So You Want to Own a Business in Second Life – Part 2 (Clubs)

April 2, 2012 by 3 Comments

On our second segment of this series, we will focus on the club business in Second Life.  In case you missed the first part of our series on business owning in Second Life, you can view that story here.

If you are new to Second Life, it will not take you long to hear about clubs, events, or djing!  Owning a club in Second Life can be fun and rewarding, but it also takes a great deal of time, planning, and organization.

Since owning a business in Second Life, mirrors business owning in real life somewhat, I am going to employ a real life business concept—the SWOT Analysis.  No this is not MBA 101, but you should analyze your own capabilities before jumping into what can be a costly venture in Second life.  I have streamlined the concept of SWOT into four categories.  Please consider these five things, as they are the key to making or breaking your club in Second Life:

  1. Budget- Decide from the beginning, how much of your real life money you can put into a club.  You will need money to pay for property for the club, as well as for events if you decide to hold contests, and for advertising the club.  There is also the possibility of paying for special events, dj’s, or event hosts. You also have to budget for club equipment and the actual club building.
  2. Theme-Will your club have a theme? Is it going to be a rock, pop, top 40’s, country, etc type of club? You can also make your club appeal to a specific community in Second Life, such as goth, vampire, furry/neko, steampunk etc to name a few. What will the rating be? Adult, mature, or pg?
  3. Location-do you want your club located on the mainland or will you rent private estate land? Each type of property has it’s plusses and minuses.
  4. Staff-How will you find DJ’s and hosts? Do you have the time to host or dj yourself? Will you used managed DJ’s or will you simply send out in DJ groups?
  5. Time-Do you have the real life time to devote to the club? This is very important, particularly if you cannot find enough staff to keep your club going, you may end up hosting or DJing or at times doing both.

If, after considering the five things above and you still would want to own a club in Second Life, then keep reading! So let’s imagine you have a club set up, fully staffed, and you are ready to open for business. Before you throw open the doors, consider the following tips:

  1.  Consistency-It’s important that you have a consistent schedule, not only for your staff, but for our VIP’s.  People have routines in Second Life and if they know their favorite club is opened a certain time, they are more than likely to plan to go to your club.  Try to narrow down days and times that work for your staff and your VIPs.
  2. Advertising and Promotion-this is important so people know you even have a club in the first place!  Make sure your location parcel is listed in search, take out a classified ad, and put your club on your picks.  Encourage your staff to do this as well.  You should also strive to put events in the Second Life event’s listing daily. Of course promote your events in your group. Consider setting up a blog and tweeting events using the Secondlife tags.
  3. People-keep the drama out of your clubs, ensure that your club staff and the VIPs are happy! This means listening and paying attention to their wants and needs to ensure that your club can function without any real hassles.

Once you are ready to open and have considered everything on this list, the next steps is to keep your club fresh and a great place to be in, this means reevaluating things such as times, themes, genres, and even the location of the club. Of course paying attention to the trends of Second Life also helps.  Remember owning a club can be challenging and a lot of work, but it can be as fun as you want it to be!

Filed under How to do...., Music, Newbie Advice Tagged with , ,

The Torch RFL March Hare Madness

March 24, 2012 by Leave a comment

And so it begins, the first Torch RFL event. Jessii Warhol lends us Club Capital for a few hours of fun, music and good company… and donations.

RFL, for those who doesn’t know yet, is Relay For Life, a collection of organizations that comes together to collect donations for the American Cancer Society. By doing events and collecting small sums, RFL can donate massive amounts to the research about cancer.

This year, The Torch has a RFL team and will do events around one time per month, and first out is March Hare Madness at Club Capital.

What? March Hare Madness
When? 31/3-2012 10am-12pm SLT

Where? Club Capital

Filed under Helping Hand, Music Tagged with , , , ,

Roleplaying in Second Life: Goin’ Back to 1920′s Chicago

October 16, 2011 by 1 Comment

It’s the 1920s, things have changed. Women walk the streets displaying  their new-found freedom. Those who survived the first world war are trying their best to forget it. Prohibition roams the streets and brings with it new waves of crime and injustice. Mobs and the Mafia clash trying their best to gain power over the streets. Speakeasies secretly open filled with moonshine, the only place to get a drink nowadays.

