Name: Crowdbands
URL: http://www.crowdbands.com
Record labels as we have always known them are on their way to extinction. Well, that is what the team behind this startup seems to be screaming at the top of its voice.
Crowdbands is a collaborative platform that to all intents and purposes resembles a record label whose decisions are taken by the public. Which songs will be recorded by which band, when will any of the bands on the roster go on tour, what the artwork of albums and singles will look like, which late shows they should play… These are the kind of decisions that users of Crowdbands are allowed to take. We are talking about one of the clearest examples of crowdsourcing yet applied to the music industry.
The one and only drawback something like this has, now, is that it effectively puts an end to songs like the Sex Pistols’ “EMI” or XTC’s “I Bought Myself A Liarbird”. As Johnny Rotten himself once commented, lousy record companies make (and have always made) for terrific compositions since the dawn of time. Well, I guess composers now will have to do without one of the most devilish sources of inspiration ever. We’ll see if the tradeoff (IE, the sense of communion) will suffice. And say what you wish, but I think we are losing a certain dose of malice that has always kept the scene entertaining to begin with.
Dear Emilio,
Thanks for your feature and spotlight of our Crowdbands project startup, and thanks for the kind words. With regards to your comments about the one drawback being that this might put an end to anti-record label vitriolic rants in songs, well I would put forth that that is a great thing! Certainly our central goal of bringing artists and fans closer together in shared experiences is helping extinguish that anti-record label sentiment, but something tells me musicians and artists of all kinds will easily find something else to rant about in the future, don’t you think? The world has become such a complicated, dangerous place, certainly there is inspiration for artists to write songs which rage against any of the causes behind these ills–corrupt or faulty governments, corrupt corporations, racism and the treatment of the poor worldwide. I would put forth these are much more meaningful (and likely more entertaining) targets to fuel frustration through song. We believe in music we’ve got to pull together and not be the antagonistic force that some labels have been in the past. Let’s stay in touch, i like your viewpoints and welcome your continuing involvement and coverage. Best, TOM SARIG