Believers Stories: How was your first year?
Is it really almost one year ago that www.sellaband.com went live? Yes it is. And is it really almost one year ago that the first Believers from all over the world signed up and started to spend money? Yes it is. Time flies when you’re having fun, indeed. We approached a number of Believers who joined in August 2006 and asked them: How was your first SellaBand year? Seven have responded promptly with their answers. Two characteristics: only male Believers responded and the Dutch early Believers (still our biggest contingency), all seemed to be on vacation when we approached them...
Gianluca Carbone
Country: Italy
Believer since: August 15
What was you personal highlight of the past 12 months?
Take some good photos at the Within Temptation concert in Milan.
What was your best SellaBand moment of our first year?
When Nemesea was reach 50K goal! I was really happy for the band.
What has been SAB's biggest achievement so far?
For now to have seven band at 50k and I think that the SAB's concept itself is the biggest achievement!
How many bands will raise the 50K in our second year?
I think about seven but I hope more.
What is the one thing, if any, you want us to change asap?
At the moment nothing.
Bimsenkleider
Country: Denmark
Believer since: August 29
What was you personal highlight of the past 12 months?
I proposed to my future wife in October '06 and am now looking forward to a great wedding with a lot of friends and family in September.
What was your best SellaBand moment of our first year?
When I bought the last Nemesea part - it was a great pleasure pushing the first artist to the recording studio...
What has been SAB's biggest achievement so far?
I think that SellaBand has been a revelation - creating a new "meeting place" for musicians, fans and investors. I think you have made great advances on the SellaBand-site in a short and busy period - impressive work!
How many bands will raise the 50K in our second year?
I think that SellaBand will see a small increase in the number of 50K artists, so my best guess is 10.
What is the one thing, if any, you want us to change asap?
Add a lot of candles, fireworks and cheery music on the SellaBand-site on your birthday....
Arnis
Country: LatviaBeliever since: August 24
What was you personal highlight of the past 12 months?
Well if I told the SellaBand universe this, it wouldn’t be personal anymore! At my advanced age the usual highlights of getting married, having kids, getting promoted, climbing mountains etc become rarer. So I guess this last year it’s a “toss up” between becoming the first serial killer in “Second Life” or the surprising sensations after a so called chum surreptitiously dissolved a viagra in a late night espresso !! Enviagrarating!!!
What was your best SellaBand moment of our first year?
Oh, this is a difficult one !! There have been so many. How to choose? Could it have been the charged, excited atmosphere of the SellaBand New Year Party and receiving my Heineken-SellaBand guitar ? Or maybe that choked up, “proud to have a part” feeling while listening to the premiere of Jake and Nemesea on their CD release webcast? Maybe receiving my first CD in the post from T-ka? Or maybe something more intimate, like learning Jake’s lovely wife Mandy could speak “Helium” in London? Or was it simply getting absolutely ratarsed with the incorrigible Benjamin of Mua’dib and enjoying his dulcet tones as he sensitively serenaded one of Latvia’s leading mafiosos “a capella”? These and many more moments make it very difficult to choose.
What has been SellaBand's biggest achievement so far?
There have been many milestones over the last year, whether it be the first 50K, the events, the milestones with parts sold (soon to be a million bucks worth!) etc. etc. but for me the biggest achievement has been one without a date without a culmination and that is the culture and atmosphere that the SellaBand team has provided to generate such a unique and positive community with a common passion.
How many bands will raise the 50K in our second year?
I am not really into this forecasting thing and am by nature cautious and pessimistic so I will say 10 and a half. The half being Alexandra the Munchkin after Jakey writes a song for her!!
What is the one thing, if any, you want us to change asap?
I thought about this long and hard and quite seriously couldn’t come up with anything although a bottle of Heineken with every part bought would be very nice !!
Martin Nicholas
Country: United Kingdom
Believer since: August 22
What was you personal highlight of the past 12 months?
Easy one: to answer meeting Tiffany Gow in Australia!
What was your best SellaBand moment of our first year?
Oh man that has to be the London Calling gig ! meeting Brian(Vegas Dragons)Taylor ,Mysti Mayhem, Bim, Second Person, Sheet Metal, Sunsoma, Trail and so many more artists and Believers on top of quality performances from all featured artists!
What has been SellaBand's biggest achievement so far?
Well I think having 2 artists with the finished product out there, and 5 artists recording is a pretty big achievement for only 12 months.
How many bands will raise the 50K in our second year?
The sky's the limit, I expect to see Tiffany Gow, Vegas Dragons, Mysti Mayhem, Light and many many more reach that 50K, I think double of the first year at least.
