Nemesea: $50,000 within reach
This is what we like to call history in the making; Dutch band Nemesea are less than $15,000 (30%) away from making their dream come true. In the early morning of Tuesday October 31, their total budget passed the magical two-third mark. In the last week alone, they have raised over $15,000 on SellaBand.
Introducing... And-Y The Rebel
There’s a pretty healthy number of rap/hiphop artists on SellaBand, but they have yet to conquer the Top 10. Somebody with the ambition and potential to climb the SellaBand-ladder is 18 year old And-Y the Rebel from Harlem, New York, who found out about SellaBand via his father, who was actually talking about the concept with a friend at work.
So And-Y, what attracted you to the concept?
”Everything really , it just seemed like the the most fare way to get a chance into the music industry, it’s the people who are buying the Parts and making you into a professional artist. you don’t have to go through the grime of the industry, this eliminates the middle man, basically if you are really a good artist you should be able to make a fanbase for yourself and prove it, and SellaBand gives you that chance.
How long have you been going as an artist?
”Six years now, I started rapping when I was 12, just by myself mostly never really let anyone know what i was doing, because I wasn’t too confident in what I could do, plus at the time I could only write and not freestyle and where I’m from there where always battles going on in harlem and in school it seemed like everyone rapped. So I basically just trained myself and now I’m most definitely a lyricist who can hold his own with ease wherever I go.”
What are your ambitions?
”I really want to make it big , I know I have what it takes and I see a lot of these so called Mc’s out there making all this money for what? And I’m not hating I cant knock somebodies’ hustle. But I’m trying to bring some more of the lyrics back to the game, but at the same time I make all kinds of music, whether it’s for the club or for when you driving down the highway with the windows open just relaxing. Aside form just making it big in the world though with the fame and money, I wanna really do something in this world that makes a difference whether it’s through music or by some other means.
Who would you like to work with, once you've raised the 50k?
”Wow thats a great question. Well my personal favorite rapper is Fabolous, so I’d love to get on a track with Fab. But this list goes as far as Eminem, Papoose, I really like Lady Sovereign I think she’s really great. Aside from HipHop though my favorite band is Counting Crows, I would not mind doing a cross over song with them or the Chilli Peppers. Or Panic at the Disco I think they make good music .I definitely wanna enter every aspect and get a taste for the different genres so once that moment comes it is going to be overwhelming.”
www.sellaband.com/and-y-the-rebel
We’re music-lovers too, you know...
The Believers profile page were activated last Friday, and among the first to put faces to their names, were the four guys that form The SellaBand Team. Why?, well for several reasons, actually, the most important one being that we are music lovers too, you know. In the past weeks we've seen our community grow and saw the number of bands signing up getting bigger and bigger. We felt a passionate desire to simply express how impressed we are by the sheer quality of a lot of the artists. So, we reckoned, if we play their music all the time in the office, why don't we actually start Believing in some of them ourselves. So we put up our own money (not the company credit cards!) and made our individual choices. Our choices are all based on our personal tastes and are definetely not a judgement on quality. Turns out we all love Cubworld, but hey, who doesn't;-)
The second reason is a very practical one. We felt a big desire to become part of the community we've created. We want people to be able to communicate with us. Let us know what you think, things that should be improved and where you like to see SellaBand go. That's why we've put names to our faces and started our own profiles. Please feel free to get in touch and post comments.
This is where you can find us:
Here’s a great example of one our Believers’ creativity on his profile page. Thank you T.Patrick...
Weekly update
SellaBand Presents...
This morning, Tuesday October 31, our Amsterdam office was the place to be. A special package containing the official master-copy of the SellaBand Presents... Part was delivered to our doorstep, and boy did we play this album LOUD! The artwork is also finished, the liner notes have been completed, so the whole package is ready to go to the factory. So, if all goes well we should be able to start shipping the CD in about two weeks or so.
New Music
One of the things we like about a lot of our artists is that they keep writing new material and are never afraid to share their new stuff with their Believers and other SellaBand-user. Here’s a short overview of artists who have uploaded new tracks in the past couple of days:
Daniel Ward-Murphy
Lenaluiz
Kane Sole
MaYorMyx
PayPal
A short word on a new payment-method here on SellaBand. A lot of people have asked for the option to use their Paypal account to buy Parts, so we’ve built a new, totally safe area, where you can now use Paypal and keep on Believin’. This payment-method will be in operation as of November 1, 6PM CET. Oh, and we don’t mind at all if you start tellin’ all your friends about SellaBand offering Paypal either...
