Sellaband
Encyclopedia
Sellaband is a music
website
that allows artists to raise the money from their fans and the SellaBand community in order to record a professional album
. It was set up by Johan Vosmeijer (ex Sony/BMG), Pim Betist (ex Shell), and Dagmar Heijmans (ex Sony/BMG) in August 2006. Its offices are located in Amsterdam
, Netherlands
, but it was originally incorporated in Bocholt
, Germany
. In October 2010 the post-bankruptcy company moved to Munich, Germany.
On April 8, 2008, SellaBand raised EU€
3.5 million (US$
5 million) in their Series A round
led by Prime Technology Ventures.
In early 2009, Pim Betist left SellaBand to set up Africa Unsigned, using SellaBand technology as a base and supported by the Dutch government.
In January 2010, Sellaband filed for Bankruptcy. It relaunched days later, after an investor stepped forward. However, crucially, the terms and conditions were changed so that Believers could no longer withdraw funds they invested in Sellaband.
The site has seen much less activity since the relaunch, and many artists and Believers have left or become inactive.
Public Enemy was the first major artist to sign up for SellaBand with a target of $250,000 in $25 increments. After a disappointing effort Public Enemy lowered their target to $75,000. They achieved this total on 28 October 2010.
Some of the Terms of the new model were changed after Sellaband went bancrupt and relaunched under new ownership - significantly, that Belivers could no longer remove funds that they invested in SellaBand.com
Until all parts are sold, the money collected from Believers in exchange for artist "parts" is held in an escrow
account managed by a third party (Dieter Roesing, Rechtsanwälte und Notare, Bocholt), regulated under German Law, and cannot be accessed by Sellaband or the artist. Any interest
accrued during this period is kept by Sellaband. During this time Believers may sell back any number of "parts" they have in an artist, which are re-deposited into the Believer's Sellaband account, and buy parts in other artists. No money deposited in Sellaband can be refunded to a Believer, but only used to buy parts in another artist, although any revenues gained on the platform can be paid out to a Paypal account upon request. Once the target is raised, the Believers' funds are committed to the artist and the Escrow Agent transfers the funds to Sellaband for the recording project.
is announced. This was initially for the UK but has been successfully repeated with Amazon in Germany and USA.
March 2009: SellaBand announces a deal to launch in USA with Chuck D’s music company, BTN (Bring The Noise) Management, in which the former Public Enemy front man will function as Sellaband’s "US ambassador."http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/03/sellaband-launc/
June 2009 Sellaband.de launches. The first sister site is presented in conjunction with partner MerchandisingMedia GmbH. However, it is riddled with errors and closes shortly afterward.
.
Other Unofficial SellaBand events have included:
Sellaband artist appeared at "Concert At Sea" festival (June 2007) held in Brouwersdam, NL.
In addition, a number of concerts in Europe, Australia
, and the United States
have been organized through the collaboration of Sellaband artists and believers.
Sell-A-Jam © “One Night In Boston” took place on January 25 at Boston
's Paradise Lounge and featured Sellaband recording artist Lily Vasquez, with Sellaband listed artists Jon Robert and Delco, Jess King, and Wetwerks. The Sellaband Rio Grande Festival, was held in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
on February 22 and February 23. On the 13th of november 2009 Rave 'n Rock artists Resistor
headlined “Resistor presents Sellaband Live” at Amsterdams Club Panama with Sellaband listed artist Hangover Sunday and the Dial -a- Poets.
was the first artist, closing his second budget. Less than two weeks after bankrutpy, Aryn Michelle was the first artist, closing her budget under the new SAB-management. In October 2010 Epyllion closed the first budget on Sellaband that is not used for recording new but for promoting of already released music.
In October 2010 Hind
was the first sellaband-artist, reaching a top 10 entry. Her album Crosspop started on No. 8 in the dutch charts.
The first 34 artists to reach their goal and release their Sellaband CD:
There are 24 more artists who have reached their goal and are currently recording their Sellaband CD:
There are over 4.200 artists currently registered on Sellaband.
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
that allows artists to raise the money from their fans and the SellaBand community in order to record a professional album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
. It was set up by Johan Vosmeijer (ex Sony/BMG), Pim Betist (ex Shell), and Dagmar Heijmans (ex Sony/BMG) in August 2006. Its offices are located in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, but it was originally incorporated in Bocholt
Bocholt, Germany
Bocholt is a city in the north-west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, part of the district Borken. It is situated 4 km south of the border with the Netherlands.-Geography:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. In October 2010 the post-bankruptcy company moved to Munich, Germany.
