Over the course of the first few months of success on Saona, bit by bit, we bought more and more land around The MAX™ until we owned every square meter of land on the Saona sim. We added a few rental beach houses, expanded the waterfront, introduced some of the grid's first rideable waves that interact with special scripted surf boards, and had some amazing events like some art shows, a few DJ-based parties, and a number of live music shows.

Cyl & JueL jam TOGETHER at The MAX™.One of the highlights was a rare behind-the-scenes "backstage pass" sneak peak featuring the live collaboration between two of the best musicians in SL and two of my absolute favorites: Cylindrian and JueL Resistance.

The two also played (numerous times separately as well as together) at our shopping/entertainment destination THE SHOPS™ on Plush Pi when it was in full swing last year before we said goodbye to our very own Christieanna. Those efforts will re-emerge BIG TIME in a number of live music projects we're working on. We'll keep you posted on that.

Anyway, after we owned all the land on the sim, it was a natural for us to want to own the sim at an estate level. We negotiated a rare acquisition of the sim with virtual land titan and self-made millionaire Anshe Chung as Saona made a transition from being part of the ACS (Anshe Chung Studios) estate portfolio to being part of our own March Islands estate portfolio. At one point, Max March Industries was the largest private land owner on ACS' Dreamland. The only reason that has changed is due to how much we've transitioned to our own estate or to our other strategic partners around the grid.

A sign of the times... Entering Ethos, March Islands.The success on Saona is going stronger than ever. The MAX™ tower and beach homes are highly-regarded as one of the best places in SL to call home and the occupancy and loyalty there really reflects that. We've made some improvements on the sim now that we are complete owners at the estate level. We upgraded servers, and picked up and moved the sim to an entirely new part of the grid surrounded by vast open waters.

Why'd we do that? So we could expand the Saona Success into a bigger master plan that we launched back in March of this year called March Islands. There will be more Saona-related sims. We will be moving some of the things we have scattered around the grid to make part of our sprawling estate, and for the first time we will be offering land ownership to our customers.

That leads me to introduce you to the latest installment in March Islands called Ethos. The Ethos sim is the symbol of a lot of future things to come. Saona is a major epicenter and The MAX™ will be just as important, if not MORE, as we add value to the surrounding area with more views to see from those spectacular high-rise condo homes. More open waterways and luxury homes will surround this crown jewel of the March Islands estate sims. In addition, we will offer openspace sim ownership and rental. Full, half, and quarter openspace sim under this continent estate.

COME SEE US! If you are already a Second Life® resident, come visit us right now by teleporting over. If not, click here right now to join for free.

Max March Industries is pleased to announce its sponsorship and support of the Merovingi Fashion Awards, better known as the MFA.

Celebrating virtual designers and their accomplishments, the MFA seeks to showcase the best works from the designers that are truly at the top of their craft.

It is a great pleasure for us to support this worthy cause, to bring more visibility to the best artisans of Second Life, and to be aligned with Merovingi who we've long respected.

The MFA festivities run from April 20th to the 26th of 2008 and will take place on a number of sims: Osmium, Ruthenium, Rhodium, and Iridium.

The value of our virtual world is what we make of it and that could not be more true than when a Resident rises to become a Concierge or Estate Resident.  In such a role, we are in-effect VARs (Value Added Resellers) to Linden's product offerings.  What we pay Linden Lab in setup and tier fee is for hosting and administration. But it is up to us as land developers, artists, brand builders, and business people, to give our sims a higher perceived value than a generic blank sim.  The VIP Residents of our Saona and March Island-related sims prefer it above any other place they could call home in SL.  Similarly, our good friend Frolic Mills has created an absolute sensation with his Best of SL Boulevard sim commanding an admirable and well-deserved perceived value.

The way to value this as an Estate owner is not how much you paid for it but rather what your cost of sales is as an expense along with all your other costs involved in delivering a total experience to your audience.  For my taste, I love vendors who lower their prices for me.  The more they help me lower my costs, the more I can either expand my profit margin if I so desire, afford to introduce new content, support the works of others, and/or forward the savings to my end-customer.  Sometimes all of the above. It gives me expanded possibilities for the entry-level of our offerings.  And if Linden Lab decides to lower these prices still further or drop tier fees further, I will be delighted not distressed.

Why?  Because I do not inaccurately label the Estate I own as an asset.  Sure it has certain intangible value but you can not measure it as a fixed asset any more than you can your Flickr account or your MySpace page or the virtual host of your website. It is a liability pure and simple.  A cost of doing business against which it is our task to generate sufficient sales revenue.

Our assets are: our name, our brand, our customer base, our standing in the community, the creativity and artistry of the people who help us create the destinations, events, and experiences that are unique to this platform.  And the lower our costs of goods becomes, the higher that grows in importance and perceived value. 

