SellaBand Presents... Part 2!
By this time next week, SellaBand will be precisely 26 weeks old. That’s six months in business, or half a year of Artists and Believers exactly. To celebrate, we will officially launch a new and very special competition in which all artists can participate. All except two, namely Cubworld and Nemesea and perhaps you can guess why... The name of the game is ‘SellaBand Presents... Part 2’.
Yes, this will be the second in our series of CD’s that we’re putting out to promote both SellaBand and our artists. Ten artists/bands will get the chance to participate with one song each and will be part of our second round of media promotions. What it is exactly that you will have to do to be one of those acts (or to get your hands on a copy of this CD), will be announced in next week’s Tribune as well. One thing we can already made clear though: it will be a different competition from the one we held when we announced the (now much sought after) ‘SellaBand Presents... Part 1’ project and everyone will have an equal chance to be among the 10 lucky artists who will have one of their songs on this album...
Weekly Update
Another excellent week lies behind us, with a healthy number of big gainers. We saw Second Person confirm their #1 position, watched Clémence enter the Top 5 and saw Maitreya move to #3. What will Lovely Lily and the Mighty Vegas Dragons do to reclaim their positions? As we hold our breath, a lot is happening beyond Page 1, too. For example, there are now over 2,000 Bands on SellaBand and again we dare to ask the question: Is this good or bad? It’s good in the sense that it enables our Top 10 artists to boast that they are ‘Number 3 among 2,000 Bands’ or something along that line. Having said that, we are aware that there are over 1,000 artists with zero money on their account and that it will become more and more difficult to get noted.
Chart analysis
Of all the Parts sold on SellaBand in the past week, more than 15% were allocated to Maitreya, so it'll come as no surprise that our Hip Hop hero takes over the number one position on the Weekly Chart. Close behind him is the reigning queen of the previous weeks, Clémence. Together these two have obtained an impressive rise in budget and are now in the Top 5 of the overall ranking.
Second Person (back in the Top 3), Mandyleigh (4) and Lily (5) have done good business as usual, and we are truly delighted to mention Daniel Ward-Murphy (6) as the biggest gainer of the week. Great to see his fighting spirit so well rewarded! A nice jump for Nearfield too, who seem to benefit from their self-inflicted increase of Portugese Believers. Thanks to them, SellaBand was on National Portugese TV, this week!
Some all new faces in these week's charts too, we say hello to Bach-Bukowski (11), Garlic (17) and Blister (18) and our heavy rocking hearts start beating a little bit faster as we cheer Wetwerks (11), Slim Void (13) and Kontrust (16) for their re-entries in the Top 20.
New features
For those of you who haven’t noticed, we have added a feature that has been on many a Believer’s wish list for a long time. It is the eh... Wish list. You can now see the wood for the trees again and can indicate which artists are potentially next in line to be rewarded with some Parts. The Wish List is also meant as an encouragement for artists, it is for them to feel that there hard work does not go unnoticed and that good things may be around the corner.
The Wish List button has been put on a navigation panel on the artist’s pages, next to other functionalities.
When in Rome...
They have already been accused of many things, but one thing that cannot be said about Italy’s Black Jack, is that they are lazy and not inventive. Apart from tirelessly welcoming new Believers to our platform, these nice gentlemen from Rome have also found the time to open up their own restaurant on SellaBand. Some fine Italian home-cooking can be found on www.sellaband/blackjack.
What an incredibly inventive and cool idea this is, so may we suggest that these dishes taste best when accompanied by listening to Black Jack’s music? It did take us back to a warm Summer evening on one of the countless piazza’s, that for sure...
Adam’s Apples
The most appealing/significant New Arrivals on SellaBand in the past week, selected for you by none other than Adam Sieff, the man who’s lined up Nemesea’s Dream Team and has already been handpicked himself by Second Person, to work on their album too...
"I’ve been sifting through the new additions on Sellaband and here are my Hot Apples for this week. A word of warning to those artists who don’t upload pictures or enough information - you won’t get reviewed here because if you don’t take yourselves seriously you can’t expect Believers to do so either!
Applesauce awards go to The Snout Eating Livers for having such a great name and to the Dork Society for living up to theirs. And also to Bach-Bukowski for coming up with the idea of fusing the music of JS Bach with the words of beat poet Charles Bukowski – don’t try this at home!
