I am happy to announce The Listening Room’s grand re-opening!
We are now on the Edloe sim, which is part of the Five Islands. We are now “deep underground” – literally – our new space is located inside of a mountain.
Why the move? There was one primary reason – performance. TLR’s previous sim had become very script-heavy, which had a detrimental effect on the overall experience and enjoyment of TLR for both DJs and guests. Attendance and participation suffered as a result.
A lesser concern, but a concern nonetheless, was the rating of the sim – which was G (formerly PG). I’ve made it a point to never ask DJs to censor their sets at TLR, even though this left us vulnerable to abuse reports for inappropriate content. I regularly scanned the Moderate-rated regions of Bay City for a possible alternate site, but found those plots priced entirely out of consideration.
When Crap Mariner offered the space in Edloe for TLR to move, it was not a decision I made quickly or without deliberation. For me, a key to running TLR was “democracy within autonomy” – full control of the ‘physical’ space has always been a necessary part of operating TLR in a democratic manner. Crap, however, has been one of the strongest, most consistent and most enthusiastic supporters of The Listening Room since the beginning – which gave me the reassurance I needed to accept his offer without reservation.
What does moving to The Five Islands mean for TLR? First and foremost – the new space is virtually lag-free! No more having to apologize to guests that it might take at least ten minutes for everything and everyone to load fully. This is paramount to me.
The Listening Room is all about the overall experience, whether there are three people in attendance or thirty. ‘Gezelligheid‘ is the key. General consensus so far indicates that the new TLR is truly gezellig, which makes me happier than you can possibly imagine.
I hope that you will come and visit us in our wonderful new space.