Q + A Simeon
“I have plans for a private gig for my biggest Believer!”
The only Top 10 artist who does not sing in English, has still managed to attract an impressive number of Believers from different countries. Apparently Frankfurt-based Simeon speaks a universal language. No surprise then that this German rapper is of Swiss/Bulgarian descent.
Who is Simeon?
“I´m a half Swiss and half Bulgarian, living in Germany. Back in Highschool I was assigned to write a poem for homework. I then discovered my love for writing and rhyming. Also I had always been a fan of good rap music, so I transferred my poetry into songs and tried to make my own. I believe rap is such a great form of expression, because of the large amount of words you use in comparison to a regular song. Since the beginning I have been writing a lot and I have so much material I would love to work on. Hopefully I will be able to record a lot more in the future.”
Why did you join SellaBand?
“I had been showing my tracks to quite a lot of people and I received a lot of positive feedback but still nobody would give me a deal. It´s always the same and it´s frustrating. SellaBand is the perfect place to promote yourself as an artist because only the music itself stands in front. It´s not some marketing managers that decide, it gives the power back to the fans where it should be.
Apparently (most of) your songs are about your hometown Frankfurt. How does this city inspire you?
“Frankfurt is not really a huge city, still it has all the extremes that major cities have. It’s a cultural melting pot and being Germanys financial capitol there are many wealthy businessmen. On the other hand there is quite a lot of poverty and the crime rate is the highest in all of Germany. I don’t want to say it’s a ghetto, but with all these extremes and total opposites clashing together on such small ground it creates a certain tension. If you grow up here you automatically deal with both sides. For me it’s definitely a source of inspiration and I guess it has also been an influence to my rather dark lyrics.”
Aren't you afraid that language-barriers will prevent you to raise 50k on SellaBand?
“Of course. Even though I had a good start because I was on SellaBand from day one,I never thought I would stay in the top ten and even make it on the album. But it´s amazing. I have Believers from the States sending me emails about how much they like my songs without even understanding a single word of my lyrics! They say it sounds good to them and I feel really proud about that. Without SellaBand this would never have been possible!”
What's your connection with Kirt?
“Kirt is the producer of my tracks. All of the songs were recorded at his studio, but he’s not just my producer he’s actually been my first ‘Believer’, meaning that he never let me down and gave me the confidence I needed to pursue my goal of making music. He’s not just an outstanding musician, he’s also a great friend and he was the one who introduced me to the SellaBand concept.”
Who would you like to work with if you raise the $50.000?
“Of course it would make sense if it were somebody from Germany who understands what I’m trying to say. Olsen Involtini worked with Rammstein and I’m a great fan of Rammstein, so it would be great to work with him!”
Do you plan to do something special for your Believers?
“I have the idea of maybe giving a private gig to the Believer who buys the biggest number of Parts. Like an auction. It would have to be restricted to Germany, but I think it would be a nice way of showing my appreciation. I will keep my Believers informed about that.”
Any other artists you like on SellaBand?
”There is actually no need to mention the top ten because they have all been mentioned before and we all know that they’re good. Apart from them I like The Q4. I could listen to their beats all day and chill. I also like And-y the Rebel. He’s a young rapper from Harlem and I think he’s really talented. But there is so much more good stuff I just wish I had more time to listen to it all...”
Pick of the Week
This week’s critical choices come from the man who has been a big supporter of SellaBand since day 1. Having worked with past and present legends such as AC/DC, Bob Marley, Foreigner and we were more than honored that he wrote the liner notes for the upcoming SellaBand Presents... Part 1 CD. He is producer par excellence Tony Platt, and he has given us his SellaBand Pick’s of the Week.
I was very flattered to be asked to be the first 'Producer' to offer their Pick Of The week' on SellaBand and as a result I have approached the task very seriously! I wanted to check out as many of the artists as I could rather than only the most prominent ones but as there are so many I had to establish some short list criteria. The simplest one to apply was not bothering with the artists who hadn't taken time to post any information about themselves or had just posted a load of nonsense (you know who you are!). If this seems harsh, let me explain. One of the ideas that forms the basis of SellaBand for me is the reinforcement of the relationship between artist and listener and therefore it is important for the artists to enter into the spirit of this. Looking from a producer perspective, the ability of an artist to do this is part of the potential I am looking for and is almost as important as their music making ability.
So these are three artists who I think deserve a good listen and the support of more Believers
1. The Q4
Apparently a group of 'producers' what these guys are doing is 'constructed' but because they are doing it from such a creative perspective means it is real music not just cut and paste. The result is lyrics and melodies that are not just presented as soundbites but form into complete songs - and it's great to listen to! (I like STW too)
2. Sweet Suzi
not perhaps instantly original but they do sound fresh and enthusiastic and what's more they have great songs. This is modern rock music with soul not blow dried posing. I particularly like the fact that although you can hear who influences them, they are not just copying or ripping off but using those influences as a starting point for their own music.
3. Mesa Street Exit
I find this band very intriguing and the diversity of their material (look further to their 'other place') reminds me of other Irish bands I've worked with - must be something in the water! This is a band with plenty of places to go let's hope they choose the right ones.
It's raining Parts, hallelujah!
The past week was the best we've had so far on SellaBand. Over $25,000 in Parts were sold between Tuesday October 24 and October 31. Here's a quick round up of what happened in the week that lies behind us on SellaBand.
It all started with a spontaneous but friendly 'battle' between French Believer John B. Baloumba and Germany's plastic-willem. Both came to Nemesea's profile page on Tuesday night, aiming to do some business. Incidentally they both arrived there at the same time and then went head to head as they kept increasing their Parts. As a result Nemesea jumped over the magical half-way hurdle of 2,500 Parts, with other existing Believers increasing their Parts as well. New fans from all over the globe have joined us in the past seven days and there's no sign that this trend is going to stop anytime soon.
Remarkable rise
But other artists have benefited as well. US-artist Cubworld experienced his best week yet, and so did New Zealand's Kane Sole. Daniel Ward-Murphy, Kirt and Second Person also witnessed a hefty increase in budget and have now all passed the $3.000 mark. Outside the Top 10 saw a remarkable rise for newcomers T-Ka (France), Symeon Cosburn (UK) and Emily's Playground (France). And the sudden rise of The Super Dead proves that it may take a while, but that there is always the possibility to take off in a nice way. We have reason to Believe that it will not end here. With now over 500 Bands and over 10,000 Parts sold, SellaBand is ready for the next step. When will Nemesea be at 50k? Will Cubworld be able to maintain his Top 3 position in budget-ranking, and who will be the biggest contenders to enter the Top 10?
I’m a Believer
One of the things we love, here at SellaBand HQ is the fact that we attract Artists and Believers from all over the world. In our series of Believer-portraits we travel to the Baltics this time, from where Arnis Lejins is logging in to SellaBand on a daily basis.
Tell us a little bit about yourself…
“Born in Bradford, England nearly 48 years ago to wartime refugee Latvian parents. After a humdrum existence in management (textile industry), was seduced by the „Wild East” that emerged as the Soviet Union collapsed and decided to uproot to the Land of my ancestors in 1992. Since 1992 have managed to carve out a living from various low brow entrepreneurial activities related to logistics, timber, property, skydiving, etc. All very basic things which dont make for interesting reading My pleasures and pains revolve around my emotive, passionate Russian wife of 11 years, Natalie, my/our children Alexandra, Eduard, Denis and Anastassia and a crowd of wonderful friends. And then of course, I love music which in my humble opinion is the the most universal, most sublime form of art.
If I have any regrets in life then there is one. That I was never cajoled by my parents or inspired by myself to pick up and learn how to play any musical instruments !!!! I would say my enthusiasm for sellaband is fuelled by an intense but positive jealousy of the artists presented and their amazing talents!!
Musical taste (pre SellaBand) Be Bop Deluxe, Leonard Cohen, Eels, Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, Beethoven, Badly Drawn Boy, Gogol Bordello, Brian Eno, Anthony & the Johnsons, Orson, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Cars, Television, Devo, Nouvelle Vague, Verve, David Grey, Roots and of course Mozart.”
How did you find out about SellaBand?
“I was doing a bit of one on one „brainstorming” and suddenly came up with a brilliant and revolutionary idea about creating a website allowing musical artistes to showcase their talent on the internet, giving them the opportunity to attract the necessary funds to liberate this talent. I even thought up a name for the website but unfortunately when I googled „sellaband” I discovered that someone had already taken my idea even before I had it myself !!!
Mmm.....ok ....the truth.
