SellaBand on ABC
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In his own words... GD Allan
We’ve said it before, SellaBand-artists basically come from all over the world. All the way from Australia is modern rock/hiphop artist GD Allan, who is also warming to the experience of the internet’s global reach.
“Hello World!!!!! My name is Geoff Allan. I live in Melbourne Australia. My wife and I have a house in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges. We have been married nearly a year. She is of Italian heritage and we were married in Verona, Italy. She has been a wonderful support to me. And when times are tough she has pulled me through. I'd really like to repay her one day. This year she helped me to focus on finishing my album and getting my songs out there. We are expecting a baby in May 2007. This is a very exciting time. I'm 33 years old and have been singing and playing guitar professionally for 11 years.
Shared experience
I used to sing in choirs at school and do some music theatre, but enjoyed the excitement of playing in a band, improvising and making music with others. So I studied Jazz and this helped me with my song writing and understanding how music works. I went on to play in an eight-piece ska band, a funk/jazz/swing quintet, and also extensively as a solo musician. For the last two years I focused on my own music and my family. I have been writing music since I was 16 and this time has been an opportunity for me to record and develop old and new material in the home studio I set up. It has also been a time for me to teach singing and guitar to others, something I really enjoy, as to me music is a cultural and shared experience. I am also at University studying art and design. I love being creative and sharing that creativity, it's good for the soul.”
Future of Music
“I read about SellaBand in an Australian newspaper. I heard Nemesea's music and there was some good quality stuff going on. Cubworld's lovely lyrics, vibe, artwork and attitude really impressed me too. I was inspired to put some of my tunes on and see what happened. I didn't really know what to expect when I joined SellaBand, so to receive money and attention is quite extraordinary. Australia has a very limited music network. My music can be quite eclectic and diverse which needs a broad-minded audience. I think SellaBand provides that. I'm so excited that my music is being heard by people in Latvia, the Netherlands, Germany, France, the UK, Sweden to name but a few. Sellaband has created this opportunity. I liked the idea of joining a fast growing music community with real benefits and outcomes for the artists and believers involved. I love the fact that I get to chat to other musicians and people who listen to my music. I also love that this site is TOTALLY about music with none of the other annoying stuff found on other sites. Anything that puts the future of music in the hands of the listeners and artists is a good thing.”
A hard sell
“I let people know that I am here, but for me it hasn't just been about getting to the $50,000. Small, achievable goals associated with moving up the charts and having my music heard is what SellaBand has been for me. My first goal was to reach the top twenty. From here I hope to reach the top ten. Then I have a chance of making it to the studio. But whatever happens, people are hearing my music and I'm having fun. This is great! I find it difficult to know how far to go when asking people to my site. I seem to be getting a few listens now so I don't feel I need to push people. I see some artists and they really go the hard sell. I am not inclined to go that way and I don't think it will do my music justice.
Arnis said to me that he really liked my music after a few listens. He then invested 20 parts! (Thanks Arnis!!) Other people are impressed on first listen and have commented that they really like my versatility and mix of styles. I've recorded lots of music in my home studio, so I'll keep changing the songs I put on the site. Hopefully, if people keep coming back and listening they will hear something they like. In the end I think most of the believers really do check out what's going on and I believe that it is these people who will support artists like me. I try to let the music speak for itself.”
Dance in the kitchen
“I'd like to work with someone who can help me create a timeless and really interesting album.
Haydn Bendall has an interesting mix of credits. I love Sting, Fleetwood Mac, Dave Gilmour and Damon Albarn's Gorillaz concept is amazing! So Haydn is someone who I would consider. George Shilling would be another choice – I like his style as well. As far as collaborations, there are a few SellaBand artists I would consider!! I'm not about the clichés you get in the modern music industry. I love music, I love singing and that's what it's about for me. I'm not looking to live a 'rock star' lifestyle, I simply want to make music and play it for people where ever I can. I'd like to take my family with me and make them proud. My music is varied. There are different tunes to suit each mood. Songs with an industrial groove like 'Better Blue' can be turned up loud. Other tracks, like 'Bitter Pill' have more swing, and may make someone want to grab their partner, give them a hug, or even dance in the kitchen… I hope people will believe in GD Allan, because they believe in my music and want to hear more of what I have to offer. That's what it's about for me.”
Where were you on August 15?
