Once, twice... three times a Lady!
Album details revealed!
This week we can exclusively reveal tracklisting and artwork from some of our upcoming albums. Anticipation is high, not only because these albums have all been some time in the making, but also because the word is aready spreading that these three ladies have recorded some exceptionally good music. These dames are not in competition, they all have their own style, sound and approach, but they have one thing in common: to strive for perfection...
Clémence is very excited to inform you that her album will be entitled "Bewitching". It was recorded and mixed in London and Paris, and produced by none other than Haydn Bendall. He was the chief engineer at Abbey Road Studios for many years and led a team made up of the cream of London's studio musicians to record the following 7 tracks with Clémence:
Où Es Tu
Narciso
La Vie
Who Will Know
So Young
Reverie
Bewitching
The Limited Edition will include two exclusive videos that are available anywhere for the first time: "On a Tous Besoin d'Amour", a duet with legendary French icon Johnny Halliday and "Concerto Pour Deux Voix", a duet with famous French actor Jean-Baptiste Maunier
Exciting fact: Having worked with the greats of this world, such as Kate Bush and Pet Shop Boys, one would expect that Mr. Bendall is used to working with pure talent, but when he played the final master of "Bewitching" for the first time he had tears in his eyes. Yes folks, he think it's turned out that good!
Mandyleigh Storm proudly presents the first details of her SellaBand album "Fire & Snow". It was produced by Mick Glossop, who previously worked with Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker and The Waterboys, to name but a few and recorded with a band of musicians that includes Johnny Scott, who is Van Morrison's right hand man. The amazing result can be heard on the following tracks:
Deep Sea Green
Winters Day
Alive
Go With It
Which Way?
Sunny New Day
Keep The Silence
Cry Hard
Let It Go
Grey
The Limited edition album will feature an Interview Video, as well 7 extra tracks, including demo's. live-recording and two exclusive tracks.
Exciting fact: Mandyleigh Storm has made many friends, while recording her SellaBand album in London, last Fall. All the members of the band who recorded this album with her have expressed interest in working with her again, be it live or in the studio. Yes, 'the voice' from Perth Australia has made a big impression in the UK already...
Lili Vasquez is still putting the final touches to the artwork of her SellaBand album, but she is happy to share the following information, nonetheless: The CD will be entitled "Passion de Mujer" and was recorded in New York with producers Charlie Contreras and Pablo Garcia, two men who have an incredible track record in the Latin music world. The album will contain the following songs:
No
Pasion de Mujer
Perdida
Puedo Sentir
No Se Que Hacer
Latino Reggae (feat. AliouneK)
Inseguridad
Te quiero
Baby Come Back
Dulce y Amargo
Volvamos a Empesar (duo with Angel Lopez)
What're you gonna do
The Limited Edition CD will have at least the following features: Pasion de Mujer Mix Version a ideo for Pasion de Mujer, as well as a Behind the scenes Video
Exciting fact: Lily has already begun promotion of her upcoming SellaBand album. She was interviewed by leading press agency Reuters last week and the resulting article was picked up by hundreds of newswires, blogs and papers. Here's a link to the original story.
Artist Adventures (1)
Julia Marcell is excited!
Julia Marcell is alive and well, and currently recording her album in Berlin. The release date that was mentioned in last week's tribune was a bit mature. Julia has yet to confirm a fixed date. But, she is excited nonetheless and wrote a little update for you all and, equally important, sent us some pictures to prove that it is all real...
A Break
Hello Believers!
I'm sitting in the bathroom of my apartment in Berlin, because the internet only works here. Actually, I couldn't imagine a better place for the computer addict, I only need a bar around. ;) We already finished the recording and now me and Moses (Schneider) started mixing the album. I can't tell enough how happy I am with the result - what we have done is not merely the picture I had in my mind for that record, it's already something more, something improved, taking the ideas and developing them further. This is now a collective effort and all the people who contributed to it made it so much better!
Lars, Julia and Moses
We changed only little bits of arrangements here and there and sometimes that meant a whole new life, a very different atmosphere for the song. But in technical sense, it's exactly what I have envisioned - it's live, it's raw, it's... well... very rock'n'roll! I can't wait till you hear it guys, but we still have lot's of stuff to do. The muses are with us, so keep the fingers crossed that we don't scare them away. :)
Yours,
Julia
By Julia Marcell
Office Powerplay
Alix: Outrance - Easier Every Time
Chris: Civilized Tears - Rescue
Pim: Civilized Tears - Blue Sunrise
Dagmar: Civilized Tears - Black Rain
Rey: The Arrangements - Mr Frasier
Dolly: Outrance - Wide Awake
Anna: Civilized Tears - Rescue
Boudewijn: Mellow Yellow - Every Day
Q + A
Private Nation
They have been with us for quite a while, but only recently found the spirit and energy to totally "go for 50K" as they put it themselves. 'They' are Private Nation, and bandleader Mike Nealis tells us all there is to know and more about his band...
