Phat Cat's Jazz Club, a social venue in the virtual world of Second Life and one of the most popular online gathering places, where people ballroom dance in the form of electronic avatars, will be sold on eBay starting Oct. 1, 2008
(1888PressRelease) September 29, 2008 - Second Life, Phatland -- Phat Cat’s Jazz Club, one of the most recognized venues in Second Life, is set to be sold by auction on eBay starting October 1, 2008. This marks the most prominent auction of virtual property since the highly-publicized auction of virtual Amsterdam on eBay in March 2007. The owners of Phat Cat’s have posted information about the sale at: www.phatcatsjazzclub.com
Among residents of Second Life, Phat Cat’s has long been known as a premier destination for dancing, socializing, and shopping. The club’s sumptuous virtual facilities were designed by Amethyst Jetaime, in an art deco style reminiscent of many real-life jazz clubs. According to the Second Life In-World Travel Guide:
"Phat Cat’s … is one of the premier dance clubs in Second Life. The theme here is ballroom with many residents gracing the dance floor in beautiful flowing dresses and tuxedos. An element of romance is certainly in the air and, in fact, it was romance itself that helped to create this location … Phat Cat’s is a wonderful and safe place to dance and make new friends. (By Sean Percival, published by Que in Dec. 2007)"
Phat Cat’s Jazz Club is owned by Jody Huet, Amethyst Jetaime, and Barbarella Noel. According to club co-owner Jody Huet:
"We have reached many of the professional and personal goals we held going into ownership, and we are moving to focus our attention on other projects. Phat Cat’s has always been a magical place, where Second Life residents can find a luxurious escape from the mundane pressures of daily life. The club’s hosts, hostesses, and managers work around the clock to create a warm and inviting environment where anyone can feel welcome. We can’t wait to see that environment continue, even as ownership of the club changes hands."
Going by Linden Lab’s traffic counts, Phat Cat’s has more traffic than any other jazz club in Second Life, once clubs that use camping (paying residents for their presence) are removed from the measurement. Phat Cat’s has never used camping, robotically controlled avatars, or any other means to artificially inflate its traffic measurement. According to the virtual world consulting firm KZero:
"The Phat Cats Romantic Ballroom is a great example of creating a genre-based venue in a virtual world with music (jazz) acting as the catalyst for popularity - Phat Cats is consistently one of the top twenty most frequented venues in Second Life. (“Phat Cat’s, phat traffic”, Aug. 15, 2007, http://www.kzero.co.uk/blog/?p=1030)"
Phat Cat’s is famous for shopping as well as dancing. The Courtyard at Phat Cat’s hosts more than 30 top designers of virtual clothing, including Details by Nonna Hedges, Styles of Edo, Apple May, Haute Couture, Alchemy, Head-to-Toe, Classico, Eros, Callie Cline, Zhao Shoes, Inca Temple, A La Folie, Fashion Fruit, and many others.
The virtual world of Second Life has over 10 million subscribing residents from all around the real world (see www.secondlife.com).