It’s been a very exciting first three months. We’ve had many ups, even a few downs, but in general it’s been an amazing ride so far. At this moment in time we just want to take the opportunity to thank all the people (Bands and Believers), who were with us in those first months, weeks and days. Because the current list of participants (thankfully) is sheer endless, we decided to print just the names of those very special people who have been with us from day one. So, on August 15, at noon Central European Time, the very first version of our website went live. There were less than 10 bands that had uploaded their profile page and the SellaBand Team nervously awaited the arrival of the first Believer(s) and some more artists as well. Turns out that by midnight on that first day, we had more active bands than participating Believers, a situation that has changed somewhat over the course of three months;-)
Pick of the Week
One of the most respected and experienced Experts to officially support the SellaBand concept, is Haydn Bendall. He has been the chief engineer at London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios for over 10 years and has worked with million selling artists such as Sting, Fleetwood Mac, Kate Bush, Roger Waters, The Pet Shop Boys and Paul McCartney, to name but a few. And still he has found the time to signal out his three favorite SellaBands...
1. Cubworld
A great raw voice that has a beautiful frailty. He has the sort of voice that makes one listen to the words, which are worth listening to. I do enjoy the freshness and "unmanicured" approach to song construction and musical performances. Very emotive and telling.
2. Second Person
Compellingly competent, intelligent and innovative. They are able to produce the sort of grooves that you want to last for hours and the arrangements are tremendously well crafted. I like the sure footedness of the approach very much.
3. Victor Sierra
Brilliant anarchy and extremely musical. The use of melody, harmony and rhythm is constantly beingplayed with. Exciting and uplifting throughout.
Heineken Presents: SellaBand New Year's Party
Who will play live at our first ever showcase?
Photo: Paradiso Amsterdam
Yes, you’ve read it right. We are proud to announce our first ever live-event. It will be a New Year’s Party at the small room at Amsterdam’s legendary concert hall The Paradiso. Sunday January 7, 2007 will hopefully become a day to remember for SellaBand Artists and Believers. Our good friends at Heineken are hosting the evening, where Nemesea will close the night with a special acoustic performance. Three other bands will be given the opportunity to perform there as well. Which three bands? Well actually, we’ll leave that decision up to you...
COMPETITION
Heineken and SellaBand will invite the Top 3 in ranking on our search engine (in actual Parts sold). Just like we did with the SellaBand Presents... CD (which should arrive this week, by the way), we will frame the first page of our artist ranking at precisely 12 o’clock, (noon) Central European Time on December 5 (also known as Pakjesavond in the Netherlands). This means we will be just in time to publish the final results in that day’s Tribune, and it will give us enough time to start booking tickets, hotels and equipment for the actual gig on January 7. So again, Artists and Believers will get to decide who will play (think of an average of 4 songs per band/artist) live in Amsterdam on January 7, 2007. And what if the artist can’t make it or doesn’t play live? The position will go to the next in ranking.
FREE TICKETS
The good news doesn’t stop there. The upstairs at Amsterdam’s Paradiso can hold approximately 250 people. We have reserved 175 FREE tickets for Believers. Send an e-mail to ticket@sellaband.com if you want to have the chance to raise a glass with us on Nemesea’s success, on a Great and Happy 2007 and if you want to be able to see the very best artists that SellaBand has to offer play live. The tickets will be allocated on a first come first serve basis, so act quickly if you want to have a chance to be there. For those of you who can’t make it, or find that Amsterdam is too far away from home, we will announce details of a live-broadcast of the event on SellaBand in the next issue of the Tribune.
A quick look at the current chart tells us that the night may look like this:
Sounds like something die-hard Believers wouldn’t want to miss out on, so start applying for tickets now!
Q+A
SellaBand Team
This week it is exactly 3 months ago that www.sellaband.com went live. As much as we like to look ahead to see what the future will bring, we thought that the close of our first quarter was the right occasion to stop and look back for a moment, so for this Tribune we’ve taken the liberty to answer a few questions ourselves.
Pim
How do you look back on the first three months?
“I think the first three months will be the ones that I will be telling my grand children about. Living in a dump, to save money, while at the same time the world slowly but surely discovers a concept that I have dreamed of for more than 4 years. It all became real, coming back from our last negotiation with our investors. I was sitting in the backseat, Johan was driving, Dagmar in the front. Johan was playing his favourite CD. Loud! All of us knew our lives were going to change and everyone seemed very pleased with this change. There I was with two top music executives ready to help me build my dream. And although I never really liked rock music, Johan’s guitar music sounded good. Let’s rock and roll baby!”
What has surprised you the most?
“There is nobody in the middle. Either you believe in SellaBand or you don’t. But whatever people think, they will talk about it and try to convince others of their views. Our Believers have become part of us and our helping us to grow, develop and perfect our business. People like Lucretia and John B Baloumba and the thousands of active Believers who have signed up on SellaBand have really had a great impact on where we are now. Soon we are going to launch the SellaBand Juke Box. I’m sure it’ll make SellaBand a lot more fun and easy to use, but guess who thought of this brilliant idea. Our Believers did. All we have to do now is listen and take this concept to where our community wants it to go.If we do so I am sure hundreds of amazing artists will follow Nemesea in their footsteps.”