On April 8, 2008, SellaBand raised EU€
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
3.5 million (US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
5 million) in their Series A round
Series A round
A Series A round is the name typically given to a company's first significant round of venture funding in the Silicon Valley model of startup company formation....
led by Prime Technology Ventures.
In early 2009, Pim Betist left SellaBand to set up Africa Unsigned, using SellaBand technology as a base and supported by the Dutch government.
In January 2010, Sellaband filed for Bankruptcy. It relaunched days later, after an investor stepped forward. However, crucially, the terms and conditions were changed so that Believers could no longer withdraw funds they invested in Sellaband.
The site has seen much less activity since the relaunch, and many artists and Believers have left or become inactive.
SellaBand 2
On October 1, 2009 SellaBand launched a new model that gave artists total flexibility in their fan funding plans and did not take rights. Any artist, signed or unsigned, could use SellaBand to fund any project.Public Enemy was the first major artist to sign up for SellaBand with a target of $250,000 in $25 increments. After a disappointing effort Public Enemy lowered their target to $75,000. They achieved this total on 28 October 2010.
Some of the Terms of the new model were changed after Sellaband went bancrupt and relaunched under new ownership - significantly, that Belivers could no longer remove funds that they invested in SellaBand.com
Believers
Individuals interested in supporting Sellaband artists do so by buying "parts" in them. Believers can purchase any number of "parts" in a single artist or "parts" in multiple artists.Until all parts are sold, the money collected from Believers in exchange for artist "parts" is held in an escrow
Escrow
An escrow is:* an arrangement made under contractual provisions between transacting parties, whereby an independent trusted third party receives and disburses money and/or documents for the transacting parties, with the timing of such disbursement by the third party dependent on the fulfillment of...
account managed by a third party (Dieter Roesing, Rechtsanwälte und Notare, Bocholt), regulated under German Law, and cannot be accessed by Sellaband or the artist. Any interest
Interest
Interest is a fee paid by a borrower of assets to the owner as a form of compensation for the use of the assets. It is most commonly the price paid for the use of borrowed money, or money earned by deposited funds....
accrued during this period is kept by Sellaband. During this time Believers may sell back any number of "parts" they have in an artist, which are re-deposited into the Believer's Sellaband account, and buy parts in other artists. No money deposited in Sellaband can be refunded to a Believer, but only used to buy parts in another artist, although any revenues gained on the platform can be paid out to a Paypal account upon request. Once the target is raised, the Believers' funds are committed to the artist and the Escrow Agent transfers the funds to Sellaband for the recording project.
Experts
Artists using SellaBand are free to work with whoever they like but one of the strengths of SellaBand is their ability to connect artists with top class producers. Producers who have worked on SellaBand albums include Tony Platt (AC/DC, Bob Marley), Attie Bauw (Scorpions, Judas Priest), Peter Denenberg (Spin Doctors, Deep Purple), Steve Bush (Stereophonics, Corinne Bailey Rae), Mick Glossop (Van Morrison, Waterboys), Malcolm Burn (Patti Smith, Emmylou Harris) and Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers, Super Furry Animals).Partnerships
December 2007: a partnership with Amazon.comAmazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
is announced. This was initially for the UK but has been successfully repeated with Amazon in Germany and USA.
March 2009: SellaBand announces a deal to launch in USA with Chuck D’s music company, BTN (Bring The Noise) Management, in which the former Public Enemy front man will function as Sellaband’s "US ambassador."http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/03/sellaband-launc/
June 2009 Sellaband.de launches. The first sister site is presented in conjunction with partner MerchandisingMedia GmbH. However, it is riddled with errors and closes shortly afterward.
Events
Since its inception, Sellaband has conducted several Official concerts in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
- "New Years Party" (January 2007), the Paradiso, AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, NL - "London Calling" (June 2007), Gibson Studios, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... - "Sellabration - Birthday Party" (August 15, 2007 & 2008), the Paradiso, Amsterdam, NL
Other Unofficial SellaBand events have included:
Sellaband artist appeared at "Concert At Sea" festival (June 2007) held in Brouwersdam, NL.
In addition, a number of concerts in Europe, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
have been organized through the collaboration of Sellaband artists and believers.
