First major record label signing from Slicethepie platform - 21/01/2010

It's been a week of playing catch up here at Entrepreneur Country, following the fantastic day that was our Politics Not As Usual event last Thursday.

For those of you who made it along, braving snow and ice, thank you! We hope you enjoyed the day and made some valuable contacts. The results of the survey that set the tone for the event are published here, along with the press release issued on the same.

For those of you who couldn't make it, we will be posting video clips from the event on the website over the coming days - watch this space.

In this fortnight's issue:

• Photos from Politics Not As Usual
• First major record label signing from Slicethepie platform
• Women Unlimited conference on International Women's Day
• Time-saving tips for busy entrepreneurs
• Entrepreneur - Mark Murphy, etv media group

You'll find interviews with many of the UK and Europe's leading entrepreneurs at www.entrepreneurcountry.net. Register while you're there and join the growing community.

Politics Not As Usual Photos

Check out more photos from the day here

Slicethepie scores its first major label signing with Scars on 45

Scars on 45, a UK band financed via fan-funding site Slicethepie, announced last week the signing of a multi-album record deal with Atlantic Records/Chop Shop Records. The signing underlines the internet’s growing influence within the traditional A&R process and the increased involvement of consumers in determining both the selection and success of new artists.

Fans who invested in Scars on 45 back in 2008 will enjoy a double triumph – seeing their band on the verge of breaking the biggest music market in the world and pocketing a tidy profit on the way. Atlantic Records, the major label owned by Warner Music Group, is home to international stars including Jason Mraz, Paolo Nutini, James Blunt and Estelle.

Paul Brown, SVP Strategic Partnerships at Spotify and Slicethepie non-executive director commented: ‘This is significant progress for Slicethepie and demonstrates the potential power of a democratic, fan driven online process to source talent.”

David Courtier-Dutton, Slicethepie CEO said: ‘We are delighted for both the band and their fans who, in this case, have truly been instrumental in their success. We believe that consumer driven filtering has an increasingly influential role to play in the future of the industry enabling talented artists to access an ever widening range of commercial opportunities.”

Fan-funded success Scars on 45 began making waves back in 2008 following numerous positive reviews and ratings on Slicethepie. In a matter of weeks, they reached the financing stage and raised £15,000 directly from music fans to record their self-produced debut album. Their fan-funded track Beauty’s Running Wild was then featured on CSI: NY, which attracted over 50,000 website hits within the first few days of airing. This, together with a finished album, drew them to the attention of Chop Shop/Atlantic who are now plotting the band’s US campaign.

Fans on Slicethepie invested anything from £1 upwards and, in return, received shares in the commercial success of the album. When Scars on 45 were signed, a buyout clause was triggered and shareholders were bought out at a 50 per cent premium to the then market price - representing a massive 500 per cent return for initial fans.

Women Unlimited Stepping into Success Conference

Join Women Unlimited on 8 March 2010, International Women’s Day, at the British Library Conference Centre for an event that will inspire, motivate and invigorate you and your business.

Women Unlimited have put together an all star line-up including Liz Warom, founder of Temple Spa, Camila Batmanghelidjh, founder of the Kids Company, Emma Wimhurst, author of Boom! and Liz Jackson, secret millionaire and CEO of Great Guns Marketing. The day is full of inspirational presentations, practical workshops, an engaging panel session and fantastic networking. This day celebrates being a woman in business and give you the chance to learn and network with some of the UK’s leading female entrepreneurs.

Book before 31 Jan to take advantage of the early bird offer. Visit http://www.women-unlimited.co.uk/women-unlimited-conference-stepping-into-success/ and book your place today.

ENTREPRENEUR - Mark Murphy - ETV Media Group

This month Mark Murphy celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the launch of ETV Media Group. Founded in 2000 by Murphy and his business partner Adrian Swift, ETV has grown to become the UK’s leading independent digital media company.

What ETV does is simple yet revolutionary at the same time. In a nutshell, Murphy and his team create value for brands and broadcasters in a world where old media models are becoming obsolete.

“ETV has thrived on the chaos of a changing advertising and marketing market,” explains Murphy.

“In the past, a great deal of money went on television spot advertising - around £4bn a year, with another £2bn going on outdoor advertising. Then the internet and digital transmission happened and we were there at the time money was leaking out of traditional channels into other forms of digital marketing. And it’s gone pretty well. We celebrated a decade of growth on the 4th of January.”

Read the interview...