Special Host announced for London Calling!
SellaBand's first ever showcase, at Amsterdam's famous Paradiso, was hosted by our Managing Director, Johan Vosmeijer. He will again be the host of the evening at Gibson Guitar Studio on June 5, but this time there will be another presenter to liven things up a bit. As our co-host we have invited none other than Brian Taylor, lead singer and CEO of Australian rockact Vegas Dragons and regarded by many people as the uncrowned king of our community...
That's right. Brian Taylor will get on a plane to London for the first time in his life and will be present at our little do on June 5. But he will not only be there to schmooze, and socialize, the man is going to work for his money: he will be the co-presenter of London Calling and will get to announce the live-performances of the evening. And who knows, he may be able to duet with one of the performing artists, too.
A damn good host
Says SellaBand's Johan Vosmeijer: "Last time I did it all by myself and already then I decided I wanted to have somebody with me on stage for the next event. In true Eurovision Contest fashion we thought of a lady first, but then the longer we thought about it, the more we knew it had to be one of the heroes of our community. Well, at least he's got long hair... All joking aside, Brian has worked so hard for his dreams to come true and has contributed so much to the spirit and identity of our platform, I guess you can see this as our special way of saying: thank you Brian. Plus I think he'll be a damn good host, that counts too, of course..."
Johan on stage at the Paradiso gig
Great connection
When asked to fly to the United Kingdom in early June, Brian was a bit overwhelmed at first, but then came up with the following statement: "I would like to thank all the SellaBand community for their messages and kind words. I am sure that the 'London Calling' gig will be one of the greatest experiences of my life. I feel a great connection with everyone here on SellaBand and to actually get to meet some of these great people in the flesh will be the thrill of a lifetime. Thank you Sellaband for being so good to me and Vegas Dragons. To Vegas Dragons Believers - I will not be happy until I meet every single one of you in person and thank you all for being so very generous."
Win the final tickets for June 5...
Your last chance to get on the guest list for SellaBand in Concert!
Here it is: your final chance to get your hands on a pair of tickets for our London showcase on June 5 at Gibson Guitar Studio. This time it is not your knowledge we're after, but we invite you to take a real good look around our website. Regard it as our belated Easter eggs, all the answers to the questions below can be found somewhere on SellaBand. And it's really simple: the first 25 correct entries at ticket@sellaband.com will be invited for London Calling and get to bring a friend too... O, one more thing, winners of the first Ticket-Test, the 25 previously announced True Believers need not apply, your entries will not count!
Here are the questions:
1. Cubworld’s ‘My World’ has had how many plays on SellaBand?
A) Less than 10,000
B) Between 10,000 and 20,000
C) Between 20,000 and 30,000
D) More than 30,000
2. How much do we charge for the following t-shirt: Lovely Lily's Girlie shirt Continental Classic Women's in Europe!
A)On SellaBand you get t-shirts for free.
B)$19.90
C)$26.90
D)$22.50
3. What is the name of The Artist who NEARLY made it to London Calling? They are also Portugal’s #1 band on SellaBand…;)
A)Light
B)Trail
D)T-Ka
4. There is only one person who has 35 parts in Wetwerks, what is the first character of his/her name?
A) DC Burns
B) Arnis
C) Lucretia
D) Lovejoy
5.Go to the Jukebox. Which animal is hiding somewhere in our very cool player?
A) It’s a gorilla
B) I don’t dare to look
C) It’s a black sheep!
D) It's a Puma...
What the night may bring...
June 5 is still four weeks away, but in case you were wondering why you should apply for tickets, we can already give you an indication of what the evening may look like. Paris Hilton will not be theire for sure, as we’ve just read reports she will be going to jail on precisely that day. But, the SellaBand Team will be there in full swing. Doors should be open around 6.30 PM at Gibson Guitar Studio in Rathbone Street in London, England and on the left the ladies will be welcomed by Pim, Dagmar and Chris, and on the right the men will be able to meet Yvonne, Dolly and Annette.
Your welcome commitee
Shortly after 7 PM, master of ceremony JohanV will be joined by Brian Taylor from Vegas Dragons and you will get to see and hear performances by Lucia Iman, Bulletproof Messenger and Maitreya. Our New Zealand rapper definitely has some aces up his sleeve, so you may expect one or two surprises from him. Second Person will close the night at this venue, after which we will invite you all to another property in the heart of London for a little after party. And who knows, one or two SellaBand celebrities might climb the stage of that venue to take the proceedings well after midnight…
The next day, by the way, Francis Rodino is giving us all a reason to stay an extra night. He will give a free performance with his band at The Cuban, in Camden, London on June 6.
Q + A
Lucia Iman
Her entrance on the SellaBand scene has certainly not gone unnoticed. Within just one month she managed to qualify for our London showcase and raised over $10,000 in budget. Page One of our Artist Search seems well within reach for Lucia Iman, so this Q + A with is barely just in time…
You've entered SellaBand with a bang. Can you please introduce yourself a little further?
“I am someone who genuinely believes in the power of music as a transformation tool. I was born in Sevilla, Spain in a musical family and grew up in Madrid. When I was 16 me and my family made the big jump across the pond and moved to California. I've been singing and playing music since I can remember and it's a fundamental part of who I am. I need to share it with the world, and to move and inspire people is my biggest joy.”
How did you find out about SellaBand and what made you join our program?
“My friend emailed me the link. I checked it out, I thought the concept was brilliant, and I joined. After a couple of days, some artists and Believers welcomed me, and I got a sense of what a great music community this is. Basically, I tried, I liked, I went for it!”
You've attracted hundreds of new Believers in a very short time. Which tactics did you use?
“Thanks for asking, I've been wanting to address this question since the last days of the competition, when there was some controversy and comments made. Regarding the comments, I apologize for removing 2 of them from my page, as I didn't realize this was offensive in the SAB community. Between some words implying false accusations and the last minute nerves, I didn't know how to react and I wanted to answer from a good place. Now that the seas are calmer, I can expand on it... My tactics are very simple: Working my butt off and having amazing teamwork. I've been an active musician for a long time and there's a lot of people who know me and love my music. Most of these people have seen me go through a lot while keeping my dream of music-making alive. They can appreciate how much this means to me. I really took the time to explain about this opportunity with every person I knew or met, and how it would impact my career. I made flyers, emailed fans and phoned friends and family. A lot of these friends have networks where they also shared it with their friends. I had the pleasure of having artists and Believers in SAB believe in me and that also gave me a lot of confidence. With the London competition in sight, the project also offered measurable results for possible Believers, and a huge incentive for me to share the enthusiasm in a big way. In the last couple of days I was literally glued to the phone and email, reminding people that the competition was coming to an end. It was exhausting, but I knew it would be worth it. I guess I really wanted it and the timing was perfect. People's response has been extremely generous and I was the first one to be very pleasantly surprised with the outcome.”
What are your ambitions?
“I'd love to keep creating and enjoying music and make a living at it. Expand my horizons, collaborate with talented artists, to be a beacon of light in the world. Enjoy my life. Take the opportunities as they come and peek in through the new doors that are opening...”
When do you plan to have reached the full 50k?
“I don’t know (!)...I’m very grateful to have reached 11k in about a month. I seriously didn't expect such a turnout in such a short time and I thank everyone who believed in my music. The stars must be aligned! I'm enjoying the ride and I'm gonna keep working on the 50K goal with all my might and a little/lotta help from my friends...”
What can we expect from you at London Calling?
“I will rock you in the gentlest possible way ;) Wink, wink, you know I really will.”
Are there any other SellaBand artists you particularly like?
“Besides the artists I mentioned in the last Tribune edition, I really like Lenaluiz, they have a Brazilian/Latin vibe to their songs, and their instrumentation is very pretty. I also like Autour de Sophie, their jazz is funky, relatable and very soulful. There is a lot of talent on SellaBand and I could really go on and get carried away, start giving out apples..., but I don't wanna get in trouble with Adam...!”
Why should people Believe in Lucia Iman?
“My music is an expression of who I am. If you are touched, moved and inspired by listening to my music, please believe in me! (or at least send me some luv-mail) Cheers!”
Adam’s Apples
Whilst I have yet to plough through all the Italian new arrivals this week, it might be a good opportunity to revisit some of the artists previously mentioned in this column and see just how they’ve been doing here on SellaBand.
Name: Mellow Yellow.
Artistry: 18 year old girl rockers.
Where: The Netherlands.
They sound like: poppy & soulful, rocky & funky.
The songs: then - “Not A Toy” is a killer. now - “Every Day” decent but short.
What they’re doing: GirlsSuperTrio Tour.
Adam said then: “I like – a lot!”
Adam says now: “Need to be much more active to make progress”.
Member since: February 18 2007.
Parts sold: $160.
Rating: 3.5 apples.
Name: Kimo Watanabe
Artistry: Singer/songwriter.
Where: Hawaii.
He sounds like: Laid back, acoustic, gorgeous.
The songs: then - “Morning On Haleakala Highway” a gem. now - “Be With You” is beautiful.
What he’s doing: In the studio recording new tracks.