When I came to Chicago, it was bustling with noise, my dreams to be a singer within my grasp. The lights of the big city seems to be calling to me, teasing me, pulling me forward. My name in lights, that’s what I want. I saw it, the lights. “Empire Burlesque.” The first building I see, the sound of a crowd calls me to it. As I enter there is a glorious sight, men and women sitting down enjoying the show of 3 half naked women dancing,  I could not help but turn away, blushing.

Another step into the world of Second Life roleplaying, takes us to the adult sim 1920′s Chicago, and adult it is with good reason. Replicating the roaring times of the 1920′s when the world was recovering from a terrible war, but was opening itself to a new decade of growth. What a growth it was! Our first stay in 1920′s Chicago was spent by attending a very sassy but lovely Burlesque show, that represents, quite nicely, a time where sexuality, though taboo but was beginning to be explored openly.

(Oh note this wasn’t our first visit…our first visit wasn’t very productive and our second was met by the end of a tommy gun which was very funny and this is our third visit.)

Filed under Culture in Second Life, SL Destinations, SL Experiences Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

SpOoKy YOU!

October 14, 2011 by Leave a comment

Something wicked this way comes in the form a fashion event, a celebration of everything that is dark in Second Life on this, the dark month of October. Venture into the graveyard, with your Linden bills held tight, or else one of the undead will reach out of hell and snatch it from you!

Spooky You is a celebration of dark and twisted fashion. The disturbed and tormented souls of 50 SL vendors gather around from October 15th to November 3rd to celebrate and they are extending an invitation to you! With hellish fun from trivia contests, to testing your luck with their UnLucky Chairs as well as Trick or Treat items that cost 1L$ – 10L$.

Dance your life away with the Grim Grinning Ghosts at their Halloween party on October 29th.

Your Hearse IS HERE! 

Happy Halloween.

Filed under Fashion & Freebies, SL Destinations Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Club InFuZion

September 28, 2011 by Leave a comment

A new club is out in Second Life, Club InFuZion owned by  Fox Daviau and has been opened for 3 weeks. Now managed by Form Club FreQ Owner Starry Sparkle:

InFuzion Logo

InFuzion: Hot new Club in Second Life.

” Infuzion is a place where we all can get together, joke around, play games, and have good conversation. Also we are very welcoming, to not just nekos but everyone who walks into the club. A lot have asked if just nekos are allowed to work here, but I always let them know that ANYONE is allowed to work here with experience.

I also keep an open mind to the fact that everyone has to start some where, and If I have the time to train some one I will. For example Isabell Starfall is a host here, and has never worked before. She is now employee of the week this week. Because she has offered so much help, and always is on time, she proves she loves working with us, and joining us when she’s not working.”

– Starry Sparkle

Club InFuZion have an array of activities to make your entertained and coming back for more. From ‘Best in’ contests to trivia balls and sploders that go up 2k L$ (Lindens). They even provide private parties such as engagement parties to birthday parties and will provide the DJ and Decorations.

To check out Club InFuZion 

Filed under Pubs and Clubs, SL Destinations Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

The Demonic Night Club – Fantasy Week

May 11, 2011 by 1 Comment

On a industrial estate, somewhere in Second life you can find a place where everybody is welcome. Not only humans but every creature can enjoy their time here.

Inspire yourself and head over to the Demonic Night Club!


When you teleport it takes a while before all is rezzed. But it’s worth to wait, because the music here’s great if you like rock and metal. The Demonic Night Club is always open and there’s 24 hours a day live music streamed by great DJ’s.

You enter the sim on a crosspoint. From here you can walk outside and visit many shops. It’s worth a watch, because there’s a great variety of stores and the builds are impressive.

When you don’t want to shop, you can take the stairs down and dance with lots of people with the most diverse avatars.

The club has a grunge atmosphere with ia stagen the middle with impressive light effects where the dancers and the DJ do their act.

Around the stage you can find dance balls for couples and singles and this great club has 4 dance floors!

Recognisable visitors who were so kind to model: chesslyn lyric & nicolas schreiner

On the walls you can get information about the Demonic Dance club. You can find a board with information about the DJ and the music that’s playing.

Although the fantasy in the club is well represented by the art and the building, the realism of the furniture, like the stereo system, makes you feel like you’re in a real life party.

When I danced I saw the most amazing avatars. I danced between a wizard, demons, humans and lot’s of vampires.

It’s really a nice idea, that people can be here with the avatar they want and play the role they like, without bothering others.

For people that don’t want to roleplay. The place is safe for everybody. It’s for example forbidden to bite in the club and you’re not allowed to combat here.

And what’s nicer to meet other avatars and listening to great music in an environment where everybody can feel comfortable?

