UK-based Darnell was one of the four bands to win the Kerchoonz
December Live Sessions contest "to find the hardest working unsigned
acts on the circuit." In addition to earning a "substantial amount of
money" for their plays and downloads on Kerchoonz (http://
www.kerchoonz.com) throughout the month of December, Darnell was
invited to perform at the 'House Of Rock' studios in Glasgow for an
'invite only' audience.

We took the opportunity to chat with band about the secret to their
online success and attitudes to artist compensation. You can read the
full interview with Donna Marie, Helicopter Girl and The Fortunate
Sons here.

What was the secrets to your success on Kerchoonz.com? And how was it
playing the 'House Of Rock' studios? Any good back or on-stage
anecdotes/stories?

I think the secret was a lot of spare time spent on the Internet,
messaging Facebook friends as well as contacts made through MySpace,
asking people to listen, and better still, download our songs on
Kerchoonz,... I did bother friends a little more than usual, but as
you can see it paid off. Facebook made it much easier to promote
Kerchoonz because when you added our Kerchoonz page to Facebook, it
adds the link with picture and all, so that was good.

As for playing at the House of Rock studios, that was an amazing
experience. We were so humble. We would say it was our best day ever
in our journey within the music biz! Indianna Gregg was a fantastic
host and Ian Marrow was just so chilled and very approachable. He was
even willing to sit down and tell us some stories about his experience
within the business.

Taking to the stage was a bit daunting as it was so intimate and with
cameras rolling etc,... it all took a little getting used to. By the
third song, I had chilled and was starting to get into it.
Unfortunately, we only got to play 3 songs each! Junior said his hands
were sweating while he was playing, possibly nerves.

Our biggest thing was trying to pick the songs that we liked to play,
but also songs that we thought would make an impact. When Darnell
plays live, it is just one guitar and two vocals. We try and fill the
room with our song the best we can - we think we did OK on that night.

Obviously, you've build an active fanbase before joining Kerchoonz.
What is your general approach to online marketing? Have you had
similar successes in generating traffic and/or getting paid on other
sites?

We always wanted to build a band website and felt that we really
needed to do that in order to progress and let people know what we are
about. It was another one of those things - starting a site, the time
and money!

We played a radio station in Manchester about 2 years ago and the DJ
asked if we had a MySpace page. We weren't sure what that was, but she
insisted that we set one up. So I did and very quickly realized that
perhaps we didn't need a website after all - MySpace does it all!!
Within no time, we had built up a fanbase. We found that a lot of
Americans really liked our stuff which was great.

Over the last 6 months, we felt like we needed something new - and
along came Kerchoonz. It's fresh, it's new and better still, you get
paid, just for people downloading and listening to your music.

The Internet has changed the way we market and distribute music. But
has it changed the way you approach creating music?

I think the way I approach creating music has always been the same.
Our demos on MySpace and Kerchoonz are all old songs, anything from 3
to 10 years old. People can't tell. We would love to record new songs,
but it all costs money. But what is great about the Internet is that
you can play a gig, videotape it using a phone or camera, and within
hours, you can place that video on your pages for all to see.

For example, Darnell took part in Channel 4's Orange unsigned
competition. We decided to videotape our journey to London, which we
placed on YouTube and Kerchoonz/MySpace. Within no time, we had 1500
hits on YouTube alone, and that's without us promoting it in any way!
So we feel the Internet and today's technology can bring fans closer
to the artist.

What are other ways you interact with your fans on a site like
Kerchoonz? What tools have been most effective in communicating with
your fans? Does it sometimes become a little overwhelming?

When we first found Kerchoonz, I thought "...aahhh something else to
get used to. I can't take it anymore." But within no time, I felt it
was so easy to use. I like to use the comment box when I talk to
people as our fans like to see what has been said and lets them know
what the real you is all about. Updating your status on Kerchoonz lets
people know that you are online or have recently been online which it
can generate traffic to your page.

In the U.S., recording artists are lobbying Congress to get paid for
the use of their music by conglomerates like Clear Channel. Most
social networking sites like MySpace or YouTube grew on the back of
musicians and other creators without compensating them. Do you think
that artists should demand compensation or be content with the
exposure they receive? How did it feel to actually get paid by
Kerchoonz?

It is fantastic to get paid by Kerchoonz. Writing your own songs and
playing them live means that you rarely get paid, so the opportunity
to get some compensation for doing something that you enjoy is
amazing. Also, it will sure come in handy when we need to record new
tunes. I don't feel it is such a big deal, but I think it will be a
good incentive to get artists to sign up with the site.

As for other sites like MySpace, I don't feel artists should push to
get paid as they know what they were signing up to when they started.
I feel the exposure is a bigger payment than any amount of money.
Being part of the first Kerchoonz Live Session will be worth more in
exposure than any amount of money!

Darnell - http://www.Kerchoonz.com/darnell