What is the one thing, if any, you want us to change asap?
As long as SellaBand keep listening to the Artists and Believers, and continue to evolve the way they are now I will be very content. Long live SellaBand!
Utterly B. Groovy
Country: United Kingdom
Believer since: August 22, 2006
What was you personal highlight of the past 12 months?
A difficult question, but I think for me it was having Jake playing a few songs in my living room late into the night. Man that guy can sing!
What was your best SellaBand moment of our first year?
I love gigs, so Paradiso was special as it was the first gig, and it was so great to meet people from all over, and hear the music. But topping that was the London Showcase which, for me, spanned 4 days, what with having the Kongaika's staying, delivering them up to London and going out with everyone the Monday night, then the gig on Tuesday, and Francis Rodino on the Wednesday. Simply a magical time, and it was a couple of weeks before I recovered from the inevitable "low" when it all ended. As I mentioned to someone or other, London seemed really empty without SellaBand!
What has been SellaBand's biggest achievement so far?
Difficult to get over Pim having the concept in the first place, but I guess, technically, that was before the first year So in the first year ... for me it has to be the community that has arisen around the music. Never ceases to amaze me how so many different people can interact, and be so enthusiastic, even if they don't always agree! Long may it continue.
How many bands will raise the 50K in our second year?
OK, 7 in the first year was really good going. If SellaBand catches on with the public at large, the sky's the limit! I will be very conservative in my estimate, however, and suggest 10 to 15. Maybe 20 as it continues to pick up new Believers through the year?
What is the one thing, if any, you want us to change asap?
As I've said before, what SellaBand needs now, more than anything else, is more Believers, and now we are starting to see the SellaBand Albums appearing there is something concrete for SellaBand to market to the world. This isn't something I want you to change as such, as the albums have only just started to become available, but it would seem the next logical step.
Janosch
Country: Germany
Believer since: August 16, 2006
What was your personal highlight of the past 12 months?
Leaving my job! I am very much inspired by people who have the courage and guts to follow their dreams. That's what one of my best friend's from high school did to create SellaBand! He left his boring mainstream job that actually paid him well to make his dream come true - and look what he has created! I will now do the same. Thank you Pim for inspiring me!
What was your best SellaBand moment?
London Calling was an awesome event...meeting all kinds of artists, watching their energetic shows, talking to Believers from all over the world and having a blast with all and the SellaBand team. And I learned a lesson: "Starbucks do shit coffee"!
What has been Sellaband's biggest achievement...?
SellaBand is proving that there is a way to tackle the fierce entry barriers of the music industry, to give a chance to "all" of the talent out there. I would say that the revolution has just begun.
How many bands will raise the 50k...?
At least 10 (Kirt will certainly be one of them) and even more once one the produced artists will land an international big hit. That would prove to the world that the revolutionary business model works.
What is the one thing...?
Nothing! I think SellaBand is making a great effort updating and changing the platform on a continuous basis. It takes time to build a perfect business and SellaBand is doing an incredible job already. Congratulations to the SellaBand team!
SellaBration ’07: Bring Your CDs!
In the weeks (days!) leading up to August 16, we will continue to inform you about the latest developments. Our one year anniversary bash promises to be one big event. Here’s a little update:
Big stunt
The Paradiso is situated close to the Leidseplein, one of Amsterdam’s popular, touristic squares. Together with our friends at Heineken we hope to pull off a big stunt to draw as much attention as we possibly can to the fact that the Paradiso will be taken over by SellaBand on the night of the 16th. Doors will be open at 7PM, but it would be great if as many Believers as possible could gather on the Leidseplein around 6PM, as something unexpected will be happening. What it is, we will tell you next week, just put August 16, 6PM Leidseplein in your diary. We will be there for sure…
Signing sessions
Nemesea, Cubworld and Second Person have all agreed to take part in signing sessions on the night of SellaBration ’07. This means that we will find a space at Paradiso where the artists will sit down to put their signatures (or whatever else you want them to draw) on your Limited Edition CD’s, or artist-related products. Timings and exact location will be announced in next week’s Tribune.
