How many Premium accounts are in SL?

[Irene Muni]

I often read the Statistics Metrics that LL published quarterly. But I've never seen (my fault?) the number of Premium accounts.

Does anyone know where to find this information? (in SL web or in another web).

Thanks in advance.

Message was edited by Irene Muni: correcting typo.

[Kitty Barnett]

LL used to release that metric (along with a bunch of other useful ones) but switched over to only graphs at some point.

You can look at https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/features/blog/2008/02/22/key-economic-metrics-through-january-2008 for an example of what used to be published (the links to the Excel file still work at least).

Meta's office hour (if it still exists) would be the best place to ask why all that was discontinued.

[Irene Muni]

Many thanks . But as you said the problem is that the number of Premium accounts has disappeared from the statistics long ago (as far as I know).

[Sugar Crazyboi]

The statistic on premium accounts is a premium statistic. Have I got that much right?

I'm lately wondering if LL might end up selling premium accounts at less cost in order to swell SL ranks. The long thread on whether clubs should get a break was interesting, but it seems like the clubs might be happy if less expensive premium accounts brought new customers in their doors. Shops too. Have I got that right?

Suppose, maybe, the RL economy isn't going to be exciting again for a long time. Stuff I'm reading quotes people who say that the blahs could last for years. OK, so what if it turns out that way?  Try this idea: Tourism will drop at least a little. Online entertainment at home will increase at least a little. Right? And SL will be getting easier (and then even easier?) to use.  Putting limits on scripts looks kinda smart doesn't it, a good thing to do before the next flood of immigrants settle in? With cash to spend that they didn't have to spend on scripts. True?

Sorry for the rant. I didn't mean to get off on a tangent, but in reading what's being posted here and elsewhere in SL, I just see a lot of things going on at the same time. Messy, messy, messy.

Same as RL

[Nyll Bergbahn]

Hi Irene,

A quick search revealed some figures but no recent ones. Way back in early 2005 the number of premium accounts was 5,000. It grew to 95,000 over the course of a couple of years but was declining through 2008 from about 92,000 down to less that 85,000 by the end of that year with a falling graph. I've no idea what the 2009 figures were but in view of the lure of the Linden Homes I guess some action was needed to perk up Premium membership.

Nyll

[Czari Zenovka]

My next question would be how many of the existing premium accounts are unique accounts, ie. not alts who also have premium accounts to own more land.  While a premium account is still a premium account, my general impression of those who have alts as premiums is solely as a land-purchasing goal and would not create more business for clubs or shops.

[Dil Spitz]

Hello Irene,

with the personal change the transparency of the reported data changed a lot...

The premium account statistic seam indeed to be gone.

But there are now some other nice shiny flash metric pages someone did, or some other real good made with the premium-account statistic until nov.2008.

Ciao

Dil

[Irene Muni]

Interesting .

[Irene Muni]

And perhaps LL will show in the next statistics the number of Premium accounts ... and their increase (Linden Home) .

[Irene Muni]

Is it cheaper to have two Premium accounts that have only one for own land? I'm not certain but I'm very awkward for mathematics.

[Irene Muni]

Interesting. I agree wiht you, the problem began with the personal change. Just my opinion, of course.

Thanks for the links! I did not know Dwell On It .

[Casey Seifert]

I wonder if the reason for that decline was the economic depression, or because of bots buying up all the land, then selling it at an elevated price.

I know that I won't bother going premium anymore, because the last I was, the prices of land were stupid-high. That and I don't feel like potentially lining the pockets of some guy who lets their bot buy land, just to up the price without really providing a service in the interim to merit the profit.

But there are many other reasons out there for this, and I felt like ranting a bit. :3

[Irene Muni]

Irene Muni wrote:

 

And perhaps LL will show in the next statistics the number of Premium accounts ... and their increase (Linden Home) .

No, not given this information in the Q1 metrics (http://blogs.secondlife.com/community/features/blog/2010/04/28/second-life-economy-hits-new-all-time-high-in-q1-2010)

Only two references: "The introduction of Linden Homes drove an increase in the number of premium subscribers, both from new  Residents, and existing Residents, many of whom reactivated their  premium subscriptions in the quarter." and "The first quarter saw two significant changes that affected the dynamics  of the Second Life economy. One was the dramatic increase in Linden  dollars sourced as stipends due to the growth in premium subscribers as a  result of the success of Linden Homes."

[Nyll Bergbahn]

Hi Irene!

