Unsigned bands to take on the charts

Quentin Reade

indie Unsigned bands can, for the first time, sell tracks online that count towards the charts.

The makers of a new build-it-yourself webstore system called indiestore have negotiated with the official chart companies in the UK, US and 20 other countries to ensure sales from indiestore websites count towards the charts.

Made by 7Digital, the same company who built the technology that powers the websites of more than 350 major label artists including Coldplay, Oasis and Muse, indiestore lets bands create a site to sell their music that includes a blog, messageboards, gallery and events calendar.

The standard version is free and lets bands upload up to four tracks, choose how much they want to charge for them, and in what currency. Seventy per cent of the sale price will go to the band.

To be eligible for the charts, bands will have to pay £75 a year, but can upload up to 20 tracks, and receive an 80 per cent take of the sales.

Ben Drury, managing director at 7 Digital, said: “The digital download market in the UK has grown at an unprecedented place, with over a million tracks downloaded per week. indiestore is a great way for unsigned artists to get in on the action - today's technology is democratizing the music industry and you no longer need a record deal to get your song widely distributed.

“Bands are already embracing sites such as MySpace to market themselves, and now indiestore provides the added bonus of actually being able to make money online. We are looking forward to the first number one being sold through an indiestore.”


http://www.indiestore.com