Paradiso. The place where all the magic will happen
Volunteers
Per the forum, our production manager Annette asked for people to volunteer for the merchandise booth and the wi-fi zone where our laptops need some looking after. Enough people have responded, so the CD stand will be manned by enough staff and in the wi-fi zone you can take your friends to either introduce them to SellaBand, make they buy Parts, or both…
Photography
People have asked us about our policy with regards to bringing cameras and taking pictures. As with London Calling and the New Year’s Party, the official policy is: have fun, knock yourselves out. No restrictions, no rules, this is your party…
Pre-SellaBration
For those of you who will be in town already on the Wednesday, Radius have set up a kind of ‘pre-SellaBration’ gig. The Dutch band have booked the stage at the Winston, a very cool watering hole close to the Red Light District, where they will be performing on Wednesday August 15. Also playing with them will be Snelle Fellas and Marcel Luntungan. For tickets, timings, etc, click here.
Q + A
SNELLE FELLAS
When SellaBand went live on August 15 2006, we had less than a dozen artists signed up. By the end of day one that number had grown to about 40 artists, mainly from the Netherlands. Among them were Snelle Jongens, who have been very active since day one. This month, where we celebrate one year SellaBand we thought it was more than appropriate to feature these persistent chaps in the Tribune. They have even changed their name to Snelle Fellas…
Snelle Fellas, why the name change?
“Somehow we have the feeling this new name will suit us better than 'SNELLE JONGENS' did. Besides that, we have consulted the wise Logical One about the new name, and she has foreseen great fortune. Don't get us wrong, the old name has gotten us far, but we wish to go further and faster.”
Will you start singing in English soon, too?
“Actually, we already do. Way back, some of us were in a band, writing English songs. After that band fell apart, singer Nolio never stopped writing English songs. Because Nolio and his pal Lexter (bass) don't like musical restrictions and like to explore all kinds of music, they thought it would be fun to start a project in Dutch, called SNELLE JONGENS. Soon that project started to have a little success, more than the other projects, so drummer P. Vunk and guitarist Stok were added to the project to be able to perform live. Still, the band doesn't like musical restrictions, so why restrict ourselves to Dutch only? SNELLE JONGENS was renamed to Snelle Fellas. Sorry, Walter NL ;-)”
Do you remember what made you sign up to SAB in the first place?
“We don't remember how we bumped into to SellaBand, but when we fortunately found the site, we registered, then read the terms, and here we still are.”
How would you describe that first year on SellaBand?
“It has been a great year! We have met so many great people through SellaBand! Well, met... most of them virtually, that is. We got inspired by SellaBand and we got opportunities through SellaBand. We're not die-hards in keeping in touch with everyone all the time, we just don't have time for that. But we're not absent either. We're very inspired by and grateful for all the attention from others.”
Realistically, when do you expect to reach the 50k?
“Hard to tell. For us it's more a question of when to reach the 30k, the other 20k will follow quickly for sure. Until now, we have just presented Dutch songs. We also try to stay away from making mainstream music. We just don't find that very interesting. Considering that, we have done greatly so far. But now, with the name change and English songs in the making... who knows what will happen? Can we answer this question again in one year from now?”
What are your ambitions?
“Our main ambitions are to keep writing and recording great (demo) songs until 50K reached, and then produce a great, adventurous and not so mainstream album for our Believers, ourselves and the rest of the world. And we will embrace the opportunities that come with it, along the road to 50K, like gigs, radio performances and hot chicks. We just looove hot 'n spicy chicken ;-)
If push came to shove, who would be your favorite SellaBand?
“There are many great artists on SellaBand, so many. Some we like, some we don't. Has to do with our musical taste most of the time, 'cause there's plenty of quality. We have special warm feelings for Delco, Simeon, Jesse David, Radius, Cubworld and Nearfield. There's one artist of whom we all four like the music, and that's Delco. But asking us to mention one favorite artist is just cruel!”
Why should people Believe in Snelle Fellas?
“Doesn't matter on what ground they believe in us, as long as they hit that red button on our page!! Come on, you, Tribune reader! Do it now, before you forget about us! We believe in us anyway, and we're gonna grab you sooner or later. And don't forget: English songs in the making. We hope people enjoy our music, Believer or not.”
Can we welcome you at SellaBration '07?
“Yes, please! See you there!”
Impressive Press…
By now we are quite used to positive media stories that appear online and in newspapers around the world, but the (small) piece that appeared this Sunday in Holland’s leading daily De Telegraaf was so special that we decided to give in to our vanity and share it with you all. In the music section, De Telegraaf reports about the release of the Nemesea and Cubworld albums, and the story basically reads like and advert. Here it is:
“With the release of the albums of American singer/songwriter Cubworld and Dutch prog metal band Nemesea, it is now a fact: SellaBand is a success. This Dutch company offers new artists the possibility to put their music online in order for Believers (shareholders) to invest $50,000 in them, so they can record an album. One year after its launch, Nemesea and Cubworld are the first artists who have done so. Listening to ‘In Control’ you can only smile at the thought that Within Tempation, who make the same kind of music as Nemesea, spend so much money making their records. Because ‘In Control’ sounds just as majestic and bombastic. Cubworld’s style of music is a completely different thing, but his debut album also sounds like he could have made it in the traditional way. But he didn’t and record companies are watching in awe and are standing idly by, until they will also come to the conclusion that SellaBand can have a revolutionary impact on the music industry. Especially when you think that almost other 5,000 bands are also looking for investors on SellaBand. Power to the people!”
