Oz songstress: Record label 2.0 abandoned me Crowdsourcing DIY music company Sellaband filed for bankruptcy on Monday, and we have some interesting insider perspective. From Oz, reader Gary writes with the tale of Mandyleigh Storm. Mandyleigh became the seventh artist on Sellaband in 2007. She used some of the $50,000 raised to record with veteran producer and engineer …
... there is any suggestion that Sellaband ended up with any of the money that was intended for the artists. The lady in this piece says she got her $50k, but didn't get any support when it came to launching the record. My (limit) knowledge of the company was they burnt through investor cash like you wouldn't believe - they never actually had a good enough business plan that allowed them to make enough money out the artists.
Not a con. Just a crap business model.
So if I understand correctly
1) she signed up to a site which promised to find her a bunch of fans to provide funding to record an album
2) they did that
3) the album was made (and presumably those that paid for it liked it?)
4) she didn't make mega sales on itunes or Amazon, and is blaming... her bankroll?
Am I alone in not feeling remotely sorry for her (other than if her side of the story over song theft is correct on the link, but from the info provided that seems unrelated to sellaband... who is Casper anyway...)
I thought it was pretty clear that I read both the article and the linked commentary from the artist. Frankly, it sounds like the site did pretty much exactly what they promised: allowed her to professionally record her music, and brought her to the attention of both some professionals in the industry and a good ground base of fans.
If she failed to build on that, for whatever reason (niche appeal, lack of touring, bad luck) it hardly seems like the site's fault. Now they may or may not be corrupt / money grabbing, but it doesn't sound like they particularly sold this whiney individual short.
And pint cos it's Friday.
I couldn't care less. If the music was any good it would sell itself and have been picked up by a major withough having to resort to crappy web based promotion. And oh... she had to design her own sleeve did she? Ahhh diddums... "Z list artiste in 'having to do some work' shocker!!!"
Welcome to the world honey.
Love the S-a-B business model though... take in loads of cash, do nothing for it. Sounds just like HPs Professional services division.
"have u heard Mandeleigh music? it is really good.
Have you heard the crap played on the radio? that is the major label...
you choose"
Sorry, can't finish this post - I have to rush out and buy everything I can to do with "Mandeleigh", purely on the strength of this well-considered and carefully typed endorsement.
Oh, wait..... no, I don't.
...track (Cry Hard) has a flute solo on it, so it's obviously ripped off from some 1935 folk song. </joke>
The Sellaband website says that the service will continue under new ownership and: "What is extremely important to [Johan Vosmeijer, former CEO Sellaband] is that the new company, called SellaBand GmbH and to be operated out of Munich in Germany, will respect our commitments towards Believers and also to those artists who are currently recording their SellaBand album, and/or are about to release their music. " Only time will tell.
Mandyleigh Storm is talented, the songs are great, the album is well recorded, she obviously has a fan base... so what went wrong? IMHO: 1. The record industry itself is broken. 2. Mandy's genre has a very narrow appeal. 3. There was no promotion.
Since this is an OZ story, the beer should be a Fosters, but all i can afford (i received a grand total of $1000 for "my" 10 million selling record) is 211.
We've told you foreign yobs before - nobody, but nobody drinks Fosters here. Not being able to afford it? Mate, it's the cheapest, vilest crap you can buy, which is why nobody buys it. If you want to talk about Aussie beer, talk about Coopers, talk about Vic Bitter, talk about West End - but just leave the Fosters out of it, OK? Cheers mate.
Here, have a Coopers Pale. My shout.
...is back up. Holy Shaaaamolians, Batman, theres over 3,000 artists on there!
I like the social connection that "believers" must feel with their artist.
If it were cellphones, each artist would be a picocell, in some creative mesh.
If i were Sellaband i woud REQUIRE a video. homemade is just fine, the draw of this site is the connection!
211 because i connect.
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