I was browsing through another exceptional website called http://www.springwise.com/ and read about SellaBand and thought „what a blooming fantastic idea, I wish it had been mine.”
What attracted you to the concept.
“If I had been the first Believer to write in the tribune this would have been dead easy!! So many Believers, artists and experts have already expressed the very many facets of this concept which make it attractive in so many eloquent ways that I won’t even try. I share these values but will add my own attraction fuelled by the dark side of the SellaBand force!....Anger........Anger at the manipulative, greedy, profiteering elements of the popular music industry! The machinators who through devices such as „pop Idol” ,„X Factor” push mediocre through the media machines blinding the public with an illusion of musical art... Thank heaven this is a modern phenomenon otherwise we would never have had the pleasures of Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky etc....
Ah... that feels better.
And.... then there’s the establishment... the current stars...Madonna, Robbie Williams, Sirs Jagger, Elton and McCartney and many others who each in their own right could fart out 50 big ones without wincing to spread a bit of opportunity, luck and joy to the new generations. Why don’t they? Frightened of the competition? I may be wrong but apart from giving a plug to a newcomer which could in turn boost their own cred, ( ooo I wore your T-shirt on MTV) I dont see any of these moderately rich stars doing anything in the way of mentoring or supporting the future of their art. I can’t believe SellaBand has gone unnoticed in this illustrious but elite fraternity. I mean wouldnt it be wonderful if Madonna used her Amex black card to buy 5000 parts in T-ka because she got some goosebumps from Midnight City !
This brings me to my final but not fatal attraction to the concept. The belief that the artists here that „make it” will return with new found fortune and remembering their roots will spread a bit of that fortune to the talent that is emerging on a daily basis on SellaBand!
Apart from that I think SellaBand is very, very nice!!! I like sex! I like Borat!”
You've bought quite a few Parts already. What aspects of an Artist make you want to use your credit card?
Like most addictions it started with a small experimental taste back in mid august when I bought 5 parts in Nemesea just to see what it was like. I then progressed to larger doses of what to my taste was more heady material with increasing doses of Cubworld and Daniel Ward-Murphy with a smattering of Woodstock Taylor. Each artist offers something different and I hate trying to compare. Music for me is about emotion and the acid test is when I hear something and the hairs on my arm stand on end as was very much the case with Cubworld and Daniel Ward-Murphy. This factor is what made me use my credit card along with the feeling that this is real, genuine from the soul stuff without the polish of the major label marketing machine and as such must be supported.”
How do you see the role of the Believer?
“I think the word „Believer” says it all with the way I would like to see it work. To show belief and confidence in the artist, hopefully to motivate them and give some kind of signal showing how their talents are appreciated. I read somewhere a comment by one of the featured artistes along the lines of „on some sites everyone says they like your music but here they actually back it up with cash!” Of course the related role is to spread the word not only of the bands one believes in but also in the whole concept of SellaBand to everyone everywhere, at work, the supermarket etc. Where can I buy a SellaBand sweatshirt???”
Any other artists on SellaBand you are keeping an eye on?
“I log on every day and the first thing I do is search the last artists that have enrolled and have a listen to everyone new (This is a pleasure in itself !). In most cases I pass over to the next artist for reasons of old age, bad taste or whatever (on my part). The end result is that I am a Believer in several artists, in different ways for different reasons. Nowadays it’s an open book on my taste with this Believer page idea so anyone can check. But in short, I enjoyed Luc Geigers songs even though I didnt understand a word. Something felt good! Luna Assassins, punky, feel good and I couldn’t help listening over and over. Raza, very competent rock guitar, enjoyable but I couldn’t find my Romanian dictionary! Nicol, I know her personally so I could be biased. Duffy, I must say he really impressed me and something about his music really really catches me. T-ka ... listen to Midnight city , feel the goosebumps! Nemesea ...enough said ...they are well on the way there and when they go platinum I hope to see them here as Believer No 1. Woodstock Taylor, my biggest disappointment in that I really love what she does but nobody else seems to and she seems to have taken the huff and dissappeared. Now the big dilemma, the big hearted Hawaiian with a soul that needs syringing of an excess of musical exquisiteness, of course Cubworld. Or the somewhat cooler Daniel Ward-Murphy who manages to put goosebumps on my goosebumps. Not only that but I only realised three days ago that his song „City inside” was inspired by my hometown Riga !! These two artists really do split my difference! I have my eye on them all ”