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Sellaband are trying to do just that, using CrowdSourcing to allow the buyers to decide who is making good music.

Believers visit the site and listen to the tracks provided by the Artists. If they like the Artists they can buy Parts in the Artist at $10 a go. The Believers can recover any money spent until the point the Artist reaches $50000 (it is held in escrow). Once the Artist reaches 5000 Parts ($50000) the money is used to hook them up with top producers and engineers in a top studio and a quality CD is produced.

The Believers then get a Limited Edition copy of the CD for each Part purchased.
The music so recorded is offered for free download from the site, and advertising revenue generated by the visitors is split a third to the Artist, a third to Sellaband, and a third split amongst the Believers.
A non-Ltd Edition copy of the CD is available for purchase from the website too, and the CD is also available for the Artist to purchase for them to sell at gigs etc. Monies from this is split the same way.

This arrangement runs for a year after the release of the CD. Once the year is up, ownership of the Master reverts to the Artist.

More info on the Ts and Cs can be found on the Sellaband site.

Four Artists have made the $50K so far :-
Nemesea
Cubworld
Second Person
Clemence

They are all currently recording, and it is expected that the first 3 Artists will be releasing their CDs in June or July.

As you might have seen from my sig, a friend of mine is an Artist on Sellaband. Dan Ward-Murphy recently topped $10000, so is well on his way!

I don't know. It seems like a pretty niche problem though! My guess is that if no one realises that there may be, for want of a better phrase, prior art issues before the CD is created then it will probably go the same way as your two examples. I could ask the Sellaband people, but I expect they'd just shrug.

What happens when this sort of occurence crops up with the existing record companies, and why should it be any different for Sellaband?

I don't know. It seems like a pretty niche problem though! My guess is that if no one realises that there may be, for want of a better phrase, prior art issues before the CD is created then it will probably go the same way as your two examples. I could ask the Sellaband people, but I expect they'd just shrug.

What happens when this sort of occurence crops up with the existing record companies, and why should it be any different for Sellaband?

From the other end of the argument comes Sellaband who have setup a method for indepent artists to reach a wide audience of believers who can choose to buy parts in the production of a CD in advance

It would seem that the music publishers/distributors, record companies, whatever you want to call them, are shafting the artists right royally and are just throwing their toys out of the pram because they can see their gravy train ride coming to an end!

From the other end of the argument comes Sellaband who have setup a method for indepent artists to reach a wide audience of believers who can choose to buy parts in the production of a CD in advance (others have done this before off their own bat, like Marillion, and I thing Dodgy did it too!). The difference here is that a bunch of music industry savvy people have gathered together to offer a real alternative. Sellaband also only tie the artist in for the first year after the CD is created, so rights to the music is returned to the artist and they can choose to stick with Sellaband or decide to move on elsewhere.

OK, I am a Sellaband Believer myself, and I have believed in a number of the artists, most of whom I don't know. Artists from around the world, one of which, Cubworld, has made the $50K and is in the process of making his first album!

It would seem that the music publishers/distributors, record companies, whatever you want to call them, are shafting the artists right royally and are just throwing their toys out of the pram because they can see their gravy train ride coming to an end!

From the other end of the argument comes Sellaband who have setup a method for indepent artists to reach a wide audience of believers who can choose to buy parts in the production of a CD in advance (others have done this before off their own bat, like Marillion, and I thing Dodgy did it too!). The difference here is that a bunch of music industry savvy people have gathered together to offer a real alternative. Sellaband also only tie the artist in for the first year after the CD is created, so rights to the music is returned to the artist and they can choose to stick with Sellaband or decide to move on elsewhere.

OK, I am a Sellaband Believer myself, and I have believed in a number of the artists, most of whom I don't know. Artists from around the world, one of which, Cubworld, has made the $50K and is in the process of making his first album!

It would seem that the music publishers/distributors, record companies, whatever you want to call them, are shafting the artists right royally and are just throwing their toys out of the pram because they can see their gravy train ride coming to an end!

From the other end of the argument comes Sellaband who have setup a method for indepent artists to reach a wide audience of believers who can choose to buy parts in the production of a CD in advance (others have done this before off their own bat, like Marillion, and I thing Dodgy did it too!). The difference here is that a bunch of music industry savvy people have gathered together to offer a real alternative. Sellaband also only tie the artist in for the first year after the CD is created, so rights to the music is returned to the artist and they can choose to stick with Sellaband or decide to move on elsewhere.

OK, I am a Sellaband Believer myself, and I have believed in a number of the artists, most of whom I don't know. Artists from around the world, one of which, Cubworld, has made the $50K and is in the process of making his first album!

It would seem that the music publishers/distributors, record companies, whatever you want to call them, are shafting the artists right royally and are just throwing their toys out of the pram because they can see their gravy train ride coming to an end!

From the other end of the argument comes Sellaband who have setup a method for indepent artists to reach a wide audience of believers who can choose to buy parts in the production of a CD in advance (others have done this before off their own bat, like Marillion, and I thing Dodgy did it too!). The difference here is that a bunch of music industry savvy people have gathered together to offer a real alternative. Sellaband also only tie the artist in for the first year after the CD is created, so rights to the music is returned to the artist and they can choose to stick with Sellaband or decide to move on elsewhere.