Tell us something about Private Nation that is not in your bio...
"John Adam is the producer of a television series called The Ground Floor which is dedicated to up and coming artists (www.groundflooronline.com). Chris Phillips is a talented and sought after artist and painter. He is hired very often for his services to paint murals in big expensive houses. Jon Mickey is the driving force behind the bands live shows. He keeps things organized and running smoothly. Nothing too special about me, I am an animal lover. Together with my very beautiful and extremely intelligent wife that also has a charming personality , we have 4 cats and a dog."
How did you find out about SellaBand and what made you sign up?
"Jason from Insomnia Radio is the one who told me about SellaBand. Then I checked it out , ran it by the guys, and everyone was on board. I had actually wished for a concept like this to come to fruition for some time. There were many times people would say to us ,"I want to invest in your band" . We are musicians we would not know how to organize something like that , or handle splits and percentages. Sellaband gave us the chance to say ,"Here you go, now put your money where your mouth is".
After a speedy start on SellaBand, you had been absent for a while.Why was that?
"We were pretty active on Sellaband from March of last year til about September. We were then faced with a personal tragedy for one of our members. This was a time for us to step back from the music and devote our attention to the care and support our bandmate and friend. I think that this personal devotion to each other carries over and is reflected in our music. We knew that we would be back on Sellaband, scenarios just needed to play out so that we could give the Sellaband community the proper attention that it, and those that support and believe in us deserve."
Now that you're back, you've gained momentum again. What's your secret?
"Besides picking up new fans and Believers on SellaBand, we have fans, friends and family that have seen us thru the years and already believe in us. Through hard work and patience we have been able to communicate to them the Sellaband concept and to reassure them both of the validity of the program and of our committment to Sellaband. I think these early numbers tell the story and I think (and hope) that our effort is recognized by the community at large. In return as we cross different threshholds on Sellaband more and more of the Private Nation fanbase will come aboard."
What makes Private Nation different from your average American rockband?
"I'm not really sure what defines an "Average American Rockband"? I mean is Aerosmith the same as Nirvana or the Eagles the same Metallica, Motley Crue the same as REM? No! Aside from the commonality of being "American Bands" each of these super acts have achieved success not by creating or replicating an "American sound" but rather creating quality music with their own unique stamp on it that has been embraced globally. In this vein our goal to create a "Private Nation Sound" which incorporates the vast and various influences - global positioning being irrelevent - each of us brings to the table. And I think in this respect we have achieved a certain level of success and will continue to expand upon it."
What are your ambitions?
"To write and perform music we are proud of and make a decent days pay in the process. To love our families, and never compromise our values and beliefs."
It's a long way to the top. Any special tactics to raise 50k?
"I believe that the strength of our songwriting will carry us there. We are very dedicated to what we do. We have put tools in place behind the scenes to ensure that our believers will make money. We have people behind us that will get us to radio and soundtracks for motion picture and television. We are now managed by The Central Entertainment Group (Mike Christiana), an organization that will be able to secure major touring for us as well as put their publicity machine into action. We love the thought of coming to the attention of the public as a fan supported act rather than an act with a bunch of music industry suits and their corprate checkbooks behind us."
You have been accused of spamming the Forum boards. What's your defense?
"It's interesting, until I read this question I wasn't awarof the accusation. Since then rightly or worngly it's been a different story as I guess those who feel this way have been a bit more public about. First if the perception is that I or the band has engaged in "spamming the forum" then I am sorry that's not our intent - all we are doing is what most others do and that is put out information with the hope of attracting interest in our music. Afterall we are ON Sellaband and one of the fundemental keys to success is to let people know that we ARE here, but as importanatly that we ARE here to work and not play. First people have to decide if they like the music or at least recognize that it has value, then they have feel confident in our ability to deliver the goods. We value the support we have received and appreciate the hard earned cash being put into Private Nation, we just want t make sure that we are living up to our end if the deal. And part of that is keeping people informed of what's happening with Private Nation."
Why should people Believe in Private Nation?
