Stageit is a cool-looking resource for musicians who want to perform live online, build a fanbase, and make some money from their performances. I met Stageit's founder and CEO Evan Lowenstein during South by Southwest earlier this month (of course), and he told me a number of the performers in the system got their start in Second Life's vibrant live music scene. Some have told him about that, and in turn, he's told SL's co-founder about that connection too:

"When I met Cory Ondrejka," he told me, "I remarked to him that I was so grateful that a 'second life' had been created because it has really helped people feel comfortable with their first life. There's a certain boldness that one feels when they're behind an avatar that allows them to try and say things they might not otherwise feel comfortable trying out with their real identity. I think that Second Life was a driving force behind people learning to be more comfortable with themselves." Stageit is one of the services benefiting from this effect, and in turn, so are the SL musicians now using it.

Unlike SL, however, live performers make money not from virtual donations, but tips and tickets purchased by fans via cash: