London Calling: Get your tickets now!
SellaBand invites True Believers only
London Calling on June 5 at the Gibson Guitar Centre promises to be a night to remember. As all of you who were present at our first showcase in Amsterdam can testify, our little soiree should be so much more than your average club night. It is about a community coming together and the bond between artists and their Believers. We don’t know which artists are going to perform in London, but we do need an audience. Will you be in the audience on June 5?
The venue we have picked is not a regular venue, but rather a small room in which we hope to be able to create some real magic. Just us, the music and about 100 or so guests, press and fellow musicians. As you can imagine, the number of tickets we have available for that night is very limited. The first 25 of those will be given away this week. See it as an ' early bird' registration for loyal community-members. The good news is, each of these 25 Believers can bring a friend, so 50 people in total. To get your hands on one of those 25 pair of free tickets, you have to do a bit more than just send us an e-mail. You have to send us an e-mail with the right password.
Password
Do you have the knowledge? Or rather, a you a True Believer? Then you should have no problem in finding the right password. Answer the nine multiple choice questions below. For each question only one answer is the right one. Take the corresponding letter with each correct answer, put them in the right order and find the password we are looking for.
What was the official launch date of www.sellaband.com?
Q: August 01, 2006
R: September 15, 2006
S: January 01, 2007
T: August 15, 2006
What was the running order of bands on our Paradiso gig on January 7?
R: Nemesea – Cubworld – Second Person – The Fakes
S: Cubworld – Second Person – The Fakes – Nemesea
T: Cubworld – The Fakes – Nemesea – Second Person
U: Second Person – The Fakes – Cubworld – Nemesea
Cubworld performing at Paradiso gig
Which Believer has the most Parts in Nemesea?
K: Lucretia
What is the name of the first ever SellaBand compilation CD?
R: Presenting Part 1
S: SellaBand Volume 1
T: SellaBand Presents… Part 1
U: Top 10 on SellaBand
Who brought us ‘Love & Light?’
C: MayorMyx
D: Mysti Mayhem
E: Maitreya
F: Mandyleigh
Brian Taylor is the mastermind behind which group?
C: Wetwerks
D: Nearfield
E: Trail
There are over 3,000 artists registered on SellaBand. The biggest number of artists come from which country?
M: The Netherlands
N: United States
O: France
P: Portugal
Cubworld’s real name is?
F: Jack Johnson
G: Jacob Jones
H: James Kaiser
I: Jacob Kongaika
Which artist has been #1 for three consecutive weeks on our Weekly Charts?
M: Maitreya
N: Lily
Did you find the nine correct corresponding letters? Put them in the right order to find the 9 letter answer we are looking for. The first 25 correct answers to be sent to ticket@sellaband.com will get 2 free tickets each for the London Calling Showcase on June 5 and have thus secured their place on our guest list.
Weekly Update
The London Calling competition is exactly halfway and we have welcomed over 1,000 new Believers. This is exactly the kind of thing we have been looking for and with two more weeks to go, our original target of a minimum of 2,000 ‘paying’ Believers seems well within reach. While two new acts are currently clearly in the lead on the London Calling Chart, our feeling is that it is far from a done deal. And we don’t just mean the #3 position where Maitreya and Francis Rodino currently seem to be battling it out. So, there a couple of exciting weeks ahead on SellaBand, and while we are fully aware that no competition is going to be immune for any form of criticism, it is still very rewarding to see that see many people (Artists & Believers) have picked up this challenge and are actively involved to be a part of ‘London Calling’.
Chart Analysis
No open letter this week, that's for sure. What we do see though, is a new #1 on the Weekly Chart. It is none other than Lovely Lily, who has uploaded new pictures and a great collaboration with AliouneK. Hot on her heels are two other US-acts, who are also leading the way on the London Calling Competition. Both Bulletproof Messenger (#2) and Lucia Iman (#2) have added a more than healthy $2,000+ to their budgets and it is nothing but exciting to see these new acts do so well. Belgium's Garlic are this week's highest new entry at #4, while France's T-Ka has managed to keep her Top 5 position as well. Elsewhere on the Charts we welcome some female debutants, such as MisA (#6) and Jodi (#14,), see Italy's Alex Ganassini's hard work pay off (#11) and see some cool indie-sounds rewarded by the likes of Fallen View (#15) and The Balducci Lift (#17). Finally we must mention our great friend Phil Tweed, who is this week's biggest climber on the Chart at #10, and this is the first time we see an artist from Uruguay on these pages, so hello there luchomax16 at (#18), and thank you for making us all feel 'global' this week.
SellaBand wins prestigious Van Speijk Prize!
Yes, we did it! Thank you all for voting on SellaBand it was very useful and it made us win the Van Speijk Award - for those of who who have missed it, The Van Speijk Award is a new Dutch Award for the best innovation in communication. Last Tuesday there was a ceremony attended by hotshots of the Dutch communciation industry, media and the three nominees. After a couple of speeches and an introduction by the president of the jury Wim Dik (former President of the biggest Dutch telco KPN) the final words came out: And the winner is......(although there was no music I really heard the drums rolling)........SELLABAND!!!!
The president of the jury gave Dagmar the award, a marble thingie, and more important a big cheque. Right after this moment he had to pose for a bunch of photographers holding a big cheque what made him feel (and look) a bit like a Lottery Winner..:-)
Jukebox is doing a runner
Remember the year 1977? Elvis dies, Star Wars hits the theatres -for the first time-, 'Saturday Night Fever' sparks the disco inferno, Studio 54 opens its doors, Pele plays his last soccer game, Björn Borg wins Wimbledon and Guillermo Vilas is the first tennis player from Latin America to be the number one of the world. This spring Puma launches, as a tribute to this era, the French 77 line. A sportive lifestyle collection that is inspired by the late seventies. And to celebrate the launch of French 77, Puma is doing all kinds of cool stuff like Puma French 77 Radio (see below) but the coolest of all, well at least that's what we think, is the French 77 Jukebox on SellaBand. Yep there will be a Puma French 77 Jukebox on our website. As of tomorrow you can go to the Jukebox like you use to do, and there you will see a Puma shoe hanging. Click on it and see what happens!
Puma French 77 Talent Room
Puma French77 Radio brings listeners ‘good times music’: happy and positive music. All popmusic genres can be heard at the station, but with an emphasis on pop-rock. The station plays music of recent years mixed with classics from the seventies. And your songs can get played too! By uploading their songs, new bands and singers can upload their songs they can make a chance on airplay on Puma French77 Radio. A jury listen to the songs and selects the best ones. From May 1st there's a 'Demo of the Day', this track will receive 8 spins that day! Check the site of Puma French77 Radio for more information (in dutch).
Q + A
Bulletproof Messenger
The past month or so, it seems there is no other band on people’s lips than Bulletproof Messenger. Will they continue their stellar rise to the top, will they make it to the London gig? And then, to add insult to injury, there was last week’s Chart Analysis that was meant as a friendly joke, but the joke apparently got lost in translation. Which leaves us no other option than to hand the mic over to BPM’s spokeperson DJ Skuba for this week’s Q + A.
Give us some background information on Bulletproof Messenger, please.
“BPM is somewhat of a new group... it was formerly known as Gone to Earth...(no not the Australian one). GTE was formed sometime in 2003 with various members but didn’t actually turn into BPM until around a year ago when there were some creative differences, and just personality differences etc. The core members of the group stayed together and decided to push forward with the project. Thus BPM was formed... I guess if you wanted to put meaning into the name of the band (which I really hate doing mind you because it’s cliché) but we were thinking of the phrase ‘don’t shoot the messenger’. In other words don’t kill the bringer of bad news. So obviously we took that in a different direction. Basically, our message cannot be stopped.... Anyway, after a year of writing and recording our current album and a bunch of lineup changes, here we are ... (any more particular bio info you may need you can pull from our page, this is just some extra details :)”
How did you find out about SellaBand?
“How did we discover SellaBand.... I’ll give credit where credit is due... Wetwerks. Jesse our bassist received a message which he passed along to me that they broke the 10k mark and I decided to see what all the hype was about...”
Are you surprised to do so well, so soon?