"We are dedicated to what we do . We live for songwriting and performing. We all come from very hardworking backgrounds. We will go thru Sellaband once, and get it right the first time. We want our believers to make money on us not lose it. We take this very seriously. No compromises no excuses!"
Artist Adventures (2)
T-Ka's Ticket To Ride
St Pancras Station
While we are about to release the next batch of SellaBand albums, some other artist are about to finish their recording process. And some have yet to begin the whole process. Such as T-Ka, who was in London, last week to get a tast of where the action is...
By Adam Sieff
T-Ka arrived in London at the spectacular new St Pancras Eurostar station recently for two intensive days of meetings with potential producers for her SellaBand album. Accompanied from Paris by a two man documentary film crew, she was greeted by SellaBand's A&R guru Adam before being whisked off for lunch at The Masala Zone Indian restaurant.
Twelfth House
There followed an intensive afternoon of meetings and talking about music, taking tea at Notting Hill's Twelfth House before heading over to Soho hangout Kettner's for yet more talking, and later on to dinner with friends at Busaba Eathai.
Adam, T-Ka and Alix
The following morning T-Ka and Adam were joined by Alix from SellaBand HQ, and after a quick Starbucks triple shot they were off for a full day of meetings with producers with time off for felafel at Maoz. They also dropped in on top studios The Strongroom and Dean Street where Mandyleigh had recorded recently. Tony Platt was mixing at Dean Street and gave T-Ka the guided tour of this historic studio where David Bowie and T-Rex frequently recorded.
Dean Street Studios
Weekly Update
Chart Analysis
There is nothing that is going to stop Thomas Boissy from racing to 50K; he is at #1 on the Weekly Chart once more. Usual suspects Confused5 and Mysti Mayhem add healthy sums to their total and are at #3 and #4 respectively. Their reign is somewhat interrupted by Trail, who bounce back at #2 as this week's Highest New Entry. SoWhat are the week's Biggest Gainers (13 - 5), but two Australian ladies make big jumps as well: Tiffany Gow (17 - 9) and Lori Greco (14 - 8, first ever mention on the Weekly Charts, so we have been told...). We welcome first timers Natalia Safran (USA, #10) and Grant Stevens (Germany, #15) and the special mention of the week is for our Dutch duo CAYA, where new recruit Sheila has been blending in nicely with the SellaBand (in)crowd and it lands them at #19 this week, still as enthusiastic as when they first joined us, over a year ago...
The Week That Was
It was a week full of milestones, great and small. First of all, we rounded the $1,500,000 mark in Parts bought on SellaBand. Hurray, well done everyone! Or, to put it differently, an official from BPI (British Phonographic Industry) told us over dinner at Midem this week: "When you guys launched we all thought: forget it, there is no money in unsigned music. You have proven us wrong, fantastic!" Other milestones included the start of the final countdown for monsieur Thomas Boissy (over 40K), the crucial next step for Mysti Mayhem (over 35K), the Amazon-boost for Trail (over 30K) and SoWhat celebrating their first year on SellaBand with a nice round number: 15K. Also this week, we received the full artwork, credits and mastered tape from Clémence, which is perhaps even more than a milestone. And, lest we forget, there was some more history in the making this week, as a group of artists and Believers staged the first ever SellaBand related event in the US of A, hosted by the inimitable Hogdaddee. Perfect timing, as Sella-Jam came at the same time that the first articles about our concept appeared in USA Today.
Making Moves at MIDEM
This weekend about 10,000 professionals from the Music Industry gathered in Cannes in the South of France for Midem and MidemNET, the world's largest music conference. SellaBand was invited as one of the official speakers on the MidemNET Forum and discuss the ever evolving position of the music fan, something we should know a little about, indeed... Midem is a crazy animal, still dominated by the traditional industry, but we had lots of fun anyway. And wrote down some notes and observations that we wanted to share with you...
By Johan V
MidemNet Forum
While Midem enjoys its 42nd edition, it was the MidemNET Forum, a recent addition to the concept of this music conference, that drew the biggest media attention (alongside the NRJ Awards which were taking place next door and attracted thousands of screaming Tokyo Hotel fans). Speakers included You Tube founder Chad Hurley, Vivendi (Universal) CEO Jean-Bernard Levy, Janus Friss of Joost and Professor Lawrence Lessig, CEO of Creative Commons, as well as yours truly. A wide array of subjects were discussed over a very busy 2 days, but the consensus amongs most panellists seemed to be that Music is still the King of Content. It's just how to make the most of it, where opinions really seemed to differ.
