With the BPI still stressing its concerns that independent players do not currently have sufficient access to the download market, the new independent player in the download space, TuneTribe, has told CMU that any labels looking for an easy way into the digital domain should take advantage of their free 'bureau service'.
As previously reported, TuneTribe is a new download service founded by Groove Armada's Tom Findlay and internet entrepreneur **John
Strickland** specifically aiming to represent that indie repertoire online. Currently in pilot stage, the platform will officially launch in Apr, just as the singles chart starts incorporating digital sales stats. TuneTribe is making that platform available to unsigned artists and acts looking to sell their music online.
The aim is to make selling tracks through the platform as easy as possible for those acts - TuneTribe will handle all the encoding and etailing tasks - paying an 80% share of royalties on anything sold.
TuneTribe's
Ronnie Traynor told CMU: "Labels can send us all their music, images and information which we will then digitise and tag with metadata and upload ready for selling online. We will also be promoting the tracks on the site along the same lines as the offline market, with marketing, PR and plugging services as well as offline events including our own Festival on Saturday
13th August."
The service is open to both artists and labels. Among the latter,
Beggars, Sanctuary, Wall of Sound, V2, One Little Indian, Rough
Trade and Sunday Best are already signed up. Ronnie continued:
"The more labels that sign up the more likely it is that we can really make a difference to the way that the indies are represented in the combined chart and in the digital marketplace".
Labels interested in utilising TuneTribe's services in this way should contact Ronnie - [email protected].
Meanwhile
TuneTribe have confirmed former Jockey Slut editor Rob Wood will be coordinating the editorial components of their website, including news, reviews, charts and interviews.
And in related news, that other independent download site Karmadownload has just launched a US version - more on that on Monday.