My account was one of the ones deleted this weekend. I will have to try what Ciaran Laval did. I am glad the word is getting out because I do not want people to think I disappeared. We are "REAL" people behind our avatars. It is a shame Facebook doesn't want all those views to support their money they gain in advertising dollars. Now what is very scary is what else I found out. If Facebook deactivates your account, you have to scan a copy of your legal ID (license) and email it to them to prove you are "Real" and use your real name. So, a free internet service wants a copy of your ID... very scary. I teach people how to use Facebook in real life. This past weekend has strongly wavered my opinion of them.

Very sad. However, the first thing a venue owner will tell you, myself included, is that venues do not make money. I only host one big event a month due to the funding. The money to hire artists either comes from my store sales or out of my RL pocket. So, why do we do it? The love of SL live music and the artists.

PS I realized I missed the orginal post from August. However, I have watched contests like this in-world and on blogs. It is a popularity contest of how many fans hit the submit button or vote on a board. I'm guessing that most SL artists (at least the ones I know) would rather spend time on music than "rallying the troups."

I, personally, would have been very interested in a write-in section. I think all surveys like this should have them. SL is so vast that not one avie knows everyone out there. Everyone's perspectives of SL is a sum of their experiences. I can think of MANY performers in this genre that were left off the list. I often "show hop" by taking an hour and going down the events list. Staying at each show for about 2 songs gives me an idea of the performer. However, there are so many SL artists now that I rarely complete the list for the hour. We have lots of great talent out there.

Ron, I agree. There many die hard Emerald users. From a marketing standpoint one would think that other viewers would realize that and figure out what they can do to include the features that people love and even make it better. :-)

Hmmm... I discovered some interesting things about Imprudence. The Imprudence group has only 460 people. And, the owner of the group states in their profile that they no longer visit SL except for testing Imprudence. They are on other grids now. The Phoenix Viewer group has 2,969 members in just a few short days and actively supports residents in their group. I have a feeling the pendulum is swinging.

Yes, I noticed that Phoenix was not one of the choices, too. I've been using Phoenix and love it!

I may not have the popular opinion here, but after all it is my opinion. To me all SL weddings are strange. I have only been to two weddings in SL by choice. I was shocked to hear RL wedding vows being exchanged between avies. Perhaps, I have a very sacred view on weddings, but I really feel that they are mocking the meaning of RL marriages. Will my mind change in the future? I don't know. PS Yes, I am partnered in SL. No, we did not have a wedding. I do think they are two different things.

Ooops, I overlooked one... Lightnin Lowtide (http://www.myspace.com/stanbolton)

Skye's music is full of soul. I knew it was something special when I first heard him during the live streaming of the Texas Jam. That is why I immediately booked him for my venue. Skye also has the sweet personality to match his talent. He's great to work with.

I second the nomination for Stephen Venkman. Sexyness and talent make great hotness. :-)

I am thankful for the live artist musicians in SL. Of course, I am especially thankful for Kim Seifert. Meeting Kim at her live shows was the stepping stone to a beautiful friendship. Kim became my best friend in RL. SL musicians as a sweet melody to both my worlds.

Actually, this all made me chuckle. I have been told by someone in SL that I need a larger butt to attract men in SL. First, I was never out to "attract" men. Second, why would I even want to associate with someone that was that superficial? My favorite saying in SL is "There is a real life avie, with real life feelings behind every keyboard. Treat them with respect." We all have reasons why we do things in both of our lives... period. Why did I choose to make my RL hair red? Why do I choose to wear the color of nail polish I do? Everything I do is a sum of my life experiences. Sure some people might change avies from peer pressure, but even when we cave to that, we do because of who we are and the decisions that we make. With that said and on the lighter side, why does Effie the avie have fairly large bossoms? Because her RL avie does. ~smiles~

Honestly, I think people use them because of the lack of options. I would rather send a note card than an actual prim item. I do not want my recipient to need to find a place to rez an item or worry about the number of prims on their properties. I often send textures; however, if you want to send someone a message in a texture and a landmark, it is just easier to put both into a notecard with any explanation. Personally, if you are just sending me normal information, I would rather get an IM since they go to my email account. I do not have to worry about capping. With all that said, I think perhaps there needs to be some educating on notecard etiquette such as changing the title as Osprey stated.

