Virtual bluesman Von Johin, who is actually a real live musician based in Nashville, Tennessee, has scored a real world record deal and is set to release an album through the boutique indie label Reality Entertainment.
As reported by Wired's Listening Post blog earlier in the week: "Never before has a virtual character been signed to a worldwide recording contract," stated Warren Croyle, CEO of Reality Entertainment, the company that signed him. "Von Johin is legendary in the virtual community Second Life for his heart-pounding live shows."
Johin got his start in a dark and musky bar, playing a mix of tried-and-true crowd-pleasing cover songs and a handful of originals. Mostly he got by on tips from a few generous and loyal fans who would come out to the bar anytime he was playing. Except this bar—called the Blues Note Club—is a virtual bar that Johin owns on a Second Life island called "French Quarter."
When Johin learned that the owner of French Quarter was leaving Second Life, he decided to purchase the island so he wouldn't have to uproot his bar. After all, he has gigs scheduled from now until what seems like forever. It's a familiar story, except that it isn't. The shows Johin puts on are virtual. But the money he's now raking in is real and the worldwide audience of fans that he's cultivated is really listening.
With rising gas costs in the real world and the rigors of touring an ever-increasing burden, some musicians are turning to this new and relatively uncharted territory to try and carve out a niche in the business. Von Johin's record deal is a first of its kind and will surely be a trial by fire for both artist and label. What this monstrous paradigm shift means for the hundreds of thousands of other bedroom recorders has yet to be seen, but we will be following this one closely. And to think, Robert Johnson had to sell his own soul to the devil at that crossroads for this kind of fame! ―Aaron Lefkove
Check out this video of Von Johin banging out the old favorite "Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad":
Visit the Gibson Island on Second Life here!