David Migden
David Migden is an American singer originally from the US Deep South now living down in the cotton fields of Kent, England. I’ve seen him perform in London on a number of occasions and he possesses a powerful and deeply soulful voice that’s a cross between Little Feat’s Lowell George, a Mississippi preacher and Tom Waits. The three excellent songs on his profile are from his album released in 2005 but there’s new material on the way showing a change in direction hinted at on the live video for “Cats Eyes”. An artist with major potential. Trust me, I’m a doctor.
Maëlis
“Je Te Préfère Nue” by Maëlis is a sexy little off-the-shoulder number that certainly attracted my attention – very “Va Va Voom!” as Thierry Henry says on those Renault ads. The info is all written in French (but will soon be translated) so in the meantime listen to this young chanteuse and the three excellent and diverse songs here. Queen of Believers Lucretia points out that Clémence fans will find something to enjoy here and I agree completely. Great fun and I would love to get to see her Paris show in April.
The Moss
And finally, The Moss is a band built around Portuguese singer/songwriter called Hugo who sounds vocally a little like Paul Simon (even Nils Lofgren sometimes) but musically his palette is much more varied. “Soapy Bubbles” is a terrific song and would have won my Shiny Red Apple Of The Week award except it cuts off after 2:56 – come on Hugo, put the whole song on now! “Paintings In The Trash Box” is good too and is so laid back it’s horizontal while “Truth Or Tale” is a bit of a mess but I dig the hell out of it and you probably will too.
Till next week Bands ‘n’ Believers……Adam Out!
Contact Adam at adam@sellaband.com
Q + A
Tiffany Gow
It’s a hard to keep count of the many female artists climbing the charts on SellaBand. Great to hear all these different styles and sounds as well. One of our harder rocking ladies is Australia’s Tiffany Gow. As she approaches the Top 20 on our Artist Search, it is about time we found out a little bit more about her...
How are you doing?
”I am doing Fantastic! I am so blessed to have received such wonderful support and I am so grateful for my wonderful Believers like Onno Hoogendoorn, Walter Braunsteiner-Kisses Walter!, Lucretia, Martin Nicholas, Jasper and Lance Webb.I would love to thank all of my Believers, they are all special. I am working extremely hard every day. I am extensively networking, writing lyrics daily, rehearsing and am in the process of forming a band for live performances. My other short term goals include shooting a film clip and an acoustic song. I also hope to start touring in the next 12 months.”
How did you find out about SellaBand and why did you join?
”I had the pleasure of discovering SellaBand with thanks to my best mate Brian of Vegas Dragons. He showed me the site and I just had to be part of the wonderful SellaBand community. I joined SellaBand because it is not only a cool way to showcase your music to the world and record an album but also to make new friends and learn more about the music industry. This is a great opportunity and I am grasping it with both hands!”
What are your thoughts on life on SellaBand so far?
”Life is great on Sellaband. Both Believers and artists are supportive, helpful and honest in their thoughts and opinions. Sometimes it can be a bit of a challenge when a few days go by and you have not received any new comments and/or feedback or no new Believers have come on board but I know that it is a steady process and all great things take time. I know that putting in 200% effort, It will come back to me at some point. It really is true: What you give is what you get. Karma is such a wonderful thing. I am so glad I am a part of SellaBand, each and every single day when I open my eyes.”
What inspires you musically?
”Moving and emotional lyrics. Lyrics that touch my soul, make me cry or feel happy to be alive, which I truly am. The most influential artists on me have been Bon Jovi, Lou Gramm and Foreigner, Matchbox Twenty, Nickelback, Kiss to name a few. I Love Jazz music too. Bon Jovi and Lou Gramm are also my idols. They are the performers I aim to be: great sound, great songs and fantastic live shows. They are professionals and they have outstanding communication with their fans at concerts and in the general arena. They work to be at their best. Darren Hayes of Savage Garden fame, has also had a huge impact on my determination and inspiration levels. He has proven that with a mix of talent, hard work and ongoing faith in one self, you can achieve your dreams. When organisation and opportunity meet anything can happen.”
Do you have any special tatics to reach 50k?