Hmmm... I wonder if some have lost sight of the fact that SL is designed so that you can choose to be whatever you want to be despite the parameters of RL. Do we take the shape of our avie too seriously? Although maintaining a healthy outlook in RL is important to me, I highly doubt that this was the venue to get on a soap box out maintaining a healthy RL. Personally, I would rather lift someone’s spirits than lecture at them. I have found that in my travels in SL the many people I meet have different reasons for what they get out of SL. Some people use it as a means to do things they cannot do in RL. For instance, the wheelchair bound person that wants to ski, skydive, etc. With all the different perspectives in SL, I’m sure there are some people in world that actually get a boost of self-confidence or motive for a healthier lifestyle. If so, I applaud them. Do we analyze what people are thinking that want to be a dragon, elf, robot, transformer, neko, tiny or any other type of avatar? Are they choosing an avatar because they want some fun in their lives? Personally, I think if we all are having fun in SL and getting something positive out of our experiences, the shape of our avies should not matter. I think the ability for all of us to have gorgeous avies puts everyone on the same level. We get to know each other without the prejudices that sometimes RL hands us.

Obviously, Metacam, you aren't a venue owner and do not know what it takes to run an event nor have you have the knowledge of what this system will take. What you commented basically relates to someone telling another that has no idea about the steps to make something that it is easy. When I'm running an event, I don't even have time to hold a conversation with whom I am dancing. I'm setting music urls, troubleshooting issues, watching for griefers, telling everyone where the dance balls are, sending reminders for tipping the artist, watching the chat for numerous reasons, taking pictures when I have a spare moment, and attempting to keep up with any messages I receive. In MT's own words, "Venue owners will need to do their part to assist in security ensuring that those who TP into the sim enter the venue and not attempt to bypass the "System". If this happens, the venue will end up losing money as well since they are receiving 20% of the cover. Mechanically, the venue will need to allow the artist to set out an object which detects when attendees enters a specific range. It's farily simple but I think the honor system will definitely come into play." Soooo, the venue manages the security issue and only gets 20% of the revenue. Interesting concept. Richard, I agree with you. I think all this system will do is send more music lovers to the free events. :-)

This is really only one side of the story. There are many facets to this proposed model by Mankind Tracer. One of the big issues is that the charge system is actually administered by the venue which makes additional work for them. Many artists and venue owners have been hashing this out on the live music forums. The comments there indicate that there are also a large number of people against this model. Being a venue owner myself, I will not charge entrance fees to the shows at my place. I pay the musicians because I like to support live music. I would never think of charging people, especially my friends, who have lost jobs, can't afford to pay lindens, or newbies. I feel that the root issue is that there are a huge number of live artists and live music venues in SL now. Therefore, everyone has competition. I think that the competition should just naturally work itself out.

Hmmm... I guess I forgot about those "Tribute Bands." Although I'll be a little more gentle with my words, I agree with you. I've noticed that DJs and "Tribute Bands" have widdled their way into Live Music Event listings. Although there are some SL DJs I dearly love, they are not Live Music.

Likes: - The ability to hear musicians from all over the world with people from all over the world. - Being able to host live music events at my venue. - Low cost of having live music compared with RL. - The social aspect of live music events. I've made many friends at them. And, the artists have become my friends too. Dislikes: - Having been on the other side of the microphone myself, the delay is a bit of an issue. However, some of the better entertainers have learned to work with it very well and fill in air space between songs. - Artists that think they have to perform 20 shows a week. It wears them down and also makes for the crowds at shows smaller. It's easier to get some energy going with larger crowds. - Certain venues that constantly beg for people to buy their merchandise. Live music should be enjoyed for what it is. It can be used as a vehicle to introduce your location to people; however, it rarely makes you a profit. Arcadia, from my experience, most venues do pay their performers. I know I do. However, I have ran into some locations lately that will hire on tips only. Although, I do pay my performers, I've also ran into a few performers lately that ask 2-3 times the average rate of other performers. Since I have shows for fun and to support live music, I have a hard time justifying the higher rates.

Almost all of my web presence is in my avatar's name. It's a good thing I can separate the real life avie from her. :-)