Sellaband, which we've written about on several occasions, started off as a way for unknown talent to collect money from 'believers' to record a first album. So far, 34 artists from fourteen countries have used Sellaband to produce an album.

Now, Amsterdam-based Sellaband is expanding its 'fan funded' model to include musicians who have already made a name for themselves. Artists can set their own budgets, asking for more than the former limit of USD 50,000. The first group to take advantage of the new opportunities is Public Enemy, which aims to amass USD 250,000 to record its 13th album. Fans of the iconic rap group can buy into the project—shares are USD 25 each—in return for a signed copy of the release and a share of its proceeds.

Public Enemy hopes to complete fundraising by the end of 2009. Since creating a profile yesterday, they've already raised USD 14,500. According to Sellaband, numerous other well-known artists are planning to create projects in the next few months.

Website: www.sellaband.com/publicenemy
Contact: info@sellaband.com

Attempting to revolutionize the traditional movie screening business, IndieScreenings lets anyone hire a film, show it and keep the cash. The venture's online booking process calculates a licence fee based on where someone plans to screen, how many people will watch and various other factors. A few days after ordering a license, a DVD is sent by post. IndieScreenings includes a profit calculator and also offers an instructional guide, including tips on how to advertise and which technical issues to be aware of.

IndieScreenings was conceived as a way for the makers of The Age of Stupid (a feature about climate change) to spread their own crowdsourced film in a legal and controlled manner. But after realizing its potential for amplifying independent voices, the system opened up to other filmmakers. Upcoming films include "The Yes Men Fix The World", "McLibel" and "Drowned Out". IndieScreenings is currently available for screeners in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, with an international rollout following soon.

Will movie studios catch on and experiment with a similar grassroots distribution method, appealing to movie-loving sellsumers who'd be more than happy to drum up new audiences for profits? One to watch!

Website: www.indiescreenings.net
Contact: hello@indiescreenings.net

Spotted by: Jamal Hamou

It's no secret that record labels are searching for new ways of doing business. Earlier this year we spotted Groove Armada's distribution partnership with Bacardi. Now Mariah Carey is joining the fun, orchestrating several sponsorships for her latest album, 'Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel'.

Carey recorded the album in the Bahamas, so sponsorship by the Bahamas Board of Tourism was a natural fit. As was Elizabeth Arden, which sells Carey's Forever perfume. Other sponsors include Métier De Beauté beauty cosmetics and Angel champagne. Sponsorship comes in the form of a small booklet that accompanies the album, filled with glossy advertisements that promote a Mariah Carey-esque lifestyle. The content of the 'mini-magazine' will be written by Elle's editorial staff, and the magazine will be distributed to the first 1.5 million buyers of the CD, which comes out later this month. According to an article in The Sunday Times, the sponsorship reportedly covered the cost of making the album (GBP 4 million) album.

The initiative has great potential for sponsors. “We sell records to people who buy lots of other stuff,” says Antonio Reid, chairman of Mariah's label—Island Def Jam Records—in The Sunday Times. “My artists sell two, five, eight million records, and people hold on to them for years. Most magazines are not that successful.” The label says it’s now ready to try out sponsorship with a few other 'commercially-minded' artists like Kanye West and Bon Jovi.

While this level of commmercialism will no doubt be viewed as selling out by many artists and fans, a considered and appropriate approach makes it a model that could work for other performing artists.

Website: www.islanddefjam.com

Spotted by: Bjorn Verbrugghe

Whether it's a consumer product or a piece of music, there's much to be said for allowing fans to have a say in how it's designed and marketed. Just as Dutch media entrepreneur John de Mol turned to the crowds last year for help creating the next reality-show hit, so brand-new site Genero.tv is relying on music fans to create the next winning videos for a variety of participating bands.

Currently on the verge of kicking off its first contest, startup Genero.tv has signed on a number of artists interested in getting fans to create the official videos for their music. Sixteen songs are featured in the current contest, which opens Sept. 12. To create a video for one of them, fans begin by registering with Genero.tv and downloading the track they're interested in. No artist footage is provided, but otherwise fans can go to town expressing their feelings about the song in a video and submit it in a variety of formats up to 1GB in size. Uploading a video to Genero.tv grants exclusive license to the site; it also opens the video up for voting. Four finalists will be chosen for each artist/song competition—two based on user voting and two by the judging panel. From there, one winner is ultimately chosen for each song by its judging panel—typically some combination of Genero.tv staff and artist representatives—as well as one overall winner across the 16 song contests. Individual contest prizes include tickets, backstage passes and music workshops, while the overall winner gets the not-unsubstantial prize of USD 4,000. Fans can submit videos for the current contest any time before Oct. 23. Winners will be announced on Nov. 13.

In the music industry alone, fans are now playing key roles in funding, marketing and creating music videos, giving bands not just valuable help but also a way to engage the consumers they care most about. How has *your* brand reached out to involve, benefit from and reward its biggest fans...? (Related: Agency for customer-made ads.)

Website: www.genero.tv
Contact: www.genero.tv/Contact-us

Micro-blogging service Twitter and London's Royal Opera House may not be seen as birds of a feather. Founded hundreds of years apart, one represents a stronghold of traditional high culture, the other the fizzing surface of contemporary communication. But the tendency of culture to respond to new technology should never be underestimated—over the past three weeks the ROH has been using Twitter to crowdsource the libretto for a new "people's opera".

"The Twitter Opera" is to be performed as part of the ROH's Deloitte Ignite Festival at the beginning of September. The libretto will consist entirely of 140-character tweets that the ROH has received from members of the public since the project was launched. It will be set to original music composed by Helen Porter, along with some more familiar classics. Simply put, the goal is to help attract a wider audience. Alison Duthie of the ROH summed this up: "It's the people's opera and the perfect way for everyone to become involved with the inventiveness of opera as the ultimate form of storytelling." The plot, which is now complete, begins—fittingly—with a man being kidnapped by a flock of birds.

We've featured a number of Twitter-friendly endeavours on Springwise, from package tracking to wine tasting. This pioneering effort by a cultural icon shows that there are equally novel opportunities in the arts. In the collective imagination, great ideas can take flight—and can also be a valuable feather in one's publicity cap. For more on how organisations are using Twitter to converse and create with their audience, check out trendwatching.com's briefing on foreverism. (Related: Wiki publisher for collaborative writing — Publisher hopes crowds will spot next bestseller — Live opera on the silver screen.)

Website: www.royaloperahouse.wordpress.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/youropera
Contact: www.roh.org.uk/contact

Spotted by: Jim Stewart