Adam said then: “Beguiling songs that make you feel good”.
Adam says now: “Just keeps getting better and better”.
Member since: February 22 2007.
Parts sold: $400.
Rating: 4 apples.
Name: BulletProof Messenger.
Artistry: Rock.
Where: USA.
They sound like: Strong and confident with a modern edge.
The songs: then - “Best Of Me” is their calling card. now - No new songs.
What they’re doing: Coming to London in June.
Adam said then: “Well written songs, great vocals, excellent chops”.
Adam says now: “A perfect example of how to be successful on Sellaband”.
Member since: March 21 2007.
Parts sold: $14,780.
Rating: 4.5 apples.
Name: Cristiana.
Artistry: Singer.
Where: Portugal.
She sounds like: A genuine pop diva superstar.
The songs: then - “Never Shoulda” is a hit. now: - “Volta Amor P’ra mim” OK.
What she’s doing: Recording an album and preparing a tour.
Adam said then: “Voice resounds with star quality”.
Adam says now: “She still sounds great”.
Member since: February 8 2007
Parts sold: $660.
Rating: 4 apples.
Name: Lapser
Artistry: Rock.
Where: New Zealand.
They sounds like: High quality rock with passion.
The songs: then - “All A Dream” full of hooks. now - no new songs.
What they’re doing: new demos and a video for “All A Dream”.
Adam said then: “A band to be reckoned with”.
Adam says now: “They still are, but need to get working”.
Member since: February 28 2007.
Parts sold: $330.
Rating: 3.5 apples
Weekly Update
Chart Analysis
A hefty number of Parts has been invested in the week that lies behind and most of them went to Lovely Lily, who is not only #1 on the Weekly Chart but is also the new reigning Queen on the overall Artist Search. The bets are on: when will she reach 50k? And when will Mighty Maitreya get there? He also added close to $2500 to his total this week and is a #3 on the Weekly Charts. Kudos to Lucia Iman and her ever growing Army of Believers. Only one month on SellaBand and already over 10k, plus at #2 on this week’s Chart. SellaBand mainstays Mandyleigh (#4), Vegas Dragons (#8) and Francis Rodino (#9) are doing very well, thank you, but this is also a week that we welcome a number of debutants on the Weekly Chart. And they come from all over the globe, which is always a nice thing: Solid Tube (Austria), are this week’s highest new entry at #5, other newcomers include Sunsoma (UK, #10), Bim (UK, #16), the eloquently named Brad Sucks (Canada, #18) and Tony Young (UK, #19). Special mention of the week goes to Holland’s Marcel Luntungan who manages to keep his Top 10 position (#7) and is bringing in a healthy number of New Believers. Well done, Marcel…
Marcel Luntungan
Look into the future…
It's getting pretty exciting, just a couple of weeks more and the first albums of SellaBand artists will be finished. We expect the music of Cubworld and Nemesea to be ready for download and sale around mid June. This will be the start of a next, big step for SellaBand, the Artists and the Believers. We're currently working hard to get the download portal and shop ready in time, and are almost done. Many people own more than one Part in a SellaBand Recording Artist and are probably wondering what they're going to do with all the Limited Believer Editions they are about to receive. Well, you can always give a couple of them to family and friends, or you can put them in a safe and wait till they can be auctioned at Sotheby's or… (wait for it)… you can put them up for sale at SellaBand.
From the moment the first album has been manufactured, we will launch the brand new and shiny SellaBand shop. We'll not reveal the look and feel of the shop right now, but one of the options will be the sale of Limited Believer Editions. It works pretty easy. On your profile page you can indicate the number of Believer Editions you want to receive and how many you want to put on sale. The consumer price for the Believer Editions will be $15,-. Of this amount $11,- goes to you and $1 goes to the account of the Artist, $2,50 is for V.A.T., and the last 50 cents are for commission. This commission is paid to the one who makes the sale, this can either be a Believer or the Artist, we'll explain more about this and the features of the shop in one of the next Tribunes.
SellaBand Presents... Part2
Last Friday, a copy of the final master of 'SellaBand Presents... Part2' finally arrived at our office. The 10 tracks of the artists that have been selected by you, the Believers of SellaBand, have all been mastered at Sony Music Studios in New York, by mastering wizard Mark Santangelo. The artwork is now also finished, so all elements have been shipped to the factory and we hope to have the finished product for sale in the next couple of weeks. We know this CD had taken quite some time to be manufactured, but the honest truth is that a couple of artists were very late in sending in the files. So, it was either a matter of showing some love and patience or kicking them off the album. We guess the delay shows you which decision we took on this matter and hope you will agree with us...