Sell-A-Jam © “One Night In Boston” took place on January 25 at Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
's Paradise Lounge and featured Sellaband recording artist Lily Vasquez, with Sellaband listed artists Jon Robert and Delco, Jess King, and Wetwerks. The Sellaband Rio Grande Festival, was held in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
Truth or Consequences is a spa city and the county seat of Sierra County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 7,289. It is commonly known within New Mexico as T or C....
on February 22 and February 23. On the 13th of november 2009 Rave 'n Rock artists Resistor
Resistor
A linear resistor is a linear, passive two-terminal electrical component that implements electrical resistance as a circuit element.The current through a resistor is in direct proportion to the voltage across the resistor's terminals. Thus, the ratio of the voltage applied across a resistor's...
headlined “Resistor presents Sellaband Live” at Amsterdams Club Panama with Sellaband listed artist Hangover Sunday and the Dial -a- Poets.
Artists who reached their goal
There are several artists who reached their goal already. In December 2009 CubworldCubworld
Cubworld is a Hawaiian singer-songwriter and one of the first three artists to release their CD on the music website Sellaband with the raised US$50,000.-Guest appearances:...
was the first artist, closing his second budget. Less than two weeks after bankrutpy, Aryn Michelle was the first artist, closing her budget under the new SAB-management. In October 2010 Epyllion closed the first budget on Sellaband that is not used for recording new but for promoting of already released music.
In October 2010 Hind
Hind Laroussi
Hind Laroussi Tahiri , known professionally as Hind, is a Dutch singer.-Biography:Hind Laroussi Tahiri was born on December 3, 1984 in Gouda, Netherlands. She has a Moroccan father and a Dutch mother....
was the first sellaband-artist, reaching a top 10 entry. Her album Crosspop started on No. 8 in the dutch charts.
The first 34 artists to reach their goal and release their Sellaband CD:
There are 24 more artists who have reached their goal and are currently recording their Sellaband CD:
There are over 4.200 artists currently registered on Sellaband.
Old Model
On October 1, 2009 SellaBand launched a new model which gives artists total flexibility in their fan funding plan and does not take rights. Under the old model the funding was restricted for recording an album, revenue shares with believers was fixed and the total to be raised was set at either US$50,000 or US$100,000 with parts at $10.Criticism
Some people args that the talent of the artists promoted by Sellaband is sometimes non-existing.See also
- Fan FundedFan fundedFan-funded music is commercialised music that is funded directly by the fans of an artist.Examples:* ArtistShare - Founded in 2000 allows artists to fund their projects utilizing a "fan-funding" model....
- CrowdsourcingCrowdsourcingCrowdsourcing is the act of sourcing tasks traditionally performed by specific individuals to a group of people or community through an open call....
- NetlabelNetlabelA netlabel is a record label that distributes its music through digital audio formats over the Internet...
- Social commerceSocial commerceSocial commerce is a subset of electronic commerce that involves using social media, online media that supports social interaction and user contributions, to assist in the online buying and selling of products and services....
- Web 2.0Web 2.0The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web...
- Music 2.0
- FondomatFondomatFondomat is an online crowd funding platformfounded in 2011 by Joe Wakeford and Conrad Watts in Prague, Czech Republic quickly and effectively in the Czech currency....
- KickstarterKickstarterKickstarter is an online threshold pledge system for funding creative projects. Kickstarter has funded a diverse array of endeavors, ranging from indie film and music to journalism, solar energy technology and food-related projects.-Model:...
- PledgeMusicPledgemusicPledgeMusic is an online Direct-to-Fan / Fan-funded music platform utilising a Threshold Pledge System / Provision Point Mechanism, launched in August 2009, that facilitates musicians reaching out to their fan-base to financially contribute to upcoming recordings or other musical projects...
External links
- Official website
- Sellaband on Amazon.co.uk
- Sellaband to crowdsource free music - TechCrunchTechCrunchTechCrunch is a web publication that offers technology news and analysis, as well as profiling of startup companies, products, and websites. It was founded by Michael Arrington in 2005, and was first published on June 11, 2005....
review of Sellaband - New Ways to Get Music - ExtremeTechExtremeTechExtremeTech is a technology weblog about hardware, computer software, science, and other state of the art technologies which launched in June 2001...
review of Sellaband - fanfundedforum.com ex SellaBand employee Bob Slayer's website dedicated to Fan Funded Music