer online.
The following chart summarizes my initial findings, which I am still in the process of refining and expanding (click on image for larger version):
The most interesting initial finding is that the two top genres during this period of musical performance are "Alternative" (31) and "Folk" (27). This is closely followed by Techno (20), Country (16), Rock(16) and Blues (15). Below these genres, the figures become insignificant.
Also interesting, two of the top formats for broadcast radio, Classic Rock and Top 40 are barely measurable in Second Life.
So, at least from first glance at this limited dataset, I seem to be on the right track. Hopefully more soon…
Good raw data… still, it doesn’t mean exposure since people flit in and out… most of the concerts I’ve been to have been word of mouth.
But I think you are onto something here. A SecondLife Top 40? 🙂 How do you look in a sweater, Rik? 🙂
Well, I’m not sure I can make any claims about “exposure” without data on how long people are accessing SL music content versus traditional radio content.
Also there are definitely many “apples to oranges” issues to unpack. I.e. is going to a SL music event qualitatively different from listening to the radio? Is the closer analogy going to a live music performance?
I’m open to suggestions and thoughts on if this kind of study is useful and interesting or not.
Quickies – Link Wrapup
Here are some links that I found interesting this morning. Introduction: moo Money – Second Life Insider moo Money is now writing blog posts for the Second Life Insider blog….
Many musicians have logs from either Shoutcast or Oddcast that show not only connections but how long these users stay at the concerts. Sam Hokin, aka Astrin Few, has logs that date back to the first performance in SL: April 22nd, 2004. While it’s not empirical data, it would give you a better picture of average attendance for many of these performers.
Hope that helps.
Hot diggity dang! Hip-hop is really getting the short end of the stick… where are all the MCs?!??
Great analysis, rik — how long did it take you do to this? In any case, I’m glad you did, because I’ve gained a greater understanding into the Second Life music scenes!
http://www.lovelymachine.com/Dolmere/2007/02/quickies_link_wrapup.html
I’d agree with Dolemere’s analysis linked above.
Kudo’s for trying to attempt it, but it basically tells you very little I think. The base data even for gigs performed is seriously flawed.
Personally I did 29 Blues gigs [Blues nazi’s opinions aside;-)] myself between June and Sept…most of them advertised through events listing if I’m not mistaken. Add in other blues musicians and we are way above that.
For starters EVERY music event in the period under study would have to be included in the study if you wanted to properly analyse what people were attending. Even this data may be well nigh impossible to obtain given the public events postings account for only a % of gigs happening . Word of mouth as mentioned also accounting for a large %.
What type of event as well – corporate, personal, club, open mic [multi genre!], jams etc etc.
I also don’t see how you will be able to get much of the other data needed to conduct a serious unbiased and fully representative study. I’m sure there are other musicians like myself who keep close track of quantitative and qualitative aspects of every gig done, but even some of this data is flawed ie: I can trust realtime shoutcast connection data, but the logs look dodgy to me atm.
Apart from the q’s Dolmere raises [see above link] there are other important data points needed:
Genre gig splits by performers?
How many people attended the gigs?
Average length of stay?
Was it a satisfying experience for the punters and how do you extract this data? [getting into qualitative factors here, but just looking at quantity only tells a dry picture imo]
An interesting qualitative/quantitative metric would also be gig tiptake – but this can also be totally skewed by one or more whale tippers.
Average tip?
You also have to separate out house tips from musician tips.
re:is going to a SL music event qualitatively different from listening to the radio? Is the closer analogy going to a live music performance?
For gigs like NBC etc etc it was a one way radio experience for me to attend any of them [ty for the free cd rr!] but for the small gigs it’s a live music performance paradigm, pure and simple..at least for people able to be at the venue. Ever read the chat from a live gig? Cracks me up every time! For people in overflow areas you are probably creeping back into one-way radio territory, but then there is still chat and IM as well…so maybe not?
Good luck with the next iteration, but I think you need to put some serious thought into your methodology and data analysis..otherwise it could be a huge waste of time.
Take care, kt
Again, I appreciate the feedback and critique. I am totally aware of the limitations of the dataset that I’m dealing with. My objective is for the findings to be merely suggestive of future areas of research, such as some of the interesting ideas that Komuso mentions, rather than conclusive.
My larger goal is to signal some of the ways that SL is a new form of music distribution that creates opportunities for niche formats of music to reach new audiences, in contrast to traditional music distribution systems (radio, CDs, RW concerts.) But also I want to identify if there are formats of music that are not fully represented in SL, and begin the discussion about why. I.e. rap, R&B, Salsa, Tejano, classical.
I think musicians and event promoters have strong opinions and experiences about these things, which are totally valid. But beyond that population I think there is a role for looking more intensively, systematically and dispassionately at these issues.
“But also I want to identify if there are formats of music that are not fully represented in SL, and begin the discussion about why. I.e. rap, R&B, Salsa, Tejano, classical.”
Why? is a no brainer imo..because there are no musicians doing it – albeit for a number of reasons. Technical, logistical, financial, etc etc.
Sure you can use backing tracks, but as any live performer will tell, too much karaoke backing makes the music sound like, well…karaoke! [and I use a robot rhythm section too – good part is no waiting!]
Salsa, for example, is a vibrant music that demands a tight rhythmic section and horns [in general] that can do subtle variations in real time. Tejano, apart from solo singer/guitarists, also swings towards a trio+ live ensemble. Not impossible to do, but logistically people have to have their shit together to do this on a regular basis.