Chuck D in da house
SellaBand participated in a panel that also included Ali Partovi, CEO of Ilike.com and Brian Perez, President of Digital at Live Nation. We are biased, sure, but both SellaBand and former Public Enemy frontman and hiphop enfant terrible Chuck D got the best audience responses when speaking about fan's participation in the music process. We use the word fan for lack of a better word, so introducing the word Believer amongst a crowd of industry insiders felt quite good. After the panel discussion, Chuck D told us he definitely wanted to become involved with SellaBand, which he sees as the ultimate concept to combine an artist's DIY mentality with a professional organisation. Chuck's advice to all SellaBands: "Form a team. Surround yourself with professionals and raise the bar for yourself. Educate yourself and take your music serious as a profession." And this comes from a man who claimed 10 years ago that "with the arrival of the internet we are going to have a million artists and a million record labels." Now he says: "The concept of SellaBand confirms my prediction. I love what you guys are doing!"
Madame Le Ministre
From the crowdedness of the Palais des Festival to the pluche of the Carlton Hotel was a bit of a culture shock, but we went there with a good reason: a private audition with Madame Christine Albanel, France's Minister of Culture and Communication. The Minister visited Midem to address the state of the French Music Industry and had heard about SellaBand, so we were invited to inform her in person about who we are, what we do and why we think our model will add to the future of the music industry. And let's be honest, it was fun to tell her about the success of her residents Clémence, T-ka and current Chart Runner Thomas Boissy. How was our French, we hear you ask? Well, just good enough to understand that the Minister was seriously impressed with nôtre concept exceptionelle...
Meetings without end
Nobody really goes to Cannes for the music. There are showcases where upcoming bands can display their talent, but really, all industry professionnels come to Midem to walk away with number of good deals. It's all about 30 minute power-meetings. Just for the sake of it, we counted them and in one weekend, SellaBand conducted over 30 of these meetings. These conversations ranged from catching up with a French SellaBand copycat, via an invitation to start up a mirror-site in Arabic, to discussing the countless opportunities the mobile phone industry has to offer to 'make money with our content'. It's fun to be 'wanted', but also quite difficult to see the wood from the trees. A number of intriductions sounded very promising, so we'll see what happens.
Cash at the Carlton
For what it's worth... We were invited to attend a fancy dinner at the Carlton Hotel, which is the place to be for the rich & famous at Midem. We are neither rich or famous, but sipped some nice champagne and enjoyed the madness. Because that's what it is, madness. And this is when it dawned to us: The million dollar deals, the fancy dinners, the sound of champagne bottles uncorking, the Armani suits and their trophy wives in tow, and even the security guerillas in front of the hotel, they were all there because of one thing; musical talent. None of this would be happening or taking place if it wasn't for somebody somewhere getting the idea for a song in his or her head and the beginning of a new song. Somewhere at the beginning of that whole foodchain, where talent and creativity go hand in hand is where we feel we belong. Music is the content king, yeah right, but the heart of the matter, the aspiring musician looking for that first break, that first sign of recognition is what was sorely missing at this corporate conference. That's why it felt good to fly back home again and continue doing what we do. Logged on to SellaBand and saw that Wetwerks just passed the $19K mark at last, how cool is that....;-)
Live in London!
A few weeks back we already wrote about the two upcoming SellaGig events being organized by Sheet Metal (SellaGig UK) and Dave Patrick (SellaGig Sunday) respectively. Well, the events are happening this weekend, you will get the chance to see loads of SellaBand artists perform and meet lots of Believers as well, so if you are not already making plans to go there, what's keeping you???
SellaGig UK: Friday February 1st, Storm - London.
Performing:
Luckyhorse from Brighton, UK
Rebecka Haak from Sweden
Kaitee Page from UK
Sheet Metal from UK
Mua'Dib & the Awakening from Ireland
Tickets available securely online at www.sheetmetal.express.ts.com . Priced at a very reasonable £7 - that's just £1.40 per band, and including entrance to the club night afterwards!
SellaGig Sunday: Sunday, February 3rd, The Venue - London.
Julia Marcell from Poland
Kaitee Page from UK
Rox Clayton Scott from UK
Rebecka Haak from Sweden
Cris Tanzi from UK
Clem from UK
Tickets: £6 available from TicketWeb www.ticketweb.co.uk
Timings: 7pm - 11pm (Bar open until midnight).
Don't miss this one. Spread the word...