I'm not without my frustrations.  Why we had a double-take on openspace pricing is anyone's guess. The new land store being delayed THE DAY OF the planned opening to "sometime within the next few weeks" frustrates me in ways I'm disappointed to say I have come to expect from Linden Lab.  There is an abundance of things to complain about.

That said, the land re-pricing was a good move and one worthy of support.  It lowers our costs and stimulates new development.  I will always be 100% in favor of anything aimed at accomplishing that.  In fact, I went on record in the official Linden Blog thanking them for the change when it was originally announced.

To all those Estate owners who feel their land is worthless now, you are likely short changing yourself.  Ask yourself this: What makes your sim different from anyone else's?  If your answer is "nothing," maybe you should never have bought a sim in the first place.  In any case, please explain to me: Under what circumstances would it be a good thing for our shared customer base if our Linden Lab cost of sales were to go up?

Among the many things to be impressed by that evening was the impressive venue they chose for the event, the SS Galaxy.

This place made such a huge impression on us and believe me HUGE is the operative word when talking about the SS Galaxy. This amazing build spans 8 stories high and (are you ready for this?) 3 entire sims wide.

Well, we are delighted to announce that, through our partners Cadence Juran and DBDigital Epsilon, our relationship with the SS Galaxy has blossomed almost since the day our avatar's set foot there.

Aerial Views of Merely the Mid-Section of the SS Galaxy.

MaxMarchRadio™ now plays aboard the SS Galaxy in between music-themed events. In addition, the good folks at the SS Galaxy had us produce a radio spot that is running in our radio broadcast throughout the grid and even the Web (thanks to our offworld partner Live365). You can hear that marketing message right now by clicking here.

We truly consider the SS Galaxy one of THE must-see places of Second Life®. Click this SLURL and TELEPORT there now! You'll be glad you did. Oh yeah... Tell them Max March sent you!

In association with Second Style Magazine, EFA Fashion Week is a week-long line up of fashion, glamour, and events lead by SL fashion industry powerhouse, Una Ewing. Ms. Ewing has become a preferred alliance for Max March Industries' strategic interests in the field of fashion, particularly its MaxModels™ business and its state of the art modeling studio on Plush Nu.

Renowned men's fashion brand [hoorenbeek] is the main sponsor of this event with weekend activities centered around support for the Pink Ribbon organization - a charitable endeavor dedicated to breast cancer awareness.

Max March Industries was also proud to be the Main Sponsor of Ewing's recent IMPRESSIONS III on September 11th, a special memorial event.

To learn more about EFA Fashion week, visit EFA's blog. Expect more news and announcements about MaxModels™ and about future endeavors between Max March Industries and Una Ewing.

Mr. Max March & Top Cat Micheru Mathys dressed to the nines at the Investor Royale.

The ISE graciously invited Micheru and myself as VIP guests. The event was held in the Grand Zodiac Ballroom aboard the impressive SS Galaxy, a massive multi-sim cruise ship on the Sagittarian Sea created by architect Bill Stirling.

Special thanks to the ISE organization and to Cadence Juran (CEO of Crescendo Corporation and Investor Royale Hostess) who really treated Micheru and me like kings. Thanks also to Ms. Liliu Maximov (Staff Writer/Copy Editor for Second Style Magazine and Event Planner for Crescendo). It was indeed an honor and a pleasure to be part of this elite and festive event. Thanks also to the sponsors and contributors who left us walking out with our inventories overflowing with thoughtful gifts.

Take a look at this web photo album with many more pictures of the festivities as captured by the organization's official photog, RokuDa Merlin. Thank you ISE! You can count on our RSVP next year. :-)

Max March Industries is proud be an Official Sponsor of the 2007 Second Life® Community Convention. Second Life® is the flagship of virtual worlds and the embryo for the larger Metaverse and 3D web phenomenon. Thanks to all those who dedicate their time, energy, capital, talent, and humanity to help make the Metaverse all that it is and all that it will be. We are honored to be among you.

Please visit the SLCC 2007 website and get involved in this worthy cause. We hope to see you in Chicago!

Our Art Show at The MAX™ series began with an incredibly gifted photographic artist in his first life who has also become part of the Max March organization in his virtual life as Director of our new MaxModels™ business. I am speaking of the rising star known as GM Nikolaidis.

Attendance that day was in the hundreds and included GM himself along with notewothy figures from around the grid such as Scope Cleaver, Setori Spire, Damanios Thetan, Nicolette Heckroth (whose gallery organized the event), Una Ewing, Kilara Balnarring, Kizzer Choche, Caebrianna Champollion, along with the VIP residents of The MAX™ and surrounding homes that are also part of our Saona development on the waterfront.

Snapshot courtesy of Texanna Schumann who was also in attendance at the gala event.

GM's art is brimming with color, light, shadow, and involves a number of explorations in geometry and proportion. The event was a perfect mix of complete beauty. There was no better stage for GM Nikolaidis' world class art than a place as special and picturesque as Saona.