Flabber M: And the winner is...
Onto the already notorious FlabberM Poll. We've asked the hosts of this Dutch music community to investigate and re-calculate all the votes (you see, voting gives no guarantee of Fair Play either...) and here's the final result of the first FlabberM Poll:
1. Lily
2. GD Allen
3. SoWhat
4. Radio Orange
5. T-Ka
In this competition there were also some reports of potential wrongdoings but after thorough investigation FlabberM have assured us they have found no irregularities and that this is the real and final result. We like to point out that the comments and content on FlabberM are solely their responsibility and not in the hands of SellaBand.
Lily will be rewarded with 25 Parts on behalf of Flabber M, as well as a main feature on the website and airplay on leading Dutch alternative music station Kink FM. Shortly we will announce another round of the Flabber M Poll, as this is something we think is useful and fun, and we will let you know about the selection criteria in due time.
The Week That Was...
From now on we'll try to do a bit of catching up at the end of the week. We don't pretend to see, hear and feel everything that's been going on in SellaLand, but we'll do our best and will give you an account of what we felt made up The Week That Was... It all began with the final countdown for London Calling and Maitreya's unexpected last minute victory. Allegations and accusations flew back and forth but after much debate the point that stuck out was that people are going to get to see three talented and hard working artists at Gibson Guitar Center, from three different genres. Maitreya choose Mandy Kongaika as his Believer of Choice for London Calling, leaving SellaBand Recording Artist Cubworld, aka Jacob Kongaika with no other option than to do some serious babysitting around June 5. Meanwhile Australian chanteuse Mandyleigh nestled herself in the Top 3 of the overall Artist Search and both Lovely Lily and Maitreya rose to over $30,000 in budget. On Saturday, Italy's leading news paper La Repubblica published a major online feature, claiming that SellaBand mania has already begun. Literally hundreds of bands and artists signed up, causing some serious work for Rome's finest sons Black Jack, as they decided to welcome each and every new arrival in their mother tongue. The week ended with a little uproar and scandal, as some people noticed some advertising on SellaBand that seemed to refer to pornographic content. Apologies for this, we just assumed Suicide Girls was some cool indie UK-act, but turns out they're selling other things than music, so we'll correct it asap...
The Other Side Of… KIRT
He’s been with us since day one and was soon nicknamed ‘The King Of Cool’. We know he travels between Argentina and Germany and records his music in a bunker. But what makes him tick? In The Other Side Of… Kirt reveals some of his personal secrets..
What is your full name?
“I’d rather not say, but Kurt is my middle name. That is where Kirt came from.”
Date & place of birth?
“18th March, Frankfurt, Germany.”
Where do you live?
“I live in Frankfurt, but I will move to Argentina for a couple of months soon.”
Do you have a job?
“Music is my job. I make my money with film music, recording artists, renting out equipment and any odd job I can get.”
What are your hobbies?
“I like snowboarding, although I have not found time for it in the last couple of years and I have just started to wakeboard. At the moment I look like a monkey who is being dragged behind a boat, but I hope to improve that soon!”
Favorite food?
“Argentinian steaks, sushi, pasta, Indian and I love the typical German Christmas goose with dumplings. Mmmmh!”
Holiday destination?
“I have travelled a lot to Ibiza in the Summers. It used to be the parties that attracted me, but now it is the other side of the island: the tranquility and peacefulness! I guess that is a sign that I am getting old!!”
All time favorite artist?
“When I was twelve, I was a huge Michael Jackson fan. It’s probably his fault that I started to make music myself. I then moved on to thrash metal: I was a big Metallica fan in the early 90’s until I discovered the music of Bjork. I love her experimentation and versatility. She has been a great influence.”
All time favorite book?
“I have not encountered a book that has changed my life yet, but ‘The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy’ by Douglas Adams comes quite close. There is actually a lot about the wholeness and connectedness of the universe in there.”
All time favorite movie?
“There are many, but a film that has affected me a lot in my youth is ‘Time Bandits’: A very odd Disney production.”
Best friend?
“I am lucky enough to count several people as my best friends. Janosch and Simeon are two of them.”
Love of your life?
“Making and enjoying music, my family and my lovely girlfriend.”
Do you have anything to declare?
“I wish the people of the world would concentrate more on their own well being and own personal development and not be tempted to follow the ideas of other individuals and institutions. This includes political ideas, religious institutions’ agendas, lifestyle magazines, and codexes of honor, These can all be forms of dictatorship and tend to undermine the individual’s true identity. This world would be a more peaceful place, if more people would spend more time getting to know themselves. Amen. :-)”