SellaBand: New Model for the Music Industry Artists and Fans Make Music and Money Together

SellaBand: New Model for the Music Industry Artists and Fans Make Music and Money Together

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- SellaBand is a brand new, artist-friendly, online company launching today. www.sellaband.com offers a new model for free legal distribution of new music, enabling a direct relationship between developing artists and their fans. SellaBand is not a record company: SellaBand is a facilitator, bringing artists and fans together, and presenting a new economic model. For musicians all around the world, SellaBand is -- and always will be -- free to join.

"As a music lover I was sick of hearing the same music forced upon me time and time again. I wanted to create a concept where the fans can decide for themselves what they were going to hear," says Pim Betist, founder and creator of the SellaBand concept.

The concept works as follows: Self-recording, unsigned artists upload their own profile page on SellaBand, featuring 3 (or less) demo songs, some pictures and a biography. Artists can use their page to promote themselves, encouraging their friends and fans to direct others to the site, and listen to their free music files. Music-lovers -- "Believers" -- can purchase Parts in $10 increments, in the bands/artists they believe in. SellaBand provides a high standard search engine to enable potential Believers to find and identify an Artist. Believers have the opportunity to help promote their favorite bands, while at the same time participating in potential future revenues of the artist they believe in.

Once 5,000 Parts have been sold, the real action starts for the artist and their fans. With $50,000 in their account, the door closes and it will be no longer possible to purchase parts, or to take money out. However, before their band of choice has reached the target, music fans can switch their investment to another band, decide to invest more money, or withdraw their investment altogether. The $50,000 resulting from parts sold, will be used to record a CD (a collection of 6 songs on average) in a good studio, with a solid A&R/production team to support the band in their effort to get maximum result. Precisely 5,000 copies of the CD will be printed. This so called "limited edition" will be sent to the homes of the Believers who have bought a Part in the band.

Says Chris Kimsey, famous record producer and one of the Experts on SellaBand.com: "Music for the people, chosen by the people, supported by the people, not some marketing plan to sell us music that we do not want. SellaBand puts value back into the sound of music."

Next, the songs on the CD will be available as free downloads on SellaBand's Gallery. This is an all-access area where music fans can find and download music for free. All advertising revenues will be shared equally between Artists (33.3%), Believers (33.3%) and SellaBand (33.3%). Revenues per band are based on their market share on the SellaBand Gallery. Also, a "standard" version of the album will be released. Bands can sell it on their own websites and at shows. SellaBand will offer the product through online retailers and other similar sites. Net profits of the CD will be shared equally between Artists and Believers. In the meantime, bands are free to do what they want: sign a record deal, start their own label, or come back to SellaBand for the next experience. Additionally after one year, the artist can take their masters with them.

Says Johan Vosmeijer, a former executive of Sony Music Entertainment and current Managing Director of SellaBand: "While SellaBand's commitment to record the best possible music will always be 100%, we want the legal commitments for musicians to be as light-weight as possible. Basically, we see SellaBand as a sort of trampoline for bands to use. Ultimately it is up to the artist to see how high they can jump, but we won't hold them back in any way or form."

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/.

Source: SellaBand

CONTACT: Johan Vosmeijer of SellaBand, +31-622-801-294, Fax:
+31-20452-9291, or johan@sellaband.com

Web site: http://www.sellaband.com/

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