WEEKLY UPDATE
Chart Analysis
It is getting a bit boring (but you won’t hear us complain, we made that mistake once with BPM, remember…) but once again, Julia Marcell is #1 on the Weekly Chart. Fifth straight week. At this pace she’ll only need another five weeks or so to complete her budget; Poland here we come… Austria is on the map as well, as SolidTube jump to #2 on the Weekly Chart and seem to have great momentum. Fellow Austrians Confused5 are also still doing rather well, at #11 this week. This week’s Highest New Entry is Daniel Ward-Murphy at #8, good to see him in great shape with his SellaBration performance just around the corner. Portugal’s Nearfield are the Biggest Gainers, as they jump from 17-9. We welcome Lone Pine from the UK, as they make their first ever chart-debut at #17 and we conclude with the Special Mention of the Week: Mysti Mayhem is back at #20. In recent weeks and months we have welcomed so many new, female artists on SellaBand, it’s just great to know that Mysti is still very much alive and kicking and being creative on our little platform…
SellaBand Music For Sale
As promised both in the Tribune and on the Forum, we will try to keep you updated on all kinds of aspects that are noteworthy and relevant to 'being in business together'. While we are working on the physical distribution of the artist albums, we can announce the first online sale partner for our CD's. In the next couple of weeks, Nemesea, Cubworld and Second Person discs will be available at CD Baby and their extended network of partners. For reference: www.cdbaby.com
SellaBand music is already available as downloads at www.amiestreet.com.
Other places where SellaBand downloads will be for sale (amongst others):
Apple iTunes
Audiolunchbox
Emusic
Hearmusic
Burnlounge
MSN Music
MusicNet
Napster
RHapsody
Snocap
Sony Connect.
More updates to follow shortly
The Week That Was
Don’t underestimate the power of the SellaBand Tribune; we write about our friends at Amiestreet and a few days later Amazon buys a stake in them… Meanwhile, on SellaBand we had an excellent week. Now excitingly close to 100,000 Parts sold, we divided our time between shifting through job applications, taking meetings with potential sponsors, spotting new office spaces and preparing SellaBration ’07. Julia Marcell’s stellar rise continues, the Polish Popstress is on her way to 50% in budget. In her tow, a number of artists (and their Believers!) are battling it our for a much coveted spot on Page 1 of our Artist Search. Austria’s SolidTube started the friendly fight, and Believers in Nearfield, Daniel-Ward Murphy and Francis Rodino responded with $-power. Which leads to a remarkable moment on SellaBand: The Fakes are about to (or have just been, when this Tribune goes live) be ousted from Page 1. This is exactly 10 months after their grand entrance on SellaBand, when they were the biggest climbers in October ’06. Just as what seemed as a positive week on SellaBand came to an end, a rather ‘big’ Believer in Lucia Iman decided to withdraw his hefty investment in her, bringing her under $20,000 in budget again. We’re sure she will bounce back and will get the chance to record her SellaBand album in due time…
$1,000,000
Yes, we are almost at $1,000,000. Almost… But it is likely to happen today or tomorrow and then 100,000 Parts will have been invested in unsigned artists on SellaBand. So, in next week’s Tribune (how appropriate because that will be the week of our first birthday!) we can hopefully announce who has bought this one special Part and took the total number of investments on SellaBand to 1 million US Dollars. And indeed the special prize that comes with this Part looks to be quite spectacular and will hopefully come as a nice surprise for the lucky winner…
Advertisers on summer break
Sometimes advertisers are almost like normal people; they take it easy during the Summer. Very nice for them, but not for TV stations, newspapers, magazines, radio stations and websites like SellaBand, because they earn less money on advertisements. So, although our site traffic increased, the ad revenue per Part is lower in July compared to June. That’s why Believers in Nemesea and Cubworld have seen an increase in earnings, but not as much as June.