”Yes Indeed! I am always thinking of different strategies to encourage the promotion of myself and SellaBand and to entice Believers. Hard work is my ultimate tactic to reach 50k. At the moment I have an individual and unique promotion. If you like what you hear, simply Believe 2 parts and receive an autographed copy of my self funded debut album ‘No Fear’ and an autographed wooden spoon. Not only can you rock with Tiff but you can cook with her as well!!! I like to pride myself on individual thinking and originality. When I am gigging I will promote my SellaBand music verbally and in various media to continue my growth on this platform and the growth of SellaBand itself. To keep things interesting I will be regularly rotating my songs, adding videos, expanding my CD promotions, I will always continue to Believe in other artists and be constantly networking and evolving. I also will be regularly involved in SellaBand Forum discussions.”
You Aussies are so damn fanatical on SellaBand. Why is that, do you think?
”I have a fantastic work ethic and Aussies in general are the same. We love the rags to riches stories and love to support the underdog. We are very passionate people, are direct in our thoughts and love a challenge. SellaBand is the ultimate challenge. I see SellaBand as such a wonderful opportunity to be heard and share success. I am very grateful to my Believers and my fellow Australians understand the importance of gratitude. Overall, we are driven, determined and raised to beat the odds. These are the foundations of your upbringing. Aussies never give up, No matter what.”
Any other SellaBands you particularly like?
”Without a doubt of course Vegas Dragons. Brian(lead singer) has been my close mate of mine for many years. I love his music and I feed off his positivity, enthusiasm, hard work and energy. I am also a big fan of Mysti Mayham. Top voice, very direct; I really respect that. Her thoughts and her music are very refreshing. I also have Believed in these Artists and I feel have they potential to go all the way: Kontrust, Trail, Second Person and Heartshine (sweet Jesse).I also like Maitreya, GD Allen and of course my legendary friend and producer Phil Tweed. It is a pleasure to get to know you all.”
Why should people believe in Tiffany Gow?
”I am enthusiastic, hardworking and dedicated. I am extraordinarily passionate about making the best and most diverse rock music I can make. I am original and an individual. I am a very, very proud Aussie who is doing her best to promote SellaBand to the world. I am goal orientated and if you Believe in me I promise you I will repay you back for your amazing and loyal faith. I cannot wait to share all my success with my Believers. For you have without a doubt helped me so much to get to the point I am. You are fundamental in my success and I so appreciate you. I Believe in myself, my music, my abilities, my wonderful Believers and I have every faith I will reach 50k. I feel I am improving with each day. I would love to have you on Team Tiffany. Hope to see you there soon. Thank you to you and SellaBand for this wonderful opportunity.”
Where can I get the T-shirt?
SellaBand offers personal webshops for artists!
One of the things that has been missing so far on SellaBand, is the availability of official merchandise. Well, it took us a while to come up with something that is both original and worthwile, but at last we think we’ve found the right concept. SellaBand is proud to announce a partnership with an online company called Spreadshirt. This enables us to offer tailormade t-shirts, and also gives a number of artists the possibility to sell their own t-shirts as well.
The SellaBand Webshop will be opening very soon. In the beginning we will only have a limited choice of t-shirts available, but as we move a long, the shop will become bigger and we will start selling especially designed shirts as well. The regular SellaBand t-shirt (Hanes in Europe, American Apparel for US residents) will cost €24,89 and $29,50 respectively (excluding postage) for male sizes and €24,89 (Classic Girlie) or $26,50 (Ladies Heavyweight) for female sizes. People who live in other parts of the world can order their shirts in either our European or American store, depending on which postage tariffs suit them best. We'll have shirts with the SellaBand logo, as well as t-shirts with the I’m A believer phrase on the front and the www.sellaband.com url on the back. More details coming soon.
Mini shops
As part of our ‘The Road to 50k’ program, we have created something special for our artists as well. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, raising $50,000 is not the only thing that SellaBand should be about. We want to steady rise to your full budget to be useful and fun, too. Therefore we have decided that every artist on SellaBand who is over $5,000 in budget will get the opportunity to open their own merchandise stand on their profile page. So, currently this would include a total of 13 artists, everybody from Nemesea and Cubworld to Kane Sole. But, as soon as other acts are over 10% in budget , they will get the same opportunity.
