DeeTeeDee is an electronic musician and IMVU 3-d avatar (in this, she shares something with our friend Lady Wallace). We have met Dee in the IMVU world a few months ago. This was the transcription of the talk.

Nicola (Dj Batman) Battista is talking to DeeTeeDee about her music; [1]

DeeTeeDee: one track I especially wasn’t going to put on the album is rave1 but it sold so well as a triggerless…

djbatman: (opening an imaginary tape recorder) ;)

djbatman: why didn’t you want to use?

DeeTeeDee: oh a tape recorder, how do I look?

djbatman: where you thinking not good enough for that?

djbatman: heheh
djbatman: you look great. ;)

DeeTeeDee: well it’s kinda an overused sound

djbatman: you used Tunecore to upload music in the IMVU Music Store

djbatman: did you do that after the store was opened or were you using that distributor before?

DeeTeeDee: i had heard of Tunecore before but i was emboldened (if that’s a word) by IMVU

djbatman: and what has been your experience so far? regarding Tunecore as IMVU distribution channel, I mean

DeeTeeDee: not much to experiance,
DeeTeeDee: you sign up,
DeeTeeDee: pay to upload

djbatman: what I mean is no, I don’t need to know how many sales you got reported ;) if any, but if you think they are doing a good service or not, for artists who want to independently publish music in here?

DeeTeeDee: oh yes i would recommend signing up

djbatman: you use it also for dsitribution in other places like iTunes, right?

DeeTeeDee: yes i signed for the whole distribution package

djbatman: one of the reasons why I wanted to hear from other IMVU artists who are using it (another is Guitarland, still have to talk to him) is because Lady Wallace had a no.1 in the charts and still hasn’t seen any payment

djbatman: I bet Tunecore is decent when you use it for itunes and others, I am still a bit perplexed of its IMVU connections (despite it seems relatively fast at delivering music in here).

DeeTeeDee: noone was told about signing with PPL or Soundexchange

djbatman: yes Dee
djbatman: you got the point apparently in there

djbatman: did you do anything to sign with PPL or Soundexchange? (for the record, Mary and me are going with the PPL) (sorry this sounds like part interview and part business talk) ;)

DeeTeeDee: i can tell you what Guitarland will say

djbatman: what do you think he will say? curious about that.

DeeTeeDee: i just recently sent my application in to Soundexchange

DeeTeeDee: i know for a fact that he is very unhappy with the non payment situation

djbatman: so it isn’t just my impression. Also if the person who got to number one isn’t being paid I guess none of the others are too… but

djbatman: well going to more musical and less business talk…

DeeTeeDee: it has been to recent signing with Soundexchange for me to know how long it will take to get paid

djbatman: do you think you will upload also music from your band (can we mention that?) ;) or maybe more solo DeeTeeDee stuff?
[note: in another life, and in the real world, Dee is part of a rock band, while in IMVU she mostly presents electronic music]

DeeTeeDee: the band i am in is, how do i say, not my project
DeeTeeDee: i intend to upload only my own solo music

djbatman: ok, so you don’t think that will be brought in here too

djbatman: did soundexchange give you any useful hints on that? like some sales figures or timing for payments?

djbatman: ok, so you don’t think that will be brought in here too.

(Dj Batman is playing an IMVU playlist which includes “Spy Song” by DeeTeeDee)

DeeTeeDee: taking a look

djbatman: (hehe you listen and see what will happen hehe)

DeeTeeDee: ah ha, thats cool, i like silly music

djbatman: I din’t mean to be offensive with this juxtaposition. :D

djbatman: So Dee what are your main music influences
djbatman: for the solo project you published in here?

DeeTeeDee: well, ive been listening to a lot of industrial, trance, goth music in public rooms so that is what i thought i would do for myself

djbatman: so your IMVU music is the result of what you heard in-world, mostly? Were you into any of those styles before being in here?

DeeTeeDee: there is no industrial electronic radio station here so its not very popular where I live

djbatman: where do you live, Dee (and yes we are now listening to her track “Spy Song” while we are talking) :)

DeeTeeDee: I live in Texas

djbatman: did you have previous publications in music or was this your debut? Will you publish more music sometimes soon, or do you think you will wait until Soundexchange reports sales or at least more information about the first release?

DeeTeeDee: i originally released my music as triggerless items,

djbatman: you started as a developer in here, I was almost forgetting to mention that. :)

DeeTeeDee: but this is the first time that it was published as my own record label
DeeTeeDee: i may publish some more but wait until I have enough to do so as an album

djbatman: also, what kind of instrumentation did you use for this album?

DeeTeeDee: my music is software based, using royalty free samples mainly,

DeeTeeDee: but the bass samples you heard in spy song were actually me playing

djbatman: ok Dee, so we can say you continued your music developer work in the new format :)

DeeTeeDee: yes

djbatman: interesting… so part from computer and samples, bass is your instrument?

DeeTeeDee: I play many instruments,
DeeTeeDee: i learned to play keyboards at age 7
DeeTeeDee: played in the percussion section in junior high band
DeeTeeDee: specializing on the glockenspiel

djbatman: ah. :) Multi-instrumentist. :) cool

DeeTeeDee: yes

djbatman: Dee, so did Soundexchange give you at least an idea about when you will see any payments or at least a report?

DeeTeeDee: they did send me an e-mail stating that i had trending reports and that i could pay then if i wanted a copy

djbatman: pay: was that Tunecore or Soundexchange?

DeeTeeDee: yes otherwise i have to pait until they publish the quarterly reports

DeeTeeDee: let me check

djbatman: Because Tunecore does that with Itunes sales for example (personally I think it is useless, and they will report it anyway quarterly)
djbatman: (or monthly, don’t remember)

djbatman: ok thanks

DeeTeeDee: it was from Tunecore

djbatman: well let’s say tea that if it is what I think it is from Tunecore and they will still do the free ones, they just ask for money for weekly trends but that is a bit useless, just my opinion ;)

djbatman: ok. So yu have no idea about when soundechange will report you anything yet?
djbatman: (sorry I swtiched back to bureaucratic royalty talk) :)

DeeTeeDee: no idea

djbatman: ok.

djbatman: ok Dee, thanks for your time and for your kind replies… I wish you the best with future releases and with Soundexchange payments, also. :)
djbatman: (turning off my tape recorder) ;)

DeeTeeDee: ok thank you.

[1] [note: "triggerless" music was an old way to publish music as "object" for IMVU avatars, in IMVU.com; this has been mostly replaced first by "triggered" music - started by a command after being loaded on the avatar - and then by the legal IMVU Music Store tracks, since autumn 2008]