The place is great for new residents. First of all you’re safe here and you can explore several cultures in Second Life in just one club.

Aside from that, the Demonic Empire offers a safe possibility to purchase Linden Dollars in several ways without the need of registering your credit card on your SL account. You can find this in the huge mall in the south.

The Demonic Empire is a very active place. That’s why this place is also interesting for designers and creators that needs a store. And good news, there are still a few places for rent.

They’re also in need for good DJ’s and good dancers. If you have talent, it might be interesting to contact the owners.

Thanks WebMaiden Tomorrow and Rokko Luminos for make such an open and wonderful environment for the Residents of Second life!

SLURL

[Editor added] In the comments section we got this link, where someone has made a video about the club. Check it out!

Article by: Justum

Photos by: Justum

Filed under Pubs and Clubs Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

Welcome to Club 7734 – Fantasy Week

May 10, 2011 by 3 Comments

7734 is a gothic hangout that mostly attracts the darker residents of Second Life. It’s not the usual kind of club with big open spaces, spanning half a sim, it’s just one small warehouse. It doesn’t even have any open doors. Still, it manages to attract so many people every single day.

I asked one of the owners, Cornholio Darkthorn, about it, and while moshing away on the warehouse floor, we did an interview.

How did Club 7734 come into existence?

Mr. Darkthorn himself

Well, me being a NEW DJ a few months ago.. I used to have to Audition at a lot of places and well some places my style did not seem to fit in, I was either to hard or too soft music wise. I was Jokingly telling Svet to open her own place because we got tired of having to jump around from job to job trying to find work. Somewhere in MID TP the name 7734 popped in my head. So against the advice of a lot of my friends, I decided to open a club. lolI searched the market and seen this place and went to the demo of it and TP’d some of my close friends (now MGMT Davos Atisso Head MGR, Jean Sazzalans Co Owner, Svetlanna Larimore GM) and they liked it immediately. that day, I started looking for land. And to be honest, I opened it expecting to fail, but with the idea in mind I would always have somewhere to play music when I wanted, that included my friends too.

What does 7734 mean?

LOL its calculator humor :P If you look at 7734 upside down.. reads HELL :D I thought it was unique and would stick in people’s heads.

Who does 7734 aim at?

Anyone… people that want to have fun and love the music… we welcome everyone here no matter who they are, we want them to feel like this is home.

What has been your main inspiration?

The management is not responsible....

My friends.. they are some of he Best Djs I have heard in SL And their love of music and need to play for the people! Without them and the VIP, this place is nothing.

How does your club contribute to the newbie population of SL?

We try to welcome them and make them feel at home here.  We have all been there and had help from friends. I have seen some of the staff actually take some new people out and make them over. lol It’s cool to see the transformation, especially when they come and stay! you get to see them grow. :D

SLURL

Interview by: Morphman

Photos by: Morphman

Filed under Pubs and Clubs Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

Big Daddy’s – Club Family.

May 1, 2011 by Leave a comment

When I came across Big Daddy’s it was on a date with my lovely partner. We found that not only was it a great place to listen to 80s and 90s music, but the atmosphere and the people were  a joy to be around. So we, at the Torch SLG, would like to introduce all you newcomers to one of the Best Clubs in Second Life. Luckily the Torch got an exclusive interview with them. Enjoy:

How did Big Daddy’s come to be?

Big Daddy’s was formed in Nov ’09, 4 of us stood on an empty sim and took the step to attempt to make a place fun, exciting, drama-free for all our friends we called Family. We dreamt of something big. We had no idea how far it would go or where it would lead us but would never have guessed it be what it is today. We’re pretty proud, proud of many accomplishments that we’ve achieved today and we want to keep going.

What are the basic aims of Big Daddy’s?

The biggest aim is having a place many people in SL can call home, “Make Big Daddy’s your home, away from home” is one of our mottos. We are huge on NO DRAMA what so ever, whether it’s from regulars or anyone new, even staff…its known that it’s not welcomed and we’ll take all measures to make sure it stays out.

The other aims are that we provide fun times, great music, our PG environment and  most of all friendly people. We pride ourselves on making everyone feel like they’re part of our family by letting them know that they are important to us. Big Daddy’s isn’t about making money, it isn’t about ranks or chart numbers, I think we’ve proven what’s most important to us and  that’s the people that continue to come and visit us.

How does Big daddy’s Contribute to the newbie Population of SL?