“I’d have to say yes and no... Without sounding cocky I’d like to say no, since I know the music is good... I mean, we spent a year self producing the HELL out of this album with every tiny thing scrutinized, so we were very sure this was a solid album that would get a decent response... as far as doing THIS well... YES I am VERY surprised... actually I’m a little worried now that the 50k is gonna come too fast on the heels of this album (if that’s actually possible)... But in all seriousness, I am HONORED that we are doing this well and that fans from all corners of the globe like us (wait, does the globe have corners?, i thought it was round... guess it’s an old saying). Anyway,... we have met some great people on this site and are honored to be a part of it.”
There have also been some mixed reactions to your incredible rise. How do you feel about that?
“How did I know this question was coming... I think the community knows our feelings about it (just read all our posts and e-mails lol)... I mean I guess it comes with the territory in a sense.... when you come in and do this well so quickly people are bound to have questions and be weary and we tried to address everyone’s questions and concerns in a respectable manner...but the majority of the community has welcomed us with nothing but open arms... there are some great people on this site who have supported us throughout... Empire of One, Lucretia, Brian from Vegas Dragons, Frans.. sorry if I didn’t name everyone (and thus I hate dropping names since you always leave someone out who feels bad.) but don’t worry we appreciate EVERYONE equally weather you buy 1 Part or 100 Parts!”
What are your ambitions?
“Hmm... well, no different than any other band... just make it in the hardest industry in the world.... get signed, get on tour, get big, and live off our music.”
Are there any other SellaBands you particularly like?
“Of course.... Vegas Dragons, our buddies in Wetwerks, Nearfield.. once again, I hate naming names ‘cause you always leave someone out. We honestly embrace all music and the whole community since everyone has something to offer... these are just bands we have had real direct contact with... “
The bets are already on here at SellaBand HQ, but when do yóu guys think you will reach the full 50k?
“Tomorrow! I plan on Believing my salary when this tribune is posted... so Empire of One and Frans, look out!!”
Why should people Believe in Bulletproof Messenger?
“Why not?... We're normal guys, we connect with our fans, and people like our music.... actually one of the things that I’ve noticed is that sometimes successful bands start losing the support of ‘the little guy’ when they become successful... People start feeling like hey they’re already big, they don’t need my help, my contribution won’t be noticed and why not help out someone else instead...What I’m getting at is that yes, we've had success but that doesn’t mean we don’t need constant support... Every fan counts... that’s our belief... treat every fan like gold... since you can’t get 100 without 1. So yeah, we have more than 100 new fans at this point...but unless people constantly Believe, we don’t progress... Each fan and Believer is important to us. My hope is that people who are investing in other artist will still invest in us since we need the help just as much as anyone even though we are doing well... when it comes down to it, no were not famous, were not world known in the traditional sense, and no we're not signed.. Thus, we need your help... so please please please help send us to London we won’t disappoint if you get us there!!!! Nothing is certain and without constant support we may not make it. All the artist on this site have an equal chance and some are rising as fast if not FASTER than we are, we've all seen the last competition what happened at the last minute.. so please help us out!
As a final note, i would like to thank everyone who supported us thus far, and thank everyone advance who WILL support us in the future... all the best... DJ SKuBa- BPM”
www.sellaband.com/bulletproofmessenger
Adam’s Apples
Seems like you all enjoyed last week’s “hit it and quit it” approach, so here are the new arrivals specially packaged once again for your bite-size pleasure.
Name: Sparticus
Artistry: Sings, plays guitar and a whole lot more.
Where: Hawaii.
He sounds like: Indie rock heaven.
The songs: Start with “Kill The Lights” – it’s great.
What he’s doing: Moving to Utah in June.
Adam says: As talented as his good friend Cubworld.”
Rating: 4.5 apples.
Name: Angie Arsenault.
Artistry: Singer/songwriter.
Where: Canada.
She sounds like: The real thing – a wonderful voice and a great pianist.
The songs: All instantly memorable and well produced.
What she’s doing: Online bi-weekly video “My Shattered Windows”.
Adam says: “Quality artist who knows exactly where she’s going”.
Rating: 4 apples.
Name: Chloe Colette Michelle.
