Blues Traveler: The Story of Von Johin, The Avatar Who Landed A Real World Record Deal
by Wagner James Oh/Hamlet Oh on Thurs August 14th, 2008
by Wagner James Oh/Hamlet Oh on Thurs August 14th, 2008
"On the Eastern shore of Second Life's French Quarter (SLURL) is a club where Tennessee bluesman Von Johin holds sway. He performs there, and the place is now his; he bought it, he tells me, when the region's original owner had to leave SL.
"I did not want to move," he explains, grinning. He pays for the club with the live music he performs in-world. "I do very well, I have very generous fans." Many tip well; many more tip often. Between two groups centered around his performances, French Quarter and Johin's Blue Note Group, Johin estimates several hundred fans, who love, as this video attests, his raspy, old school blues laced with witty twists. (He does a great bluesy cover of Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog", for example, which was itself a riff on blues master Howlin' Wolf. Returning Zeppelin, in other words, to its roots.)
Among those many fans, as it turned out, were talent scouts with Reality Entertainment, a real world multimedia company with a boutique record label that counts albums from popular alt rock group Marcy Playground (they of "Sex and Candy") and 80s metal gods Krokus in its library. The scouts were in Second Life looking for top talent among SL's large live music scene, Wired reported yesterday, and settled on Johin for his heartfelt performances. The company claims it's the first recording contract offered to an avatar, and that's probably true. (The acclaimed avatar-only duo of Chouchou were recently offered a small label deal; however, singer juliet Heberle told me, the label discovered their music on the web, not in SL.)"
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Second Life Bluesman Signs Record Deal
"The newest destination for talent scouts looking to sign fresh acts is Second Life.
Boutique label Reality Entertainment has signed popular Second Life musician Von Johin to a record deal. Wagner James Au runs a lengthy interview with Johin, who performs weekly shows in the virtual world."
Boutique label Reality Entertainment has signed popular Second Life musician Von Johin to a record deal. Wagner James Au runs a lengthy interview with Johin, who performs weekly shows in the virtual world."
Second Life Bluesman Gets First-Life Recording Contract
Aug 12, 2008
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Reality Entertainment (RE) is a diverse multimedia company that specializes in music, books and film. Known for #1 musical acts such as Marcy Playground and KC and the Sunshine Band, RE also is known for #1 best selling books on Amazon.com as well as nationally successful films such as The Extraordinary Voyages of Jules Verne.
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