Where do you see SellaBand one year from now?
“I see so many things ahead of us. Festivals, tv shows, show cases in New York, Amsterdam, London and Tokyo. But also artists from places like the Balkan or Mozambique with Believers from across the globe.”
Dagmar
How do you look back on the first three months?
I think you can sum it all up with one word: Wow! Wow we really did it! Wow it works! Wow people love it! Wow we're in the news! Wow this is fun! Wow the first band reaches the 50k way faster than we've expected! Wow is Pim really eating so many sandwiches for lunch? Wow it's raining parts! Wow is it three months already?
What has surprised you the most?
“What suprised me most is how fast this thing spreads around the globe; Believers from more than 60 different countries, Artists from Argentina to Vietnam and media coverage in every corner of the globe. The idea that while I'm sitting in rainy Holland, someone on a beach in Brazil is reading an article on SellaBand, an Artist from Norway is uploading his music and a Believer from South Africa is getting Parts in an Australian band is giving me a big smile on my face.”
Where do you see SellaBand one year from now?
“By the end of 2007 at least ten Artists will have reached the $50.000, and by then SellaBand will have proven itself as being a real and solid alternative for Artists and music lovers.”
Johan
How do you look back on the first three months?
“It’s been an amazing ride. I want to take this opportunity to thank all the Artists and all the Believers for their faith and support. And for their patience. We had a great start in August, but for a moment in time, especially in September, things slowed down considerably. We’ve had days when it was actually more exciting to watch the grass grow than changes in our Top 10. People decided to stick it out anyway, and we are eternally grateful. It is their trust and faith that brought us to where we are now.”
What has surprised you the most?
“The love between Artists and their Believers. Three months ago there was nothing and now there is this platform where a beautiful community is taking shape. I’ve always said that there is more to an Artist than just his or her music and image and the way musicians are interacting with their loyal and especially with new found friends, is the living proof of that.”
Where do you see SellaBand one year from now?
“A year from now we will be celebrating the arrival of the 100,000th Believer. We’ll have four or five artists recording their albums in studios all across the world, and we’ll have a big meeting with our sponsors to discuss the location for the first ever SellaBand Festival, to be held in the Summer of 2008. I must be dreaming, you say? Well, that’s what everybody said when Fabio Cannavaro predicted that Italy would become World Champion this Summer, so stranger things have happened, you know. And we will not retire until SellaBand is the World Champion of music companies...”
Introducing... Suzanne Heidenstrom
It took her a while to get going on SellaBand and then all of a sudden she got her first Believers and rose to the Top 20 on our search engine. She is Norway’s Suzanne Heidenstrom and has her own story to tell.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
"I am a 21 year old girl from Norway. I'm a singer and songwriter and I have released an album called 'This is who I am.' I have always loved music and wrote my first song with the same name, 'This is who I am', as the album at the age of 15. Since then I've been writing and making music. Through the years I've done a few song contests. I performed at a tv-program when I was 1o years old and ever since I've been singing at local song-contents. Also, I won a song contest on Norwegian radio a few years back with the song 'This is who I am'. I've played in a few bands as well, when I was a little younger. Had a few gigs, nothing serious, but always great fun. I've always been into music and I also got a musical family. Music gives me so much, it is my life!"
Why did you join SellaBand?
“I joined SellaBand because it was a new concept and sounded like an interesting way to promote my music. And also it was a great way for me to spread my music to other countries than Norway.”
Who would you like to work with?
“There are so many great artists and producers out there that I would like to work with. Too many to mention! But I would love to have a chance to work with the people at Abbey Road Studio.”
What inspires you, musically?
“I wrote the songs on the album 'This is who I am' when I was between the age of 15 and 18 years old and of course back then I was inspired by all the 'teenage depressions' we all go through in life. Such as love, heartaches and how to find yourself along the way as you are getting older. I listen to artists and songwriters with meaningfull lyrics, songs that touch me in some way. I find the lyrics very important in a song. I get very inspired by life itself, and most of my songs are inspired by my own experiences, things that have happened to me in real life. With a touch of artistic freedom, of course. For me, music makes it so much easier to communicate my feelings and I hope and think that I write songs that other people can relate to as well."
Why should people Believe in Suzanne Heidenstrom?
“Because they like my music and want to see me grow as a singer and songwriter. Also I think I've got something to show for. Lastly I just want to take the opportunity to give a BIG thanks to my current Believers. Thank you so much, and there is still room for more Believers!"
www.sellaband.com/suzanne-heidenstrom
I’m a Believer
After Europe, North America and Africa, we travel to Asia this week, to meet one of our female Believers. Her name is Ann Goh, she is from Singapore and has, as one can say, an eclectic taste in music.
