Think of Amsterdam-based Sellaband as record label 2.0. Artists can put tracks up on their site for fans to hear. Those listeners eager enough can pledge moneyto the musicians, and once they’ve reached $50,000 in pledges, the label will help them record and release an album. So far there have been three releases and a total of 11 bands have reachedthe magic money milestone. But in a new move, Sellaband will now be working with Amazon, at least in the UK. The label will have its own dedicated store,with the CDs selling for around $18 (which is cheap by UK standards), with the revenue shared between the label, the artists and fans. Amazon will also bring something to the deal, beyond avery high-profile outlet. Once any band has $30,000 in fan investment, Amazon will add credits to that band’s account, then give extra promotion as they pass the $35,000 mark, according to areport in the Guardian.
Johan Vosmeijer, SellaBand managing director, told the newspaper,
"The advantage for fans is that they feel part of the activity. There are direct friendships between the bands and their fans, and they even organize their own festivals. Record companies are afraid to embrace new technologies and new opportunities because they don’t know what to do with the web. SellaBand discovers and nurtures new bands – it’s a new economic model."
What’s in it for Amazon? It puts another arrow in its quiver, and the idea of a user-determined record label fits neatly against the user-generated content, such as reviews andrecommendations, that have long been part of Amazon’s ethos.