They need a home studio [to be cost effective] that has the ability to record multiple musicians simultaneously in order to pump a quality live band sound out to sl for starters. There are a couple of bands doing this…ask them for their opinions on it.
Even for the current crop of performers in sl the sound quality varies tremendously. It does not take a fortune, but it does demand a certain level of financial investment in addition to a bit of learning curve sweat equity in order to produce a sound that, well, sounds better than a guitar in front of a $2 computer mic. Sure you can do that…but it does not really treat the punters with the respect that THEY deserve by delivering them a crap sound.
Another main factor is the sl demographics and listener base…focusing on the actual and not the hype inflated figured bandied around in MSM.
From personal experience I’m convinced there are many open minded live music listeners out there who will welcome genuine soulful musicians who can play AND communicate well with open arms….whatever the genre/instrument.
“I think musicians and event promoters have strong opinions and experiences about these things, which are totally valid.”
You left out Audience for a start – they are the other part of the live performance triad – otherwise it’s just masturbation on stage.
re: “But beyond that population I think there is a role for looking more intensively, systematically and dispassionately at these issues.”
I think you need to elaborate on that one a bit more – what exactly do you mean?
A traveler trudged down a dusty road alongside a pasture. Seeing a shepherd shouting and whistling at his sheepdog rounding up a flock of sheep, the traveler shouted “I BET YOU A HUNDRED BUCKS AGAINST ONE OF YOUR SHEEP I CAN GUESS THE SIZE OF YOUR FLOCK.”
The shepherd agreed to the bet. The traveler then yelled loudly, “Nine hundred forty two,” exactly the number in the flock.
The traveler then picked out his prize and trudged down the road, but the shepherd shouted after him: “I BET I KNOW WHAT YOU DO!”
The traveler agreed to another wager about this matter, and the shepherd then stated, “You’re a STATISTICIAN.”
The traveler was startled. “How did you know?????”
The shepherd replied, “Well, put down my dog, and I’ll tell you.”
*Thanks to George Moxley of Virginia Commonwealth University for contributing this joke to the Gallery. Most of my friends failed to see any humor in this anecdote. I guess only statisticians with a sheepdog would understand the levity here!
http://www.ilstu.edu/~gcramsey/Gallery.html
Feel free to go wild with the musician jokes;-)
Haha, cute. I detect a dig underneath this though that I’m not sure is deserved.
You as a part of the SL music scene might find these things “no brainers.” But I think there are others who don’t find these issues self-evident.
Trying to examine what kinds of music over time is being performed and what isn’t is relevant for understanding what kind of medium for artistic expression SL is evolving into. Does it create opportunities for certain kinds of musicians and formats over others? Does it better support niche audiences that aren’t being served by other traditional media like radio? How will the more international nature of the population of SL effect the kinds of music that gets performed and listened to?
These are I think valid questions to ask, and ones that statistical analysis can help unpack. Otherwise we’re talking based on hearsay and opinion, which doesn’t advance knowledge or understanding.
Sure thing, rik…but above all it has to be ACCURATE statistical analysis to be of any value.
I probably play 5 or more of those styles in one set. It would be hard to rate it that way.
If hip hop or any type of live dance musician started hitting SL they would probably be the most popular based on how many people go to the dance clubs there. There was one guy Kevin Michael who did R&B and sounded very good but his sound was so bad it was difficult to tolerate it. I think the interest is not there to the musician and the lack of knowledge on streaming for many of the unheard styles.
“Sure you can use backing tracks, but as any live performer will tell, too much karaoke backing makes the music sound like, well…karaoke! [and I use a robot rhythm section too – good part is no waiting!]” – Quoting KT
🙁
You guys may be missing the obvious, when you wonder why hip hop and other kinds of pop music are very poorly represented in SL.
The pop charts represent a *manufactured* ranking of musical interest, manufactured by the mammoth hype and image machine of the music industry. And in SL there is, as yet, no possibility of manipulating interest that way.
What’s more, only the youngest (and weakest) members of society fall for that kind of brainwashing of musical taste. In contrast, the demographics of the SL population are very wide indeed, so there is not much fertile ground for barely-musical plastic creations to find appeal as interesting music.
And finally, popular music is infused into the minds of the impressionable using a very potent heroin: the image of extremely healthy-looking young adults in substantial states of undress wiggling their lovely bodies provocatively in clip after clip. To not succumb to it is almost impossible, when all your young peers have it in their blood. In SL of course, there is no such imagery available.
Put those three points together, and you’ll find a substantial part of your answer.
And before I sign off … you can also add the general hatred of the blood-sucking RIAA to the list of reasons why people are rapidly going off chart music. Anything that kicks the RIAA and their labels in the teeth is good news, and of course live music in SL does exactly that. 🙂
Keep on rocking, live and virtual!
Morgaine Dinova @ SL.
Great work! I have been writing and performing originals specifically for Second Life Audiences and you have hit on the same points I have discovered. My music is alternative rock based with dance beats and my shows have become extremely popular and alot of fun. Lets all keep it going:)..Jax
Really interesting work you are doing!
Hep Shepherd
Second Life performer
I am a multi genre-ist as well, I think it is the key to success in sl or rl for that matter. However, comparing sl to rl in any sense is weak analogy, first there are only so many good musicians in sl, and for so long people have said to lesser artists, oh wow you sound so good, when they dont, that now the playing field between karaoke, and real musical talents, is merging, and the karaoke artist now makes the same rates as the soloist, or creative artist.
Many things have happened recently, to push artists to lower fees, and rethink strategies, now they are starting to talk together and try and accomplish the best methods for all, because the paid artist, is making less and less.