Sony BMG Jumping into Second Life

As part of its search for new revenue streams in an industry that has frequently failed to keep pace with its customers, Sony BMG has purchased an island in Second Life.  Sony plans to hold concerts in Second Life, and presumably to facilitate shared music experiences.

Financial Times Deutschland reports that Sony BMG Europe is getting serious in its search for new market strategies and Second Life is just one in a series of moves into new venues and perhaps toward new models.

The addition of the capability to stream music in Second Life was largely responsible for the explosion in its now-robust social scene, but the number of avatars able to occupy a simulation is a technical hurdle that currently limits SL as a mass experience medium.

However, the possibilities of new licensing/purchasing models is intriguing. Music attached to our in-world objects and islands and animations and events.  Indeed, your very presence (avatar) in Second Life may be music. We use it as a device already in movies and radio to communicate “presence” – why not in SL?  The ringtones we attach to our RL cell phones act as a form of self-expression.

Our music – whether we create it or experience it - is an expression of ourselves   It is logical that we take it into our virtual spaces, as well, and shape it to ourselves.  It will be interesting to see if Sony, EMI and the others that will follow them into Second Life will let us play with the music there.

Photo credit: Argus Collingwood 

October 2, 2006

Comments

[Giff Constable]

Linda, I'd be interested in hearing more about your ideas for how music companies can let you play *with* the music -- I imagine you are talking about going beyond listening to it on your avatar or land parcel.

I should not say much at this point, but just to clarify one thing for readers: the picture is not actually from Sony BMG's presence, which is still being finished and thus not yet open to the public. Soon however!

Currently in SL you can't have more than 10sec sound clips attached to anything but a land parcel.