When questioned on falling Premium subscriptions in 2008, Linden Labs CEO, Mark Kingdon, is on record as saying "Premium subscriptions are immaterial in our overall business" and Linden Labs CFO, John Zdanowski said "'The revenue we generate from premium subscriptions is largely offset by  the stipends we pay out to these account holders, so this decline  doesn't have a material impact on our business."

Many Premum accounts did not have land holdings and in actual fact, Linden Labs were losing money on the older Premium accounts (annual/quarterly) where they pay 500L stipends.

The only way they were making any real money was if Premium accounts holders purchased mainland and paid tiers as well.

I guess sometime last year there was a change of strategy to one devised to encourage a growth in Premium subscriptions with more stipends feeding back into the ecomomy as well as hoping many of the new Premium subscribers would gravitate to the mainland after their Premium Home experience.

While the comment you posted seems encouraging on the success of the Linden Homes, it remains to be seen how many new Premium members do move on to the mainland. I doubt we'll see a published figure for Premium subscribers until the final 2010 figures are produced and only then if it shows a sizeable increase in number.

So many Linden Homes seem to be owned but vacant. Looks like many Premium subscribers grabbed the Homes because they were free but live elsewhere, either on private land or had land tier to spare so the Home did not increase it.

[PeterCanessa Oh]

PHISING SCAM!!

Do not read this thread, it's a fake.  You can tell because it start with someone pretending to be Irene but saying she doesn't know something.

Obviously that's wrong!  We all know and love the fact she always answers XX

[Irene Muni]

LOL

Thanks, but I must disagree. "Irene always answer"  does not imply that Irene knows everything.

In fact, Irene only knows Copy+Paste the Knowledge Base

[Irene Muni]

Your thinking is very interesting and very wise As always hehe).

Anyway, I do not understand why LL hides the number of Premiun accounts.

In a sense, residents Premium are showing any kind of "confidence" in LL. There are only to possible reasons for Premium: own mainland and/or extended support. The Linden Home and the stipends are less decisive reasons (I think). So, Premium accounts + Region owners is a important number for LL: that number shows how many residents are "comfortable" (more or less) with LL.

But LL knows .

[Irene Muni]

Thanks for ALL the answers. Although this question is not answered, I think it is time to close it. Maybe the future brings new data

[Jerry Martin]

Back in 2005 there were less then 60,000 premium accounts , midway through 2006 came the freebie accounts and the population explosion . While LL was still posting the number of paid premium accounts I could calculate a percentage . At that time you could say 10% of the population were premium accounts , the rest were free loaders . Present day I have no idea what it could be but I would dare say it could be  about the same minus all the traffic and camping bot's . But yes it would be nice to get a hard number from LL as it stands today .

[Dil Spitz]

Hello,

...while cleaningup /me found this old data from 2008...

Created Year	Created Month	Running Residents registrations	Premium Residents
2001	April	1
2002	March	8
2002	April	10
2002	May	12
2002	June	13
2002	July	14
2002	August	17
2002	September	39
2002	October	43
2002	November	61
2002	December	96
2003	January	145
2003	February	168
2003	March	210
2003	April	288
2003	May	413
2003	June	623
2003	July	886
2003	August	1100
2003	September	1301
2003	October	1484
2003	November	1753
2003	December	2103
2004	January	2743
2004	February	3417
2004	March	4020
2004	April	5144
2004	May	6329
2004	June	8096
2004	July	9401
2004	August	10862
2004	September	12432
2004	October	13983
2004	November	15415
2004	December	17056
2005	January	18876	5273
2005	February	20810	5710
2005	March	22934	6287
2005	April	25221	6669
2005	May	27486	7039
2005	June	30650	7548
2005	July	36469	8231
2005	August	39980	8953
2005	September	52349	9826
2005	October	69180	10772
2005	November	83755	11633
2005	December	99623	12433
2006	January	123438	13403
2006	February	143943	14178
2006	March	164017	15162
2006	April	196895	16535
2006	May	227056	18320
2006	June	321683	19685
2006	July	425592	21441
2006	August	594383	24702
2006	September	801860	28253
2006	October	1198147	32526
2006	November	1731796	42430
2006	December	2267092	49776
2007	January	3136259	57661
2007	February	4136514	66838
2007	March	5127769	75714
2007	April	5956170	83063
2007	May	6860473	89845
2007	June	7729655	94607
2007	July	8548178	88797
2007	August	9252781	90600
2007	September	9596742	91054
2007	October	10570615	91613
2007	November	11175710	92595
2007	December	11704934	93219
2008	January	12240161	92096

as allready said, in 2008 LL stoped to report this data and since webpage relaunch LL seam to be to shy to link the statistic-page findable.

Ciao

Dil

[Irene Muni]

Thanks!