MyBandStock at the Blind Pig

I've gotten myself involved in a truly revolutionary enterprise that is set to send waves through the music industry. As we find ourselves moving deeper and deeper into the information age, it is becoming harder and harder for musicians at the start of their careers to find funding in order to get them to the next level. Fortunately, for music bands and fans alike, there is finally a resource that uses the power of the Internet to harness rather than hinder these musicians progress.

Enter My Band Stock (MBS). MBS is a revolutionary website that uses the power of crowdsourcing in order to empower musicians at the brink of their careers find the monetary funding to accomplish projects that set them on a road a path to stardom. The idea is that fans buy "stock" in a musician that they enjoy (one that they are likely a fan in to begin with) and the band uses that money to fulfill various goals that they think would be most helpful to their success.

When a fan purchases "stock" in a band, they are not tying that investment to monetary increase or the potential explosion of a particular artist, rather, fans get perks from the band that they are supporting. This may be things like a free CD, signed drum sticks, cool t-shirts, or exclusive merchandise only available through the My Band Stock website.

My Band Stock is motivated by leveraging the personal relationship that one stands to gain in buying "stock" in a musician that they are a fan of. My Band Stock facilitates this relationship cultivation through entitling those who invest to the aforementioned merchandise, as well as, recognizing those fans for supporting music.

The website was launched in January of 2009 by students at the University of Michigan.

This past Friday, my duties as a music revolution intern included going to the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, Michigan in order to market this revolutionary website as well as promote Charlene Kaye, a featured musician on the website.

The experience can best be described as fun-filled. We arrived early in the evening with My Band Stock merchandise and marketing materials and began setting up. Soon thereafter, the musicians who were going to perform began to arrive. The Blind Pig was featuring three wonderful female vocalists this evening and aptly called the event "Super Women."

The night started off with Anna Ash who has a soothing, pleasant voice, that I would liken to Yael Naim, who gained popularity through her Apple Macbook Air commercials.

She was followed by Laurel Premo, who incorporates a double bass into her act, which I was particularly fond of. The headlining act was performed by My Band Stock's very own Charlene Kaye. Charlene's voice and music are both exquisite, and I encourage you to listen and purchase "stock" in this up-and-comer.

Marketing for My Band Stock was not only fun but relatively easy. We were set up right next to the merchandise area for the respective musicians, and people would typically look at the CDs they could purchase, and then happened to glance over at what all this My Band Stock stuff was alongside it.

This is where I was able to engage with the various attendees of the event and help showcase this phenomenal concept. The dialogue was varied for each individual, but typically began by enthusiastically asking if the person had ever heard of My Band Stock. Most of the people who attended this event, even though it featured MBS's Charlene Kaye, were unaware of this remarkable music service.

This gave me an opportunity to enlighten people about the features of the website and why it is vitally necessary to the music industry. I found that people were highly receptive to the idea and were more than willing to check out the website. One individual was so impressed by it that he signed up there and then and even bought some "stock" in Charlene Kaye.

Overall, the event was a complete success and enjoyed by all who attended. I'm glad that I have the opportunity to help spread this phenomenal idea and interact with musicians and fans.

I hope I get a chance to share more details with you about my internship with My Band Stock as the summer progresses. Please be sure to check out the website, listen to some music, and buy some "stock"!