Real Music in the Virtual World

United Rhythms Headquarters

In a time when artificial intelligence is writing lyrics and composing music people are longing for something authentic. By eating up all the information it can, spitting out a Frankensteinesque reproduction of numerous artists hard work, and generating a fragmented imitation of art that was once real it is slowly robbing us of our creativity and ability to think critically. Regardless of how good it gets it will always be the product of the collective theft of humanity’s knowledge. Luckily, AI is no match for the robust music scene that is Second Life.

Twostep Spiritweaver

The first time I logged into SL I stumbled into a live music venue. There was a small crowd and an avatar on stage awkwardly strumming a guitar. To this day Twostep Spiritweaver is still my favorite musician in this virtual world. The music was phenomenal, the crowd was energetic, and it all felt so... real! It's as if all of Nashville was suddenly contained inside my laptop. I became obsessed with going to what seemed like unending concerts, watching it all from the back row unnoticed and content. I realized despite some SIMS being completely dead there was ALWAYS music somewhere. And not just any music, great music! From new takes on covers to creating a body of original work, watching these independent artists grow and thrive has been one of the great honors of my life.

When my husband was injured and could no longer do the intensive manual labor that had wrecked his body over the years, I was worried he would give up on life. Unable to help provide for our family made him feel like he was a burden. It took me almost 2 years of, honestly, nagging him to get on to SL before he decided to give it a try. It has changed almost everything for him over the course of the three years he’s been playing as a live musician in SL. It is because of this that I will always be willing to invest my time, energy, and resources into the music scene. My husband is happy; he has friends, feels productive and has a small tribe of people the genuinely enjoy his music. It has been the best gift the world has ever given me.

Baba Yaga's Twilight Cafe

There is only one problem: so many people don't know about live music in SL! In fact, there are entire groups of people who don't know that they could be sitting at a concert in an immersive environment on their computer right now. There are venues of all types, from small coffee shops to giant stages, that host musicians to play live music almost every hour of the day.

All of this sounds awesome, right? I have not even gotten to the best part. The best part of the entire second life music scene is the community. It is not uncommon in this age of technology we often feel lonely and disconnected. That feeling disappears when you hear the gentle melody of Mimi Carpenter and her guitar or the jokes and stories Veo Voom shares between songs. I believe that feeling of loneliness melts away because in that moment we are collectively experiencing something real and raw and it connects us like nothing else could.

The musicians are not the only important people that make up this community. There are so many managers, venue owners, hosts, content creators, and fans that help the community to feel inclusive and inviting. The more you hang out the more you start to meet the real people behind the avatars and feel a sense of belonging. Whether you have been in SL ten days or ten years, the music community is the place to go to find your tribe and feed your vibe. Do you want to be serenaded in French? Cooed by Celtic rhythms? Feel the adrenaline of face melting guitar solos? Then the SL music scene is the place for you. I cannot stress enough how talented these musicians are and how hard they work to bring their listeners the best performances.

This is why I started United Rhythms! To have a space where musicians and music enthusiasts can connect, collaborate, and most importantly find joy in all the hard work they do.

One of my friends unfamiliar with SL asked me, "Isn’t it like just listening to the radio?" Um, absolutely not! It's LIVE MUSIC in an immersive virtual world. It's hard to explain. I guess you should just come see it for yourself.