Artistry: Singer/writer.
Where: New York City.
She sounds like: “A Capella” (no instruments) but don’t let that stop you.
The songs: Original, inspirational and soulful.
What she’s doing: Raising funds for homeless youth.
Adam says: “Support this artist!”
Rating: 4 apples.
Apple sauce, applets and applause to:
Cosmic Nomads for the prog Hammond organ-ness of “Vultress”.
Joes Boonen for her simply beautiful voice on “Open Up”.
Axxe for making that guitar talk on the hard rocking “All About The Money”.
MisA for the sheer poptastic disco-ness of “Run To You”.
A&R HQ: adam@sellaband.com
I’m a Believer
After a two week hiatus we return to one of our favorite Tribune series: “I’m a Believer”. And this week we are proud to present to you a man of mystery, who still wants to keep his last name to himself, but at least we get to see him and learn more about him. Ladies & gentlemen, this is… Netvalar!
Who is Netvalar?
“Netvalar is easy he is a researcher/consultant extraordinaire. Just recently I was consulting a real estate professional who called me king of thinking outside of the box. My pen name to which only poetry has been written is Howard Clark. Both of these personals are aspects of who I am. The real me, due to so much that I have done in my life is a myth, legend, rumour, My real name is Luke, the last name to remain anonymous except to my friends such as Brian of Vegas Dragons and Mysti Mayhem. I have done mostly things within the Restaurant industry and am currently a simple Waiter. Though I am hoping to finally put my 3-5 notebooks of business ideas and plans to work starting with my online store at Netvalar.com and continuing with my upcoming Talk show. You could always look for Netvalar on Myspace or check out my blog at timelineonline.org for more details.”
What attracted you to become a Believer?
“By accident I started giving out advise to people, from would be models to musicians. While doing so I was asked to look at many websites. One of the artists I consulted with, in regards to doing a tour outside of conventional means asked me to look at Sellaband.com. At first I thought the idea was great but would it last? It was several weeks before I would invest into Mandyleigh, Lily, and Cubworld. When Lucretia's unofficial forum appeared I was still unsure if I was right but then shortly later several 3rd party sites popped up such as Walter's www.imasellabandaddict.com and Empire of One's http://www.sabmarketplace.com. I am currently looking forward to Roy’s Blog in regards to promoting via Digg, and let’s not forget http://www.beyondtheprofiles.com/. I knew then that I had made the right choice by which time I had already believed in 8 artists.”
What does and artist need to have or do, to win you over as a Believer?
“I started out just listening to the music and basing my Parts on their sounds. But later I found that some artists were more active than others. Having been an advisor of sorts back in 2001 for several bands I know that motivation and drive are the 2 factors that will bring success. So now I base it on the artists activity, sounds, and the vibe I get from them in regards to drive. I admit that I try to watch every video and listen to every song that is asked of me on my profile page.”
Who would be your absolute favorite SellaBand artist?
“I could say Blister because they signed up on my birthday, or I could say Vegas Dragons because I think I have their CD almost worn out, but I think I would have to say Mysti Mayhem because she is a great artist and does fantastic videos and has some creative ideas for getting her music out there just look at her blog in regards to the military to see what I mean.”
How do you see the future of the music industry?
“Well back in 2000 I saw Derek Sivers of CDBaby.com do an indie tour across the continental US for 2 years. At which time I decided to see what else was going on within the music industry. I found MP3.com attempting to organize indie labels and studios to be able to compete against the major labels (at the time I think there were 5) it flopped due to everyone competing against each other. I saw Courtney Love write a 6 page letter against the industry and it was received by the masses as heaven. I then watched nothing big happen till the last couple years thanks to social networking. With all I have seen happening my hopes are again back to where they were 6 years ago. I think the Music industry will become more in the artists hands and less in the labels though I hope the major labels will step up to keep something and help the future after all they have the experience. However with what has happened here at SellaBand I think the experience from the major labels will still be available to all artists for the forseeable future. Facilitators will be more important to musicians then labels as more artists learn to do the small things themselves or get their fans or Believers to help.”
Are you a SellaBand Addict?