Job applications
Thank you very much to all of you who have reacted to last week’s ‘SellaBand is hiring’ article. We have received many e-mails full of enthusiasm and impressive resumes and are currently in the process of reviewing them all. Especially the position of Tribune Editor has generated a lot of feedback , and you will be hearing back from us soon. And by the way, it looks like we will be moving into a new and (much) bigger office pretty soon, indeed. Watch this space for updates.
Second Person: out on August 9!
Over here at SellaBand HQ we’ve just watched the video for ‘Wood’, one of the songs on ‘The Elements’ and we were collectively blown away by the quality of this piece of art. And we can’t wait to share it with you all! In fact, only 2 more days to go and the Second Person Online Listening Party will take place on SellaBand.
On Thursday August 9, Marc Maclaine, Julia Johnson and Alvaro Lopez will sit behind a webcam and push the play button for both the video and the CD ‘The Elements’. You will be able to chat with them too (and let’s hope this time all goes according to plan!) and be there when the Second Person Store will open. The exclusive SP Believer Listening Session will start at 8PM CET, the Access For All session' will start at 8:45PM. And, as of 9:30 PM, ‘The Elements’ will be for sale, as will be the downloads (three for free, two for 50 cents each) and the video.
Speaking of which… The video for ‘Wood’ (we’re not lying when we say that MTV is already showing interest to start airing it!) will be free for all Second Person Believers (as will be the other 4 upcoming clips from ‘The Elements’) and will be for sale at $1 to the general public. The breakdown of the $1 is as follows:
$0,40: VAT, mechanicals, director’s royalties
$0,20: Second Person
$0,20: Second Person Believers
$0,20: SellaBand
There will be a $0,10 commission when the purchase is generated via a Second Person Believer page and this will be deducted from SellaBand’s percentage. Details of the other videos (which will be produced outside of the $50,000 budget) to be announced as soon as we get them from the band.
One final remark: If all goes according to plan, we will start shipping the physical CDs next week, but, just like with Nemesea and Cubworld, all Second Person Believers can download all songs for free via their own profile pages.
THE OTHER SIDE OF… JULIA JOHNSON (Second Person)
With the imminent release of ‘The Elements’, Second Person have some busy times ahead of them. In case you were wondering, what else is keeping them busy, we asked singer Julia Johnson to show ‘her other side…’
What is your full name?
“Julia Lois Johnson. My grandfather was half-Turkish, and his name was Osman Ali, but he changed his surname to the more English-sounding Johnson when he came to England. I'm also part French, part American, and the rest English.”
Date & place of birth?
“January the 9th, 1982, St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London.”
Where do you live?
“I live in West London, about five minutes away from the Portobello Road.”
Do you have a job?
“When I left University (where I studied Latin and Greek) I worked for a literary agent, but found it hard to combine working in an office with singing. I'm now a private tutor - I teach mainly languages, English and Maths, and my pupils are usually between the ages of eight and sixteen. Sometimes it's to help them pass a specific exam, and other times it's to work with them to build their confidence and get to grips with a particular subject. I adore all my students and find teaching a very rewarding job, as well as one that allows me to dedicate time and energy to Second Person.”
What are your hobbies?
“Reading (I have a dangerous habit of reading as I walk down the street), painting and drawing, cooking, Pilates, seeing my friends and family, making notes about things in one of a dozen or so project-specific notebooks.”
Favorite food?
“Anything absurdly healthy and full of vitamins. I could probably live on just fruit and vegetables for a few years. I think my favorite food ever is passion fruit.”
Holiday destination?
“Greece with family, Italy or Spain with my friends.”
All time favorite artist?
“Joni Mitchell in my view is absolutely peerless. I love her music. I listened to 'Blue' when I was seventeen and was amazed at the depth and versatility of the sound and how she can paint whole landscapes with just a voice, piano or guitar. The lyrics are effortlessly perfect, the melodies communicate emotions as easily as breathing. I'm heartbroken that she doesn't play live any more! I also love the work of Ani di Franco, another incredibly gifted singer-songwriter, and own (though don't really listen to, any longer) everything ever recorded by the Cure.”
All time favorite book?
“'The Robber Bride', by Margaret Atwood. I have many favorites but that's the one I pick up and read about once a year, because there's always something new to be learnt from it. Also 'The Go-Between' by L. P. Hartley, and 'East of Eden' by John Steinbeck.”
All time favorite movie?
“'All About Eve', for its impeccable script (every line is quotable), and Bette Davis's spirited portrayal of Margo Channing, a wonderful, neurotic, willful actress.”
Best friend?
“A girl needs many. Two most important ones are named Ludmilla and Laura.”
Love of your life?
“Yes.”
Do you have anything to declare?
“Nothing I haven't sung about.”