In January 2011, Big Daddy’s took part in a SL Beta testing for launching a new way to welcome new players to SL, Big Daddy’s was picked by Linden Lab to be a teleport landing point for Clubs/Entertainment. During that testing, we welcomed quite a few new and potential SL gamers.

Our staff makes it a point to recognize new players, help them out the best they can by knowing them the basics they need to know about SL, like  showing them how to dance, how to animate, and answers any questions they may have. We get a lot of people feeling silly for asking “noob questions”, but we don’t make them feel like its silly at all. It’s what we’re there for. We keep landmarks on hand, we offer free stuff  and you can always find regulars helping out with things we find simple, like dressing. It’s amazing how willing people are to help those that are new to our game.

What opportunities do you have available for residents and new residents?

First and foremost, we offer our home, we welcome everyone with open arms whether they’re new, seasonal players or long time residents. We are always hiring for DJ’s & Hosts, they are carefully selected and we feel are the best around. Even if a person has never Hosted before, that’s ok, we take the time to teach them.

 What is the best thing about Big Daddy’s?

Big Daddy’s Staff & Family…all around. The music is pretty awesome too! Haha

 What kind of music do you play? Are you varied or are you just one type of genre?
Although our name is “Big Daddy’s 80′s Club”, we are a 70′s, 80′s & 90′s Rock & Classic Rock Club, with some Pop Rock, R&B, Metal & of course our favourites Hair Bands. Friday’s are different we have our “Friday’s 80′s & More”, we’ll play any year range, which is pretty popular with our club & guests.

What does the future hold for Big Daddy’s?

You know…If someone asked us that question a year and half ago we wouldn’t know the future would be what it is for us now. We just keep doing what we all love doing, hanging out, making new friends daily, playing and listening to great tunes in a PG and drama free surrounding. As long as we continue to keep all that, anything is possible in the future for Big Daddy’s. We just keep enjoying it everyday as much as we can.
And that, was our dream when we stood on that empty sim.


Big Daddy’s is more than just a club, we take part in many charities, in October we took part in what we called “Think Pink Thursday”, we collected donations for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the fight against Breast Cancer. Right now we’re doing the Walk For Life to Fight Cancer Foundation.

Big Daddy’s also does many “themed events”, Disco Theme, Beach Parties, Pirate Weekend, Arabian Nights, 80′s Theme Party, always a favorite is our Pajama Slumber Parties, we’ve also done Super Heros vs Villians & so on. We’re always looking for great ideas for great times. Big Daddy’s has recently gone Live, we now own our own private stream and can stream in world or out.

This truly brilliant place will also hold a spot in the Torch SLG, so if you’re interested in finding out more about Big Daddy’s  follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook

Article by: Izzie

Photos by: Morphman  (Photographers note: There was an easter event going on, the club has the same design, but diferent colors)

Filed under Pubs and Clubs, SL Destinations Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Friday night hangout – Club or pub?

March 25, 2011 by Leave a comment

This week has been stressful at the Torch, and I want to relax. It’s friday, and what better place to go to relax than a pub or maybe a club? But what to choose?

At the end of the very same street as the office, a stonethrow from Speakers Corner lies Coach & Horses, a small corner pub with a huge heart. As all clubs and pubs in VL, this one is owned by Virtual-Linked, LLC and in extension by Debs Regent, and the exterior is an exact copy of the RL Coach & Horses of Poland Street in RL London.

They have events every day between 1.30-3.30pm SLT, with a new DJ and a new theme every day. When I was there the other night, I ran into Mia Deluca, the manager of Coach & Horses Pub, who was busy DJing, training one of their new hosts, managing the contest and giving us all a great time. Even through all of this, she managed to answer the questions I threw at her :)

Why does London make for a good place to have a pub?

 

Mia Deluca

well being I am from the US, I not sure I best to answer that….But I would say because London has pubs…This one is designed after one (Have seen RL pics of outside)

 

What have been the main inspiration with the design?

well I was manager at another london pub that merged with C&H and the other manager (aarons) didnt like some of the decor and look, so between the two of us, we merged the two pubs and found colors we liked..some of the design itself is really the infrastructure person and not managers. making the decisions

Is this the only place in london you manage?

Yes  (this venue is owned by london sims, so aarons and I co-manage it)

Do you have anything aimed at new residents in your pub?

we do get a lot of new residents being so close to the hub…but dont have anything specific for newer residents other than some staff who have been on SL for a while (me 4+ years, one of my DJs 6+ years for examples) and are always glad to help out if and when we can with questions

What does the future for Coach & Horses look like?

