OOiZiT.com, pronounced ooo-is-it.com, is a new website that aims to help unsigned musicians achieve success without the need for a traditional record contract.
For £9.97 per month the site claims to offer unprecedented promotional and sales tools and services specifically geared towards UK music talent says OOiZiT.com.
The site also allows listeners to earn money through the site too by offering bands the opportunity to give the listeners the chance to sell their tracks on their behalf – for each sale made the music listener receives a cut of the profits.
The site includes Facebook and MySpace integration to further promote your music.
Macworld caught up with OOiZiT founder Thomas Fearn to find out more about the site.
Q. What was the idea behind OOiZiT?
The idea was to create a unique social network for new UK music artists, providing them with all of the tools necessary to forge a career in the music industry. Most importantly this included a sales channel.
Q. And why the name?
Finding a name which is available, recognisable and will work well as a brand was tough. We went back to basics and decided to choose a name which reflected the feeling of going to a gig and seeing a band you'd never heard of before. When you're stood there watching loads of bands it's not long before someone asks "who is it?", hence the name OOiZiT.com.
Q. As a new OOiZiT user, where best start?
The best place to start is by clicking play on the music player at the top of the page. We've handpicked some of the best new music from the site to help introduce listeners to fresh, unsigned UK talent.
Next, register, create your profile and go to the "community" pages to find new bands/music artists in your local area. Then just keep exploring the site as new tracks and gig dates are uploaded daily.
Q. Who is the service aimed at?
Predominantly UK based unsigned music acts; however anyone that has a passion for new music will love the site. We've got over 1,200 bands covering a wide range of genres to listen to and engage with, so there's something for everyone on offer.
Q. And what's wrong with MySpace as a tool for new bands?
MySpace is a great place to start but it's not really focused on new music, nor is it local. You can easily find yourself in the mix of all sorts of profiles on the site making it more difficult to achieve coverage.
YouTube is great at handling video content which is why we've integrated it into our site however members aren't able to sell their music directly via the site, which somewhat limits their potential for growth.
With OOiZiT.com users can ensure that they're networking with likeminded people who are all interested in fresh UK music. For the artists themselves the ability to sell their music and be eligible for the UK charts is something which has never been on offer like this before. In addition, members have access to detailed statistics, are able to exploit the site's various promotional tools and most importantly get to keep 100 per cent of the royalties they generate. We think this really makes OOiZiT.com stand out from the crowd.
Q. Are you attracting more bands than solo artists?
There do seem to be more bands joining up to the site at present but its also popular with solo artists. One of the first members to receive track sales via OOiZiT.com was a solo artist called Fliss Peck, so there's certainly the potential to be a success via the site regardless of whether you're in a band or a solo artist.
Q. Early days, but have you any success stories?
We've only been live for a few weeks so it is still early days but we are getting a lot of interest in some of our featured artists including our current band 'The Swiines'. It's great to see these unsigned, acts getting the attention they deserve. It's something that we're looking forward to growing over the next few years and we're confident that we'll see a chart topper emerge from the site in the future.
Q. Has there been a good regional spread of bands and artists signing up?
Absolutely, that's the beauty about the site, you can be based anywhere in the UK and still gain national coverage. We've got members from Scotland, Wales, Leeds, Manchester and London to name a few. We believe it's really important to realise that talent is not just based in London. We're a powerhouse for new UK music and anybody can benefit from the site regardless of location.
Q. Finally what can we expect from OOiZiT in 2010?
We've got a lot of new ideas that we're working on at the moment. We're looking at developing the music listeners experience to make it even more integrated, with the possibility of introducing new streaming services too.
From a music artist's perspective there are many more widgets, premium services and promotional tools that we're working on, all designed at increasing the coverage the site can offer. There is no doubt that 2010 is certainly going to be a busy year for us and we're really looking forward to it!
Contact Us
Digg
It's easy and free to get the latest news headlines, reviews and opinions straight to your email inbox. Sign up NOW to make sure you receive the latest Mac news, reviews and tutorials on your favourite topics.
