XTERN AND THE BIG APPLE Compe Lockwood
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e have all seen it, lived it, and been saddened by it. The latest and greatest in SL commerce— a store, club, organization, service, you name it. With much fanfare and razzle-dazzle, the adventure in cutting-edge cyber retail opens its doors… for about three weeks before boarding them shut. Cheer up, oh failed brewer of fine pixels, for you are in good company. Many commercial entities, from corner shops to cornerstone skyscrapers, have turned mercantile majesties into mush. Far too many SL entrepreneurs’ dreams evaporate into orange smoke (and you thought that was slow rezzing). There are the meek: an individual manufacturer of scripted objects; a housewife, dreaming of spare income breeding SL rabbits of renown; the corner pub with a dance hub that Lindy Hops no more. They are the mighty: great computer companies; Pizza Hut; Starbucks; Automobile dealerships; and prestigious universities once had SL stakes here. Now they are folded and forgotten like a Santa suit in July. Yet some SL businesses persevere and even thrive. They defy the odds and go where angels dare not tread— the ever rezzing streets and communities of SL business. How do they do it? What is their secret? We asked one.
Xtern is the owner/operator of Big Apple Entertainment. Some of Second Life’s top performers and deejays perform there. Music from romance to rock, jazz to Motown, blues to Latin, XTERN AND THE BIG APPLE
oldies but goodies. It looks easy by design, but don’t try this at home. He runs his SL venues from RL experience. This club owner’s life is similar in both worlds. In Second Life, he owns Big Apple Entertainment with 48 venues. In the real world, he is a professional session/studio musician, composer, arranger, music director, and teacher with 44 plus years’ experience. An award-winning musician, Xtern continues to perform, tour, record, and teach from the U.S. to the U.K. When he speaks about SL venue longevity, wouldbe owners should pay heed. Xtern knows what he is talking about and shares success secrets. Feel free to take notes. Achievement starts with passion in real life endeavors, and the same is true for Second Life undertakings. “I knew I could make a difference in someone’s life,” Xtern said, in a behind the scenes interview at NY, NY. “There are people here [in Second Life] with disabilities. They might be confined to a bed or can’t walk, can’t talk, etc. SL gives them the opportunity to walk, talk, dance, buy beautiful clothes, cars, planes, a big house, and more.” His venues provide a welcome for those individuals with RL disabilities. For here, everyone’s the same. Xtern’s goal is to make a difference, and he does. But it takes work. “Successful people do what unsuccessful people do not want to do,” he adds. “A successful person not only owns the business but will clean the bathrooms. In [SL], it’s the same thing.”