We are always looking to expand what we already do here. We hope the future involves more shifts (currently open hours with a DJ are 1:30-3:30p slt) and as we grow with regulars, future looks like a great place to continue coming to again and again

However, it’s not every day you want to wind down in a pub, sometimes you want to get pumped up and party hard at a club. My favourite spot in VL for clubbing is Retro Grade. If you ever feel like stepping through the time portal and do the time warp again, Retro Grade is for you. It’s hard to see if their inspiration is 50′s, 60′s, 70′s or 80′s, it’s a mix of everything.

I got a hold of Croft Atolia, the manager of Retro Grade, and this is what he had to say about it:

How did Retrograde come into existence?

it was originally the A-List and then  late last year we had a shake up and we decided we would become an oldies themed venue. so in february we decided on changing the name to Retrograde to reflect the music and style which we offer.

What has your inspiration been?

i grew up listening to the 60′s and 70′s so it has basically shaped my life. and of course lived through the 80′s and 90′s too. which covers 90% of the music we play. from 60′s to 90′s

How long did it take before the club took off?

generall straight away as we were  known well enough as the A-List beforehand

Crofty Atolia

Do you have anything to offer new residents?

yes sunday is designated as a noobie welcome.  a place  to come and listen to some music and get to know a few people and maybe make new friends on SL

How does the future for Retrograde look?

think it is looking good. there always seems to be new people who we have never met coming into the club and some of them go on to become regulars


 

 

 

 

 

Article by: Morphman

Photos by: Morphman

Filed under Pubs and Clubs Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Club FreQ’s Grand Opening Event

March 18, 2011 by Leave a comment

Club FreQ had it’s grand opening on March 11th and the torch was there.

As if it wasn’t enough with many DJ’s spinning their discs, just as many hosts making sure we had the greatest of times and twice as many dancers to keep us entertained, they also activated the contest board. This club isn’t kidding, they started with 1000L$ on the board and the contest was “Best in whoever shows up”, also known as “Come as you are”. The price quickly rose and before we had to leave the party it was up to 2000L$.

We had both owners, Starry and DJ Release, in the office for a quick interview. After sorting out some technical issues, we were off chatting about the sky, the earth and everything in between.

What are Club Freq’s aims? Starry and DJ Release

DJ: We’re both DJ’s in real life and we want to give that back to the people who visits.
The goal right now is just to give pople a place to have a great time.
Having a place where they can all get together and just enjoy the music withou having to worry aobut this or that or people just talking smack.

Do you have any events that are aimed at Newcomers?

Starry; As far as that goes *giggle* We try to aim our events at everyone, so we try to make it newcomer friendly.

DJ: I wouldn’t mind to DJ for newcomer events, but we have had two hectic weeks now so we just aimed it at everyone.

Do you have any opportunties that are aimed at newbies?

Both: Dancers!

Starry: We also have makeovers for the dancers, for free, to make them feel less like newbs.

DJ: We had one that looked like a newb, and you managed to make him over pretty well *looks at Starry* but unfortunatley we had to let him go.

Best thing about your  job?

DJ: The best thing for me is mainly the club and it’s kinda like a SL for SL, a world away from the rest of the world. It’s a place where I can go and mix or do what I want to do. Nobody can tell me what to do, because it’s our club. We can do whatever we want and people still shows up.

Starry: I can make my dreams come true, in terms of hosting. I can create my visions and see them happen. It’s a way for me to see what I’ve accomplished.

What kind of music do you play? Are you varied or are you just one type of genre?

Starry: top40 and any kind of club music

DJ: We play anything except for country, rock and classical

Starry: Well, we have a bit of rock in it

DJ: Yeah, but any kind of electronic music, but we try to keep from the downers, the drama kind of music. I want a place where people can turn up the volume and just kick off and dance in RL.

Where you nervous about your opening night?

DJ: I was fine, but this one *points to Starry* couldn’t have enough clones to deal with all the nerves.

Starry: The opening night was a mess. We lost staff, people didn’t show up and schedules wasn’t held as they should have.

DJ: The stress was so fierce for her that we got into a RL fight, she was stressed and I tried to calm her down. There was a moment where she was sobbing RL and then she went on mic and sounded all cheerfull and smiling, but she was really stressed out. We learned a lot thou and are now a lot more organized.

Photos by: Morphman

Filed under Pubs and Clubs Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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