iLemon and Music Mogul Connecting Music Industry to Virtual Worlds

 Music Mogul and iLemon are working on a new project to make virtual worlds more accessible to mainstream music lovers, whether those are simply fans, aspiring artists, or moguls in the making. With strong ties to the music industry--the setting is a virtual Los Angeles and a big hook includes an American Idol-style contest--it sounds promising.

"Music Mogul really is for us the definitive virtual music world. We're talking about a world that really is reaching out to the broader mass market. Music, as you can appreciate, is ubiquitous. It stretches all demographics, but our primary target is 14-24. They've grown up with video games and social networks, They're not strangers to it," explained Music Mogul CEO Nicholas Longano. "We're creating a virtual music world that has something for everyone in it. For performers it gives them all the tools they need to get insights into the music industry to audition, perform, and be reviewed by peers. There is a prize every quarter, well give a three-song demo deal with a major producer and each year a record deal."

Longano is an 8-year video game veteran and former Co-Founder of Brash, President of Massive Inc, and General Manager/EVP of Vivendi Games. The producer in question, and Chief Creative Officer and Music Supervisor, is Grammy-winner  Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, who has produced Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Madonna, Beyonce, Britney Spears, and many more megastars.

Rounding out the team is Chieft Talent Operations Ray Brown,  who has worked with with artists including Will Smith, Quincy Jones, and TLC, and Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Eubanks with 15 years in video games working with companies like Activision, Brash, Vivendi Games and Warner Interactive.

"This could not be done without someone from the music industry," Longano continued. "You need the insights of people from the music business and the sensibilities of people from the game industry as well. This is a true virtual world: everyone has a mission, and everyone has something to do, and, ultimately, there are real world prizes. What's really coexisting with this is virtual and reality. You have a virtual apartment and avatar. You are living in Virtual Sunset and going into virtual lounges, but the people are real, the voices are real, and the performances are real."

That mix of gaming- and music-industry experience sounds crucial to the overall project. The ties to the industry and the chance to win a contract are sure to draw in would-be artists, but it may be less interesting for those of us who find it easier to play rhythm games or customize apartments than carry a tune. Longano's repeated promise, though, is that there's something for everyone.

"I think it's going to appeal to anyone with an ear for music," he explained. "They get a place in the world and have an apartment and avatars. They can experience music in either live karaoke format or DJ spun format. There's an arcade in the world. I'm sent on missions and if I complete those missions, I get currency in the world to purchase virtual items. I can join street teams and if someone I'm promoting gets to the top 20 charts, I get mogul status. It's not necessarily the traditional gameplay elements that you and I are familiar with—you're not saving villages or killing anyone—but you're seeking out someone in your community to find the next superstar"

In order to push the experience even more towards the mainstream, users won't be asked to build their apartments or design their existences. They'll be given the opportunity to customize their experiences--and avatars, apartments, and more--but they won't be required to do anything. 

Likewise, the experience is a lightweight Flash-based world, so users can hop in and out without any downloads. For virtual worlds, Flash has reigned supreme in the kids market, but targeting the 14-24 demographic, which ranges from high school and college students to young workers, with a Flash world offers a few benefits.

It may not carry the realism that downloadable clients do, but it can serve as an easy time waster at work or in class.  Even with the limitations of Flash it sounds like the world will offer rich visual and communication options--at the very least streamed music and voice communication for karaoke.

"ilemon is just one of the best development teams," said Longano. "We show people what the world looks like visually, and they are quite shocked to learn that it is Web-based. Art-wise, creative wise, everything is just at the top."

Business and Revenue

Attracting that mainstream audience is especially important as Music Mogul is looking at a mixed revenue model of microtransactions, subscriptions, and advertising.

While the world is free-to-play, users can opt in to subscription models to become music moguls. The big benefit, and this is an interestingly unique proposition, comes back to the world's connections to the industry.

"That is the full world experience with direct music industry insight," said Longano. "You have full access to the music industry. These are real producers, writers, and musicians. You will have more insights than you've ever had before. This is a virtual world that has implications—if you are wanting to get into the music industry, this can get you there. It is a virtual world with real world benefits. It's entertainment which has a personal value or an educational value or a vocational value. It is what sets us apart and most people can't replicate."

Longano declined to go further into those connections, promising more information in the future. Likewise, with all the discussion around the music industry and amateur artists breaking in, it seemed odd to not have any ties to major artists, either for selling music or promoting their work. A company representative said the goal of Music Mogul wasn't to become an iTunes competitor, but that it is interested in finding a way to service consumers who want everything music-related, from merchandise to tunes, in one place.

Longano simply demurred again, saying, "This is something for everyone. Let's leave it at that. You read into that whatever you want. And I'm serious about that 'everyone.'" 

On the advertising side, while some observers are seeing experimental ad budgets being slashed, Longano said the company isn't feeling the pain. While he couldn't discuss specific partners or brands yet, he hinted that advertising would be very focused on integrated campaigns as well as new applications within the virtual world.

"Advertisers are part of this world, and their participation is enhancing the experience," he explained. "People are going to want to have advertisers in there because they bring something to the table. It's a lifestyle experience. When I'm  walking down Sunset, those billboards are part of my experience, but what those billboards do is quite different, and that's proprietary. I think we're fortunate enough that we have a property that has this lifestyle that's very appealing and we're after a demographic audience that advertisers find very appealing. They like the channel. They like the vehicle. They like what they can do in the world. And, again, this is not about eyeball chasing. It's about quality."

The world certainly sounds promising to me as a concept. Music has been a strong driver in youth worlds for some time, even if only from a promotional standpoint. More is on the way, though, and continuing to aim older. IMVU launched its music service last week, Conduit Labs' Loud Crowd is currently in alpha, and that's just a few of the public developments.

Music Mogul's connections to the industry give it a unique edge, and I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like. Next week the landing page will begin accepting beta registrations with an eye to a closed beta around the holidays, an open beta near the end of January, and a full launch in February.

"What I think is probably the most important thing about this is that it's really taking virtual worlds to a much broader mass market," said Longano. "That's good for the industry and everyone--everyone will benefit from that. You can expand this audience to teens on a global scale. Music is ubiquitous. Not everyone wants to play a certain type of game like FPS or RPGs. but music is everyone's language."

Comments

[Calvin]

Congratulations Music Mogul !

Calvin
www.iLEMON.cn

[Bzz]

This is going to be good...so excited! Can't wait for it to go live!

Does anyone know when beta launches? Where can I go to sign up?