Although all of the homes and the penthouse on the tower are occupied, there are still a number of luxury condo residences available at the main tower with a minimum commitment of only two weeks. Teleport Now. You really must see this place to believe it. The main tower is a closed parcel that only allows residents and their guests.  To tour the grounds on your own, click on the land and select BUY PASS.  L$10 fee will be happily reimbursed if you become a resident. If you would prefer a guided tour, please IM Micheru Mathys or Maximilian March.

Scope Cleaver and Maximilian March converse with mutual friends in the lobby of The MAX™.

The main structure is a luxurious and modern totally-customized high-rise building with unobstructed 360 degree ocean views, white sand beaches, huge open usable ocean waterways, and amazing grounds complete with majestic waterfalls, designer swimming pools, harbor access, upscale furnished reception area, massive cruise ship party boat out in the water - all the perks of an exclusive VIP club.

Each condo occupies a full floor of spacious upscale living with oversized terrace balconies, no-click automatic doors, one of a kind teleporter, and a very generous prim allowance (especially considering all the built-ins). The goal of The MAX™ developments is to create an atmosphere that is a lot like living at a world class hotel with all the perks and status of a private club.

The main tower is a closed parcel that only allows residents and their guests.  To tour the grounds on your own, click on the land and select BUY PASS.  L$10 fee will be happily reimbursed if you become a resident. If you would prefer a guided tour, please IM Micheru Mathys or Maximilian March.

We had a bidding war for the fantastic two-story penthouse suite complete with rooftop spa and a light beacon that shines 300 meters into the air. The suite is leased through for the next six months solid. But there are still a number of other units available with a minimum commitment of only two weeks. Teleport Now and see for yourself what Prime Living is all about.

MaxMarchRadio™ together with our strategic partners, Live365™ and Digital Rights Worldwide, will be expressing our support for the rights of artists, labels, and Internet-based radio stations throughout the U.S. and the world on Tuesday June 26th in a massive show of strength to the Copyright Royalty Board (ref: prior posts in this category).

This is an important issue for all those who believe in supporting webcasters like MaxMarchRadio™ that pay royalties to artists and music labels for broadcasting their content and believe in abiding by fair intellectual property laws. The CRB action will only cause damage by forcing stations to have to either go off the air (which will diminish consumer choice) or force them underground by no longer seeking legitimate licensing arrangements (harming artists, labels, distributors, aggregators, and in fact the entire market for legal music streaming and downloading).

On this soon-to-be historic date, we will join thousands upon thousands of other stations around the globe by going silent and redirecting our listeners to a special "Day of Silence" stream that will offer information about this pressing issue, broadcaster testimonials, and a call to action for all who listen to this united broadcast. On Tuesday June 26th we will speak with one voice and give everyone a glimpse of what the world would be like if the CRB were to be allowed to proceed with this unfair and uninformed piece of legislation.

The Day of Silence will bring much needed attention to the danger Internet radio is encountering at this important juncture. Please continue to help us raise awareness of this important issue. Please contact your local media and let them know of the planned Day of Silence and its meaning.

HEAR OUR SILENCE at radio.maxmarch.com or in-world in the metaverse virtual world known as Second Life™. Media inquiries contact radio@maxmarch.com.

From February to March of this year alone, Linden Dollar presence jumped by ONE BILLION Linden Dollars to nearly L$4.5 billion Lindens (nearly $17 million U.S. Dollars). We are excited about the opportunities that continue to open up for our in-world businesses and our off-world partners. It is an honor and a privilege to be part of something that is growing by such leaps and bounds. Thanks to all our customers, tenants, business associates, partners, and friends for your contribution to our success in the Metaverse. We are truly grateful to you.

If you care about the future of Internet radio, we ask that you please take a moment to visit SaveNetRadio.org and let your voice be heard by Washington. If we speak up, together we can set things right. In addition to all our other shows of support to this organization, MaxMarchRadio™ has added this public service announcement to play during our broadcasts in a slot where we would usually charge for an advertisement.

Please visit this website and learn the many ways you can help support this worthy cause and help save Internet radio. Listen to MaxMarchRadio™ inworld on participating land or via the web at http://radio.maxmarch.com.

The GIFT™ continues to be a hit with Second Lifers.  You can see me here in festive green attire early morning in front of the store on Plush Pi.  As expected, St. Patrick's Day did not surpass unit sales for Valentine's Day.  That said, the turnout was still phenomenal as were sales compared to non-holiday shopping.

Another great development is a marked increase in custom orders.  Customers ranged from trade organizations to press, merchants, prefab builders, and even a few property developers.  Easter should provide another spike in sales as will two satellite locations opening in April.  Now that St. Patrick's Day is over, there is a very nice array of completely new non-holiday items in stock. Check them out!