OK, I am a Sellaband Believer myself, and I have believed in a number of the artists, most of whom I don't know. Artists from around the world, one of which, Cubworld, has made the $50K and is in the process of making his first album!

It would seem that the music publishers/distributors, record companies, whatever you want to call them, are shafting the artists right royally and are just throwing their toys out of the pram because they can see their gravy train ride coming to an end!

From the other end of the argument comes Sellaband who have setup a method for indepent artists to reach a wide audience of believers who can choose to buy parts in the production of a CD in advance (others have done this before off their own bat, like Marillion, and I thing Dodgy did it too!). The difference here is that a bunch of music industry savvy people have gathered together to offer a real alternative. Sellaband also only tie the artist in for the first year after the CD is created, so rights to the music is returned to the artist and they can choose to stick with Sellaband or decide to move on elsewhere.

OK, I am a Sellaband Believer myself, and I have believed in a number of the artists, most of whom I don't know. Artists from around the world, one of which, Cubworld, has made the $50K and is in the process of making his first album!

It would seem that the music publishers/distributors, record companies, whatever you want to call them, are shafting the artists right royally and are just throwing their toys out of the pram because they can see their gravy train ride coming to an end!

From the other end of the argument comes Sellaband who have setup a method for indepent artists to reach a wide audience of believers who can choose to buy parts in the production of a CD in advance (others have done this before off their own bat, like Marillion, and I thing Dodgy did it too!). The difference here is that a bunch of music industry savvy people have gathered together to offer a real alternative. Sellaband also only tie the artist in for the first year after the CD is created, so rights to the music is returned to the artist and they can choose to stick with Sellaband or decide to move on elsewhere.

OK, I am a Sellaband Believer myself, and I have believed in a number of the artists, most of whom I don't know. Artists from around the world, one of which, Cubworld, has made the $50K and is in the process of making his first album!

I was in Amsterdam for the Sellaband New Year Concert and had a bunch of change from previous European trips (mostly Spain as it 'appens). I was in a coffee shop (actually buying coffee!) and picked out ten 1 eurocent coins as part of the payment. The chap behind the counter took the change and threw it in the bin saying that people just throw them away (other customers all nodding in agreement). So, unasked, I obviously offered him a 10 eurocent coin in replacement and he wouldn't take it! Man the Dutch are nice people. I pretty much had to force him to take an extra large tip!

I just throw the suckers away now too, and they are a lot smaller than the US 1 cent coin too. It does seem silly, but perhaps in London we might get over the whole change issue when the Oyster card stuff is rolled to shops and cafes for transactions under 10 UKP.

In a nutshell, that's exactly what I object too. Stupid regulations that makes our life (ie the normal ordinary people going about our business) more difficult and has no affect whatsoever on anyone who might be up to no good. It does nothing to help, security-wise, but it costs more in personel and in everyone's time.

Surely better to do something useful with that effort?

I just flew back from Amsterdam (at the Sellaband New Year's Party as you're asking) and there's new regulations in the EU where you have to put all lotions etc into a small (1 litre) clear plastic bag. One bag per person, and it has to be re-sealable.
No one looked at it. I got selected for the low level X-ray (and I'm not sure about that!), as did my wife, but seperately, so I ended up with both clear bags of lotions, which was apparently fine, even though there was so much stuff neither of them were closable.

This lotions stuff all comes from some apparent plot to blow up a plane with the contents of a milk bottle (or something). Just a knee-jerk reaction. All the hassle with the plastic bags doesn't really help the security situation, it's just more work for the airport people and more hassle for us.

If the great unwashed public didn't seem to fall for it, it'd be laughable, as it is, it's just sad!

You think that's clever, check this out...

Sellaband.

The basic idea is lots of individuals contribute small amounts of money to get studio time for underground bands. Each band has a running total, and once they reach $50,000, Sellaband sends the money off to an agent who arranges for the band to record an album, which is then given away for free. Sellaband is quick to point out that all $50,000 goes to production, and they don't keep any of it for themselves.

It's a great concept, and I encourage everyone to support those bands. However, $50k is a lot of money when the minimum contribution is only $10, and only one band has reached that goal so far. Meanwhile, other bands have raised tens of thousands, but it's just sitting in the bank for months collecting interest until they reach their goal - and guess who's raking it in.

*cough* Sellaband *cough*

Musical artists put up some songs and if you like them you can buy "parts" in their next album. Once $50000 is reached (and one band has reached it and another is half way there) the money it used to record the album with a good producer in a good studio. Seems to be working fine!

There isn't a "Sellafilm" yet, but it's the same model! A named director with a short description of the story, perhaps named actors and proposed budget. Might work a treat!

Another interesting business model for helping unsigned bands is SellaBand. They provide mp3's for free, and if you like a band enough to think they have a shot, you can pledge money on $10 increments called 'parts'. Once a band racks up $50K in pledges, they get real studio time, CDs pressed, etc. Then a portion of all CD sales goes back to the 'believers' who pledged. Supposedly, one can revoke their pledge at any time before it reaches $50K.

The site in question is Sell A Band.