First a great video from Amycanbe …

I love this video … spread the word!

Get a taste of Mount Fabric playing “Sarah and the Multiverse” live …

Btw, their new EP “Secretly an Astronaut” is out now and you can download it on Hairy Wolves Bandcamp Site for 2 pounds … check it out!

Next is Aly Cook’s “Spend It” from her debut album “Brand New Day” …

Do also join Kiwi Sofa every Saturday …

And last but not least a nice little piece from new Cornershop album (feat. BubbleyKaur) …

An update on album production by Aly Cook

Well I am well underway in the process of recording an album with producer Alan Jansson at Uptown Studios in Auckland, New Zealand. Uptown Studios is in Auckland which is an hour and 20 mins on a plane from where I live. So I’m recording in stages while my wonderful producer works away in between my monthly weekend visits.

The weekend before I had a great trip to Reefton. A quaint little westcoast of NZ town with lovely old buildings, where with the video team, we shot the first part of a music video with director Paul Sparkes, stylist Jo Nixon, Makeup artist Karyn Stratford and the cast who took part.

I couldnt believe my luck as that same week end the Rangiora Photography society had a field trip to Reefon. I was looking out from the set seeing all these big lense cameras ..everywhere.. I’m thinking .. huh this is like the paparazzi out there .. and we are in the middle of nowhere .. It was the Rangiora photography society and the result was, I lucky to get some great photos sent to me by some great photographers.

On this last weekend trip to Auckland. I completed my vocals on three songs … Spend it while U Can, Grow & Ruby Jean. I feel so lucky to have had so many wonderful musicians already perform on my works including Sharon O’Neill, Alan Jansson, Steve Robinson, James Pinker, Hershal, Sina (OMC), Katy Holland & Chrissie Small.

My next trip to Auckland will be in one months time, to work on the next few songs and I look forward to hearing some of the first mixes in the coming weeks.

Its was very exciting to hear each song loaded, with all the wonderful work everyone has done on my tracks in my absense and producer Alan Jansson has given me a “sound”.. Im excited!

I’ve got to say at this stage, I’m very pleased with the way its sounding .. I really don’t think I could have done my parts better, so am satisfied that I gave my very best to the tracks this week end.

Can’t wait for the next trip up ..

On the marketing front .. I am looking for the best opportunities for all of us .. So this album will be pitched to some publishing companies ..I will look for the best opportunities available for the finished product. However I am putting infrastructure in place to self release. I have secured distribution with ODE Records in NZ so this gets the CD into retail and working on distribution for Australia and digital global options. As well as radio pluggers to help the singles to radio ..

Thanks to everyone who has been part of this journey thus far

xx
Aly Cook

And here are her new photos

www.alycook.com
www.myspace.com/alycookmusic
www.sellaband.com/alycook
www.facebook.com/alyrecord

I flew to Auckland last week of February and laid the guide tracks for the first 6 songs for the Aly Cook album are in progress.

Here in myhome town I help to run a charity event called Taste Tasman. The main guest performer was Sharon O’Neill http://www.sharononeill.com.au who is from my town originally and is a NZ & Australian music icon..

I performed in the backing band with Sharon O’Neill on Sunday 7th of March, 2010.

On Wednesday 10th of March I organised as a side event to Taste Tasman, the sounds of Tasman Music Seminar where Sharon and her husband Alan Mansfield spoke, Alan spent 25 years in the studio and on the road with Robert Palmer, also with Dragon, Bette Midler & UB40. He was a wealth of knowledge and great to work with on stage.

The seminar also had figures from APRA and NZ Music commission who spoke on songwriting, copyright etc. Also flying to speak at the conference was producer Alan Jansson. After the conference we went the vocal booth at the local radio station where Sharon put a guest vocal on on “Brand New Day” One of the songs on my album and my co-vocalists here in Nelson Kate Holland and Chrissie Small did a vocal on “Grow” . Katie also played the Boran on GROW.. So we are making progress. Next Trip to the studio in Auckland will be 22nd to the 26th of April to probably start laying in backing vocals in. Other players are being bought in in my absense to build the tracks up.

Here is an article on Taste Tasman in the local paper about the gig has some comment from me on it www. stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/entertainment/3403361/80s-rock-chick-returns

Someone who originally set up my facebook fanpage .. chose to start posting in my name and I had to delete my Fanpage on facebook. So I have new one http://www. facebook.com/alyrecord If your on Facebook if you could please join it .. and then suggest to friends or post on your page that would be really helpful !!

