Have you ever wanted to be a music producer? For as little as $10, you can. In true crowd-sourcing fashion, SellaBand lets anybody with an Internet connection get into the biz by helping fund independent bands to get their albums into production.

First, you sign up as a “believer.” Then you browse through thousands of bands to find one you like, or one you believe has the opportunity to become a success. Once you find it, you can buy a “part” for $10. You’re now a partner, and it’s up to you to promote the band and recruit fellow believers. When the artist reaches $50,000 in funding (or 5,000 parts), they hit the studio and start laying down tracks. When the album is finished, you receive a limited edition CD as well as a free download. Now for the best part – when albums start selling, the artists split the net revenues with all of their believers 50/50 for a period of five years. So, the more they sell, the more you make. There are also levels of production, ranging from “believer” to “executive producer.” The higher levels can even give you certain publishing profits, like earning when a song is played on the radio or TV. Don’t like the way things are going? You’re free to leave anytime you want with a refund, or shift your parts to other artists.

It’s really a brilliant idea. SellaBand takes full advantage of the “wisdom of the crowd” and has a legitimate shot at turning the recording industry on its head. When you think about the power of social networking its hundreds of millions of channels for promotion, you can see how this could be huge. And SellaBand realizes the potential – they offer embeddable widgets for social profiles and websites to help you raise funding for your band.

“SellaBand is a revolutionary concept as the music industry evolves to embrace and utilise the technologies of the 21st century.” -James Lewis, Producer of the Arctic Monkeys.

For artists, SellaBand offers a way to get in the studio – not based on the politics of the music industry, but based solely on listeners. It’s an amazing opportunity to not only produce an album, but build buzz along the way. Artists are also free to leave the program at any time, but once the full amount of funding is attained, they are obligated to produce the album with SellaBand.

Perhaps the biggest attraction for artists, SellaBand gives the opportunity to tour the country in true rock-star style with Arena Fest. Through a combination of user votes, money raised, judging and performance, selected bands will perform in 10 cities around the U.S., all-expenses paid. From uploaded a demo to rocking an Arena filled with thousands – that’s pretty cool.

I’m a believer in Radio Orange

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