“I am addicted to nothing. Just because I check SAB in the morning when I wake up and then at night before I go to bed and maybe 3-7 times during the day does not mean I am addicted. I may continuously research what is written and sometimes digg a few articles but that does not mean I am addicted. So I will let you all decide if SellaBand is an addiction or just a hobby?”
Which three bands/artists, do you think will make to our London gig?
“I want to say Vegas Dragons, Mandyleigh, and Mysti Mayhem. However upon closer scrutiny I think it will be Bulletproof Messenger (I need to look at them soon), Maitreya (he has some great thoughts and ideas for getting the word out), and Vegas Dragons. I know Brian works day and night on his band they will make it, Now if only I could make it to not only see the show but meet some great people.”
Is there anything you would like to change/add to our website?
“The idea itself s great, everything I have seen or heard of what is and what is to come is great, I can't wait to see the road to 50k grow. If there was 1 thing I would change it wouldn't be the website but the people. If every artist had 10 Believers and every Believer went out and talked to 10 people each week and 1 person out of 10 joined and bought 1 part then it wouldn't be long before we had artists reaching 50k every week. I am currently researching grass roots politics and attempting to learn from that how to better inform Believers of the power they truly have. We'll see in coming weeks what comes of that.”
The Other Side Of… Maitreya
We know all about his raps, remixes and how he is busking for Believers. But there is so much more to this Kiwi in Exile, that we just had to ask him for… The Other Side of Maitreya!
What is your full name?
“Jamie Richard Greenslade.”
Date & place of birth?
“April 14, Croyden, London.”
Where do you live?
“Harlem, New York.”
Do you have a job?
“Yes, I have done just about every menial job there is and everything I ever do I never see coming! I am a lighting technician right now. A lighting tech does everything from switching lights on and off to the beat at the club (very TECHnical) to installing, wiring and programming fully 'Intelligent Light' shows … the boss usually has me turning lights on and off!!!”
What are your hobbies?
“Well, I guess music isn't counted but it doesn't feel like work to me. Reading and watching movies are my main hobbies. I read a lot of non-fiction books, I love Buddhist literature and political biographies. Boxing was a big hobby of mine but I think I have given myself Carpal Tunnel from too much senseless bag work!!! Now Iconcentrate on wrecking the mic instead of a speedball…”
New Zealand roots
Favorite food?
“Indian, Malaysian and BBQ's (what ever the weather!!!) … oh, and a joint called Burger Fuel in Auckland, NZ. They have the best Burgers in the World! I haven't eaten every burger in the world but I amconfident theirs are the very best! Check them out: www.burgerfuel.co.nz”
Holiday destination?
“Gibson Guitar Studio's London, June 5th 2007 of course!!!”
All time favorite artist?
“Sade…”
All time favourite book?
“The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying, Sogyal Rinpoche ISBN: 0-06-250834-2.”
All time favorite movie?
"Dog Day Afternoon. It's an early Al Pacino movie. I think it's brilliant. The premise is a bank robbery executed by a bunch of desperate amateurs, which are always the best Bank Robberies in my opinion…”
Best friend?
“Angelina, Arifin, Bone, D, Dan The Pomme, Hazza, Megz, Mona, Melene, Mistress Moanique, Mum, Nicolai, Nips, Roni, Sammy L, Sean-e-Mac, Sloppy, Skip, Smithie, The Prince of All …”
Love of your life?
“All of the above…”
Do you have anything to declare?
“Bloody customs! Here we go again! Which line do you want me to stand in Sir… full strip search or just an all over body rub down?
Actually yes. I think SellaBand has been the most rewarding and inspiring experience of my solo career … 1st equal to rhyming with Kurtis Blow! I started out on SAB wanting to get into a fantastic studio environment and hook up with some really talented producers. Now, I am so humbled by the experience I have had that I have only one focus: to deliver the best and most honest album I have in me to each and every Believer who has invested their hard earned money into giving me this opportunity. This is a feeling that only comes through real time and work, the establishing of real relationships and serious self-critique as an artist. Thank you to everyone who has Believed in me, it really means everything … Oh, and I really want to perform for you all in LONDON!!! So like Mysti says, if you haven't already: BELIEVE!"