Hiya!

I wanted to share a quick update regarding the Hostcrate website, billing system, email notifications, and a few things currently being worked on behind the scenes.

Email notifications are currently still a work in progress and are taking a little longer than originally anticipated. This feature is important for things like renewals, invoices, service updates, and customer account notices, so I want to make sure it is working properly before fully rolling it out.

The website itself is live, but it is not fully completed yet. I am actively working on getting everything finished as soon as possible (am only one person). This includes the website, the billing system for real life customers,  and other final pieces needed to make everything easier to use.

As it stands right now, the website and billing system should be completed in their entirety within the next few weeks (fingers crossed!).

I am also working on completing the Knowledge Base, especially for the streaming services side of Hostcrate. This includes help docs for broadcasting software such as:

• Mixxx
• VirtualDJ / VDJ
• SAM Broadcaster
• and other commonly used broadcasting tools

If anyone would like to help with writing or improving documentation for streaming software setup – maybe even videos, please send me a message. Any help with making the Knowledge Base clearer and more useful would be greatly appreciated.

Since the website is currently live while still being worked on, I would also appreciate bug reports. If you notice anything broken, confusing, missing, or not working as expected, please let me know so I can fix it. This is especially true if you are using any Apple products as I do not have those myself to test with.

Another feature I would like to add is a Venue & Events page. This would be a place for clubs, DJs, live performers, and other event hosts to share their schedules. The goal is to have a calendar where customers can send in their event schedules, and I will list them in one organized place.

This could include:

• Club event schedules
• DJ sets
• Live performer shows
• Special events
• Recurring weekly events
• Other Second Life entertainment listings

The plan is for these schedules to be listed on the website and also posted at the Hostcrate office in-world, giving customers another way to promote their events and helping visitors find active venues, performers, and DJs.

Hostcrate also has advertising spots available on the website. Website ad spots will be listed on the Sponsors page, and advertising can be paid in either real life currency or L$. Please reach out to me to get a spot. For those who have rented an adboard inworld at our office, I will be reaching out soon.

Advertising Pricing & Special Offer

Ad spots are $1 per month (L$275) and are available in the following packages:

• 3 months: $3 – L$825
• 6 months: $6 – L$1650
• 12 months: $12 – L$3300

Cross-Platform Bonus

To help customers get more visibility, Hostcrate is also offering a cross-platform advertising bonus:

• Rent an ad spot in Second Life and get 1 website ad spot free
• Rent an ad spot on the Hostcrate website and get 1 Second Life ad spot free

I would also love feedback on what else Hostcrate could offer to help customers. Any suggestions, ideas, recommendations, or feature requests are very welcome.

Whether it is something for streaming, billing, support, tutorials, customer tools, event promotion, advertising, or anything else that would be useful, easier, and or better to use, please feel free to reach out to me in Second Life.

Thank you all for your patience, support, and feedback while these updates are being finished. Hostcrate has been around for a long time (18 YEARS YAY!), and this work is part of making sure everything is more organized, easier to manage, and better supported moving forward.

Thank you for everything! I appreciate you all more than I will ever be able to put into words! 🙂

—LustyLexxi Larimore

Office Update & They’re back
Sat, Mar 21 2026 10:03:37 AM SLT

I have updated the office to hopefully be less confusing, with directories in multiple places. New signs, lower pricing, and after MANY have requested, Immortal Streams are back and now part of our plans. Please read all notecards / info before purchasing/renewing. I’m still working on the signs behind the desk but will be done soon. Got questions? Feel free to ask. Please update your LMs & picks tabs please.

SL URL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Melungtse/87/13/3381

Thank you

Hi everyone,

I am sharing an important update regarding Hostcrate’s streaming plans and pricing. Given the current state of the economy, I wanted to lower our pricing to make streaming more accessible and help you keep some fun in your Second Life especially during times when the real world feels overwhelming. Hostcrate has been here for nearly 18 years, and as we approach our 18 year anniversary on May 4th, 2026, this update is about continuing to provide a reliable place for music, community, and enjoyment with the commitment to keeping reliable streaming accessible, fair, and intentionally priced to stay affordable. Our intention is to keep pricing as affordable as possible. Optional tips or donations help support operations and allow us to continue offering affordable streaming without pushing costs onto our community.