Tell us a bit about yourself, please.
”I am turning 30 in just a few days' time (I would like to suggest some autographed CDs for my birthday). Currently, I am working in Simply toys, a toys and collectibles distribution cum retail store in Singapore. The daily things I deal with will be props and replicas from movies like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Marvel, Terminator, Pokemon, Disney characters, etc. Some of the things I collect are toys, DVDs and Music CDs. I am constantly on the look out for interesting ideas and is pretty open minded especially when it comes to new ideas and concepts.”
How did you find out about SellaBand?
”Just 3-4 months ago, I was sharing some ideas with my cousins about how I think there should be an online platform for people to vote for unknown bands and their music and those in the music industry can use this platform to find talented people from all over the world, anytime, anywhere. Boy was I delighted when I read in a local newspaper about SellaBand. The site is almost what I envisioned, but BETTER!”
What was your reason to become a Believer?
”There are so many talents joining SellaBand, believing this place might just help them realise their dream of recognition, fame, a future in the music scene. As I am not musically inclined, with no musical talent to boast (I can't even sing a song well, other than Blah Blah Black Sheep), the only thing I can contribute is to become a Believer. As a Believer, I know my contribution, be it in the form of a part contribution or a nice remark for them can help put a smile on these artistes' faces, giving them hope and encouraging them to produce nice music for you and me.”
What does an artist need to have to make you Believe?
“Music is very much part of my life. I have always admired singers with nice vocals and talented composers. With the right beat and rhythm and voice, I will Believe.”
Who's your absolute favorite SellaBand artist?
“Second Person is my current favorite. I may not be their number 1 contributor on SellaBand, but I can well be their number 1 fan. :) Lily is also one of my many favored artists on SellaBand although I know not a single Latin word. Kirt, Ella Blame, Emily's playground, the Fakes are also very promising bands and singers. I wish them all the best!”
You've already bought Parts in quite a few artists. Any other acts you are keeping an eye on?
”Everyday, I will try to play the songs of artists from SellaBand. As I can be quite busy at work, it is rather difficult for me to listen to all the new songs by clicking on the different pages. It will be great if I am able to play randomly picked continuous tracks from all artists on SellaBand and if I hear something I like, I am sure it will be easier for me to part some of my Paypal funds for more parts ;)”
Anything you'd like to change about SellaBand?
”No, there are no major changes I would like SellaBand to make at this time. I am sure SellaBand will improve with time.”
Could SellaBand become big in Asia?
”Yes, it can definitely be big in Asia especially with the huge Chinese market. With the right marketing tools, I am sure SellaBand can be a household name. The Filippinos are also very talented singers and just find that they do not have the right platform to be noticed worldwide. I am sure SellaBand will be good for them too. Music knows no boundaries. I speak English and Mandarin but I listen to anything. Bossa Nova, Celtic, Korean, Japanese and even songs by Paris Hilton! SellaBand will be big anywhere with internet access!”
Weekly update
Once again, we are happy to be able to tell you that it has been anything but a quiet week on www.sellaband.com. Over 2,000 Parts were sold in the past 7 days and over 150 new bands/artists have joined.
Chart analysis
Last night (Monday), Cubworld passed the $15,000 mark, putting our big-hearted American friend clearly in the lead on the search engine. France’s The Fakes are well on their way to $7,500 but see Second Person (U.K.) making the biggest jump of all the current contenders. Lily, Daniel Ward-Murphy and Kirt have all passed the $5,000 threshold this past week and by this time next week, Kane Sole may have very well done the same. Healthy increases from MaYor Myx and Luna Assassins as well, and we welcome newcomers Maitreya, Magnus and Jesse David all make their Top 30 entry. And finally a word on two acts that have been with us for a much longer time, but are suddenly on the rise: Holland’s Elleanore and Ireland’s Mesa Street Exit, proving that patience and persistence are sometimes necessary to get yourself noticed on SellaBand.
Radio player
By the end of the week, our long-awaited Radio player will be launched. Without giving anything away, we just have to tell you that the design looks nothing short of spectacular. While we will be adding new features and playlist-options to the Player, the first version will have 2 different playlists: Random Play All and The SellaBand Top 30. Watch the News ticker for the exact launch-date of the Radio player.
SellaBand Presents... Part 1
And finally a word to all of you Bands and Believers, waiting for the SellaBand Presents.... Part 1 CD to arrive. We’ve just received an e-mail from the factory, telling us that everything is ready, the CD’s have been pressed and the digi-packs have been printed, so it will only be a matter of days before we will be able to ship them all out. So, by the time the next Tribune arrives, you will hopefully all be able to read it while listening to the first ever SellaBand CD!
