Traci Nubalo - The Word

by Traci Nubalo


She’s gorgeous; she’s intelligent; she has a great personality; and she’s not afraid to roll up her virtual sleeves to get the job done.

She is arguably the most influential and powerful woman in the highly-competitive and notoriously-tough Second Life live music industry.

Sher Salmson and I go back a long way in Second Life music. I can remember - clear as a bell - the day she took over the reigns as manager for AcousticEnergy Nitely. In fact, in one of the several articles I published about AE I reminisced that back in those days, Sher did everything possible to promote her client short of selling his recordings from the trunk of her car. Now he’s a bona fide SL music star, and her SpiritFire Entertainment group has become the gold standard for effective, ethical music management inworld.


I recently shared an extended “off record” chat with Sher, something we seem to do every few months. Without violating our confidentiality, I can tell you that one general topic kept coming up over and over in our discussion: standards. SpiritFire Entertainment has become a market leader by adhering to a high level of professional standards, and by requiring that every artist on her growing roster live up to those same standards.

On her agency website, Salmson comments: “We take great pride in being reliable, dependable, knowledgeable, professional, courteous and responsive to the needs of our artists and clients.” To me, this says it all. Without those qualities we invite a free-for-all atmosphere - an environment that is not good for anyone involved.

I spoke with Sher about SpiritFire and her astounding path to success.

Traci Nubalo: Sher, I know that you and your team operate your SL business on a principle of higher standards. Can you tell us about that?

Sher Salmson: Our "team" - SpiritFire Entertainment - has systematically and methodically worked towards setting standards and holding to them. It is a process, and it is based on what most would call an "old-fashioned" theory: hard work, long hours, and mutual respect.

TN: How do you account for this astounding level of professional growth?

SS: Traci, I am a professional in RL and I saw no reason for that not to carry over to SL. I think anything worth doing should be done with one's whole heart and my heart is melded with music and with the beautiful artists who so freely share their souls with us. Anything I am passionate about gets my 100%. Also, I have been a venue owner, a musician, and now a manager so now I have a perspective of sorts from different angles.

Sher (who had an online Christian ministry before the music career) has used this diverse background to grow SpiritFire into one of the top agencies in SL. From those early days with AE as her only client Sher has built the company into a virtual juggernaut, providing the very best managerial services to a catalog of a “who’s who?” of some of the best performers in SL including AE (of course), Alex Mays, Allister Westland, David Csiszer, Edward Kyomoon, Harper Messmer, Louis Volare, and Quantamis Navarathna. Her artists speak very highly of her, and so do the many venue owners that SpiritFire provides with performers.

One of the cool new projects she is developing is called SpiritFire Music Isle, a base of operations sim shaped like a guitar. Each artist on her great roster will have his/her own listening station in a beautiful, quiet setting. There’s also a main stage where her established artists can play as feature act, and newer acts can hone their craft. “It’s all about MUSIC”, she informs me. “It’ll be a musical home for our established artists and a place where we can assist artists who are new to the SL music community.” She went on to discuss the team aspect of her organization.

SS: There are seven of us who work behind the scenes and each one is committed to the standards we discussed. I will tell you that it makes me so proud of the team. I notice that consistently - without fail - when it's showtime they launch into action.

TN: So what's next for you Sher? You are at the top of your game. Where do you go from here?

SS: Traci, the short answer is "moving forward." I'm never satisfied with the "status quo". Several of our artists have new CD's coming out and this excites me to no end. One thing I really love is to witness and enjoy an artist as they spread their wings and take their music to a whole new level of creativity.

TN: It can be a thing of beauty.

SS: Yes, and it makes me smile just to think about it. I tell people that I have the best job in SL. I get to listen to some of the best music in SL on a daily basis!

In a virtual industry where some artists don’t even bother to tune their instrument before playing, observing any one of the acts that Sher manages can be like a breath of fresh air. The artists are trained to do the things that will represent themselves and their agency professionally. They arrive on time; they seem to always have kind words for the musician who is leaving the stage to make room for them. They also learn that they - the artist - also represent that venue, so you will frequently hear them asking their fans to please support the house by being generous to it. I’ve been told by club owners that when they book an act from SpiritFire they can relax, knowing that the show will go well for all concerned.

Sher Salmson has worked long and hard to land in such an advantageous position in the SL live music industry. And the same standards of professionalism that got her and her team to the top will keep them there.

It’s great to see the good guys winning the race!