🔹 New Streaming Plans & Pricing: Effective: January 10th, 2026

We are introducing significantly reduced pricing, with both annual and short-term payment options (1-4 weeks). You can either renew 12 times to get the yearly rate or if you wish to renew by the year, contact me and I can set that up for you.

Budget Stream Plan

• 100 listener cap
• Up to 192kbps Bitrate Limit
• Bandwidth Unmetered*
• Control Panel (to start, stop, and restart stream)
• Support Included Support Included (group chat, discord, live chat)
• FREE Custom URL by request
• No AutoDJ / Space (storage): Not available for this plan. To get these features you’ll need to upgrade.

Pay Options:

• Weekly: L$70
• 4 weeks (monthly):  L$280
• L$3360 per year / $12 per year in USD

10GB Stream Plan

• 1,000 listener cap
• Up to 192kbps Bitrate Limit (128kbps bitrate limit using autodj: this is a software limit)
• Bandwidth Unmetered*
• Control Panel (to start, stop, and restart stream
• Support Included Support Included (group chat, discord, live chat)
• FREE Custom URL by request
• AutoDJ included
• 10 GB of Space (storage) included.

Pay Options:

• Weekly:  L$210
• 4 weeks (month):  L$840
• L$10, 080 per year / $36 per year in USD 

🔹 VIP Licenses – Important Update

VIP Licenses will have updated pricing for new purchases. Existing licenses will automatically be switched (on my end) to the new plans with a 25% loyalty discount. 

⭐ VIP Loyalty Pricing (Automatic)

Existing VIP license holders are automatically transitioned to the new plans with a 25% loyalty discount for their plan and a separate 40% discount on storage/space add-ons.

• Budget VIP Licenses → Budget Stream (VIP pricing)

• VIP Licenses with space → VIP 10GB License Stream (VIP pricing)

VIP Loyalty Rates

VIP Budget License Stream Pay Options:

• Weekly:  L$52
• 4 weeks (month):  L$208
• L$2,496 per year / $9 per year in USD 

VIP 10GB License Stream Pay Options:

• Weekly:  L$157
• 4 weeks (month):  L$628
• L$7,536 per year / $27 per year in USD 

📦 Storage / Space Add-Ons

Storage is a premium resource and takes up actual server hard drive space, and each server can only hold so much, so space add-ons are priced accordingly. You must already be on the 10GB Stream whether on a VIP license or not to add-on further storage/space. If you are currently paying the old pricing for storage, it will be updated by January 17th, 2026 to give you

Regular Plans

+5GB Block Add-On
To keep it simple, we will do blocks of 5GB. You can add more if you’d like. If you are a VIP License holder you receive a ~35%+/- off discount rate (included below). 

• Setup Fee: L$25
• Weekly Renewal: L$163/week per 5GB block.
• Monthly Renewal (4 weeks): L$652/month
• USD Payments: $5.00 per month

VIP Licenses

• Setup Fee: None
• Weekly Renewal: L$100/week per 5GB block
• Monthly Renewal: L$400/month
• USD Payments: $3.00 per month

Please note:

I have switched all to the updated pricing. I am still working on updating the office signage so please be patient while I get that finished properly. You’ll be able to renew at the office and or the HUD as normal since I have updated the backend already.

If you had any space on your account, you were upgraded to the 10GB of space whether a regular plan or a VIP License. If you wish to have the added space to your streaming account PLEASE reach out to me so I can do that for you asap.

Web Hosting Plans won’t change. They are priced accordingly to our operating costs for these services.

🧠 Why We’re Doing This

These changes are about:

• Helping keep Second Life fun and accessible during a difficult time.
• Giving more flexibility in pricing and renewal options.
• Continuing to support both new and long-time customers fairly.
• Making it easier to keep your stream active without added stress.
• Keeping pricing simple, clear, and easy to manage.

If you have questions about how this applies to your account, please feel free to reach out to me anytime 🙂

Thank you for being part of Hostcrate 💜 We wouldn’t be here without you!
— LustyLexxi Larimore

Feature Update
Wed, May 01 2024 10:50:59 AM PDT

For those of you who have asked for this for quite a while now…I just received this response from the software developers about FTP options!

YAY! I will keep an eye out on this and update you all when it has become available! If you have any other feature requests please let me know so I can let them know as they are willing to listen to requests <3

Thank you –Lexxi