A Denver concert featuring several local bands made online simulcast history, reports ZDNet. Not only was the concert simulcast live on the Web and in virtual world Second Life, organizer ManiaTV also merged the platforms into a single experience.

As CD sales suffer on, the music industry turns to digital platforms for salvation. The live concert, broadcast for three simultaneous experiences, may hold the key, as hype and immediacy entice fans to pay for online viewing.

The concert, which included Bad Weather California, Born in the Flood, and Meese, took place at ManiaTV's studios outside Denver. During the show 25 TVs beamed video from the virtual and live video simulcast.

On the ManiaTV website, 40,000 viewers not only got to switch between different camera angles; they also could view the virtual version on a "Second Life cam."

However, the Second Life concert only fetched around 1,200 viewers, with the show hosted on 25 different virtual locations to avoid lag time, which occurs when a number of avatars congregate in the same location at once.