Students in the State University College at Oneonta’s music industry program recently presented a most unusual concert.

The concert had music, but no musicians were on stage. Audience members were encouraged to walk around and talk during the concert and to look at artwork on display on the wall. The audience asked enthusiastic questions after the first two pieces of music had been played.

What kind of concert was this?

It was a Second Life concert.

What?

Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents. There are more than 6 million "residents" on Second Life, and the number grows every day.

Anyone can be a resident, free

of charge, simply by going to

www.secondlife.com and clicking on the "Join Now" button. The music presented at Second Life concerts is very much like your favorite music in "Real Life," but the concert atmosphere is certainly different. The people who attend are "avatars," that is, graphic images that don’t necessarily look like anyone you know.

When you join Second Life, you’ll be given an avatar and you can decide how you want to represent yourself. I simply kept the basic avatar I was given, but many people express their individuality by making a decision to have bright, blue hair or modern, Star Trek types of costumes. Second Life is not a game; it is, as its name implies, another place to live your life, even if it’s only a virtual place.

Many musicians are looking at Second Life as an interesting new way to promote a musical career. If you are having thoughts about performing your own music in Second Life, what are some of the things you need to know?

The most important thing to remember is that your success on Second Life will depend on the number of "friends" and groups with whom you establish contact. You’ll need to reach out and find others on Second Life who share interests similar to your own. The results can be very rewarding, since some very famous people often "drop in."

How can you find live music on Second Life?

Log into Second Life, click the "Search" button, and under "Events" select "Live Music." Click "search" and you’ll see a list of upcoming live music events and venues.

Click on one that interests you, and you can teleport to it.

You can "perform" your music in a live concert or by playing an already recorded mp3 of your work. Disc jockeys can spin music live to fans in Second Life. Both music and video are "streamed" to others who are listening to your concert in Second Life. For those who want to learn more about streaming music in Second Life, go to http://secondlife.com/knowledgebase/article.php?id=083

Live performances are greatly valued on Second Life and may attract large groups of loyal followers. While many aspects of presenting a concert on Second Life, or SL, are similar to real life, RL, there are also many differences. In SL, you need to use electronic building tools to construct musical instruments such as a piano, drum set or guitar. You’ll need to acquire some sort of animation to make your avatar "play" a musical instrument, or you may wish to acquire or "make" a microphone if you’re a singer. Your audience will arrive very suddenly because they will teleport into your concert area. A performer who is facing an empty concert hall five minutes before the scheduled start of a concert may find that all of his fans will be present and eagerly ready for the first song five minutes later. You can sell copies of your album at the concert as well as T-shirts and other merchandise. As in RL, building a solid audience base in SL takes hard work and good organization.

You can send Instant Messages about your upcoming performance or send group messages to fan clubs. You can hand out electronic note cards or build electronic signs to post near your concert hall. You can make sure you’re listed under the Second Life "Events" button, and you can get your Second Life friends to help spread the word about your concert.

If you want your music to be heard by a worldwide audience, consider going to the alternate world of Second Life. All the major record companies have a presence on Second Life, and you might like to build your career there, too.

Dr. Janet Nepkie is a member of the music industry faculty in the music department of the State University College at Oneonta.