All for now .. Don’t forget to come join me on http://www.kiwisofa.tv

I am producing, manufacturing, autographing and sending out to my believers from NZ.

Therefore I am gathering contact info for my believers for sending your CDs and also who you would like your CDs autographed too. Under sellaband’s policy I have to give you the option to have direct contact with me. I would prefer it is you did, as I can keep you directly informed about the project. However it is totally your choice.

Please contact me if you have not already done so. on alyC@xtra.co.nz

The Kiwi Sofa is on air every Saturday at 22.00 CET on www.kiwisofa.tv – watch it and chat with Aly.

50K MM: Who are you, where do you come from, …? Please tell us something about yourself.
Aly: My name is Aly Cook I am from New Zealand… I’m an established NZ independent recording artist .. with my band DNE in 2000 and 2001 I was nominated for NZ Dance video of the year and single BE THERE’s video playlisted onto MTV Europe. I was the manager for the band. In 2005 I released my first solo single I Wonder which gained significant airplay on commercial radio. I Wonder was nominated for APRA NZ Country Song of the Year 2005. In 2006 I recorded Country Storm which has enjoyed a good level of airplay in australia and on a few stations globally as well as significant plays of the music videos .. I Wonder has been used in Sitcome Love Bits and Soap Shortland Street.

50K MM: You mentioned Katie Thompson who called your attention to SellaBand. Do you think SellaBand is a good way to finance your album?
Aly: I think its a great idea .. and I’m pleased with how its working for me and what’s come so far of being here..

50K MM: How do you convince people to believe in you? Do you think you have a special “Kiwi advantage”, with the media attention in New Zealand generated by Maitreya and Katie Thompson?
Aly: I think its important to show that you have the skill and the knowledge to work with a budget and move your product forward and sell it once its released. What ive learned over the years .. is Youth and beauty, nievity talent is great if you want a major record deal .. if you are indie and going to stay that way then your marketing skills, contacts,know how, industry knowledge are more important.

Above all the music and the song .. which have to be great . and well produced to get airplayed.

I think the media attention with Katie was and is great but I think its global exposure .. I’ve toured away as well and so I’ve a reasonable fanbase in Europe and US also..its important to get out of NZ to play once a year if possible..

50K MM: It’s still a long way, but have you thought about the time after reaching 50k yet? What are your plans then?
Aly: Absolutely …. In NZ thats a bigger budget than a major signed artist would get .. This is why I am opting under the new system to use the freedom to offer a different product. Sellaband is currently changing its format. I am currently working on a budget break down and plans for a Album length CD + DVD product. Under my new agreement ALL my believers will not only get a free copy of the CD and Bonus DVD but will be getting a share of 40% my publishing royalties administered under a pro-rata basis. The more parts the greater the share of my publishing. This will be admined directly by me to my believers via sellaband, twice a year, when my royalty cheques arrive and will include the benefit of gaining from my current releases as well which will be on the Album CD ..Additionally the believers will enjoy on a prorata share of 50% of the sales income via Sellaband’s arrangement with Amazon and other digital providers. I’m still working through the logistics with Sellaband at the time of writing this but they are all good to distribute percentage of APRA Cheque 6 monthly to the believers on an investment pro rata share..
and I have found them excellent to communicate with. I’m also turning to some of my existing believers for their opinions too, after all they are my business partners in this project.

As I am including 4 tracks already produced, 2 music videos 1 documentary and 1 live perfomance. This means I can do the project inside the 20k budget. We can get good deals here on manufacture here in NZ..

Although believers will get a CD per believer .. there will be promotion free CDs for Believers who can place the CD with a radio station or with a booking agent, for review in a magazine etc etc .. If believers want to buy CDs additionally these will be available at wholesale price..

50K MM: And last question: How can we support you to speed up raising your budget?
Aly: Think of initiatives and ways to move Sellaband forward as a whole .. this week I was the first artist on Kiwi FM http://twt.fm/288866 this happens every Tuesday night at 9pm on kiwifm .. www.kiwifm.co.nz. I would like to see this sort of thing happening all over the world. I’m working on syndicated segments similar to this with the Dream Team here on Sellaband .. which is a group of like minded Sellabanders working together..

Think about it this way if you go here http://countrymusicchannel.com.au/cmc/Requests.aspx and request my song country storm .. which is in the playlist thats great for me and I appreciate it .. if you are a believer and you request it .. you just earned money for doing it ..

www.sellaband.com/projects/alycook