I feel a bit like someone who was just let in on a joke that the whole grid already knew. No, really. This is how it feels when you find out that most everyoneeeeeeeeeeeeee (a scientific unit of measure) prefers mesh heads from Catwa, and therefore creators mostly put out skin appliers for Catwa heads, as opposed to my (obvious) current preference for LeLutka heads. Call me a LeLutka bot if you want, but how did I miss that no one actually wants to be one? 😉 <— that’s a winky face to denote sarcasm!
Asking the questions
I arrived at this apparently obvious conclusion while participating in Powder Pack group chat. It turns out, there will be no December Powder Pack for LeLutka and the general consensus from commenters was that “there just aren’t enough people buying LeLutka to justify creators making content for it during the holidays…” Of course to me the obvious question then became – if that’s true then isn’t this subscription box doomed long term? I mean, if people don’t think a LeLutka Powder Pack will sell in December – you know, the month when people actually want to gift items and/or dress up in Second Life – then why would it do any better in January and beyond? Right?
Soon after the kerfuffle, Powder Pack leadership put out a group notice noting that they were “re-working the timeline and making updates to the website” or something similar as the reason for no box. But whatever happens with the LeLutka Powder Pack (that many of us do actually love) it got me thinking: what do you do when your preferred platform doesn’t drive content in the market? Does it even matter? Well, yes and no.
Anecdotal Evidence
I spent part of last night TPing around to various skinners I like. I wanted to see for myself – with new eyes wide open – how much of their inventory supports that premise. Well LeLutka head lovers of Second Life – it may be true. We appear to not be the main money makers for some beloved skin creators. With the exception of Glam Affair, most other creators put out content for Catwa heads vs other heads by a ratio of about 7 to 1. Some haven’t put out new LeLutka (or other) appliers in 3 months or more 😮 Granted this is an anecdotal – not scientific – study.
The Bottom Line
But back to the question: Does it matter? On one hand, yes, because if you can’t get content you love on the platform you favor, you’re shut out of participating in that market and experience as a consumer. Think about those consumers who prefer Belleza or Slink mesh bodies, for example. On the other hand, no, because you might prefer to look a bit more unique (if you can call it that) in a sea of sameness. Either way, when I look at my own inventory, I have well over 200 skin appliers made exclusively for LeLutka heads and I am always looking for more. I really enjoy the LeLutka Powder Pack and hope it comes back for those who enjoy it. But at the end of the day, economics drives the behaviors of creators and consumers. It’s just the way it is and it’s all good.
I’ll be back after Thanksgiving some time.
xoxo
- Head: LeLutka Simone
- Skins: Various including: Glam Affair, Avenge, Milan, Pumec, Modish, IT Girls, and YSYS