RouteNote offers a different approach for bands online
I think this model generally works – unsigned or independent labels don’t want to pay money up front with no guarantees of selling anything, but they do want a route to market. Interestingly, Routenote offers bands access to places like the iTunes store which doesn’t deal with individuals or small record labels.
This is classic middle man stuff – they are an intermediary. The site differs from the likes of 7digital, which is more a download store which offers artists a storefront to sell direct to punters. The trouble is, just like a blog, people still need to be able to find you.
So they distribute to stores including iTunes, emusic, Limewire, Audio Lunchbox and Imeem among others. The latest store is Amazon MP3. Since their launch three months ago, they now have 440 artists and 1250 tracks online. Artists have the option of choosing which individual stores they want to participate with. They also film bands in their recording studios in Cornwall. The team of five is backed by angel funding.