Custom made t-shirts
There will be an extra tab on these artists' profile pages, with the word Merchandise on it. It allows Believers to order custom made t-shirts from their favourite artist, and enables the artist to make some money as well. The mini shops will all be provided by Spreadshirt, free of charge, and all the artist will have to do is provide a nicely designed logo. SellaBand will take care of the admin and will guarantee that the artist will earn at least €5,- for every shirt that they sell. Mind you, the mini shops that we hope to be putting up real soon will only be the beginning of what SellaBands and artist will be doing together. Stay tuned for the exact launch date of the SellaBand shop and the mini-stores, we will have it up and running before you can say "Do you have these vintage longsleeves in XXL too..."
I’m a Believer
Asian Believers on SellaBand are still a minority. We like to think this is only a matter of time, because there is a huge market out there, full of potential Artists and Believers. Therefore we are especially grateful for every pioneer from the Far East who has already jumped on board. Among them is ‘Josie’, who is also very active in her postings and feedback.
Who is Josie?
”My name is Tu Yue. Tu is my family name and Yue is my given name, which means happiness in Chinese. I'm 22 years old, have a major in advertising, and hope to get my bachelor's degree this Summer. I'm currently doing the job-hunting. I live with my parents in Shanghai, a multicultural city where the East and the West meet. To see my picture you may find me a typical Chinese girl, quiet and decent, but actually I'm an active gal, who always has a lot to talk about. I'm a big music fan and sports fan.”
How did you find out about SellaBand and what made you use your credit card to support artists?
“I got to know SellaBand from the bassist of Black Jack, a friend of mine. He told me about the site one day. I checked it out and started to buy my parts. I really like the atmosphere here. The artists and believers all have a great passion for music. And I like to have personal contacts with artists. It's nice to share some feelings with the artists I like.”
What does an artist need to get your support?
”I've seen and heard many talented artists on SellaBand, but some of them don’t manage their pages well. If the artists want to get some support, they must have the passion for music and the confidence to win. They should show their talent in all kinds of ways, songs, videos, pictures, etc. It's important for artists to update regularly and keep in touch with Believers. I think a little bit PR management is necessary to catch Believers.”
You are one of the few Believers we seem to have from China. Tell us a bit about the musical climate in your country.
”Well in china people like pop music a lot. Young people are crazy for singing contests and reality shows. Seems a 'Chinese dream' is being born. Many new singers and bands are coming up every year. We have our own idols and crazy fans in all those big cities. R&B and Hip-hop is very popular among young people, and pop rock is heating up too. Singers and bands here used to imitate overseas artists a lot, but now some of them have created their own music style. I consider it a break through for the Chinese pop music industry, because we do need something original here.”
Do you see a future for SellaBand in China?
Absolutely. China has always been considered a potential market. Many young people have a great passion for music, especially rap and rock. But it seems they don’t have a proper way to introduce their music. They play in pubs and road shows, taking part in auditions. Some lucky and good-looking ones will be discovered, but many talented artists are still 'hiding' in the corners of the cities. I think SellaBand can be a perfect place for those artists.
Actually I did introduce SellaBand to a Chinese band I know. They thought it was a good way to show their music, but didn’t know how to make a brief introduction in English. Language is a problem. Also they were not sure whether people would pay attention to a band from China. Anyway I still see a great, great future for SellaBand in China, because we dont have such a website for talented artists.”
If push came to shove, who would be your absolute favourite SellaBand artist?
“What a tough question! It's not easy to name one favourite. Well...I really like Black Jack. (I'm not saying this because the bassist is my friend.) These guys have a unique 'Italian style'. It feels like walking around Fontana di Trevi when listening to their music. And they are so creative to open a Black Jack 'restaurant' on SellaBand! It's nice to enjoy the music and food together. Anyway I have many other favourite artists too. Second person is awesome. It's easy to fall in love with Julia's voice. Maitreya is a great rapper. It's so generous of him to send me a copy of his music. Dandelium is cool. I like all his tracks though I still haven’t bought a Part in him.(Maybe I'll buy one soon.) And I was so sad that I missed out Nemesea. They were already 50k when I signed up. What a pity...I should have been here a little bit earlier. Anyway it's cool that I've been able to buy a Part in Cubworld.”
Is there anything you'd like to change/add to the website?
“I hope Chinese will be available one day, so it will be easier for Chinese people to enjoy SellaBand. And I hope there will be a better photo album for each artist, so they can show bigger pictures. Believers always want to see their artists more.”