VOA常速英语2007-Revolutionary Gateway into Music Business

By Behnam Nateghi
Washington
10 October 2007
 

A new digital community offers independent and unsigned bands a revolutionary promotional platform to showcase their talents. urSession.com, gives musicians from all over the world an opportunity to build an audience in hopes of landing a record deal. VOA's Behnam Nateghi recently spoke¹ to the site's founder² about this unique Internet portal. Carla Coolman narrates³.

The days of aspiring⁴ bands performing in relative obscurity waiting to be "discovered" may be a thing of the past thanks to the Internet. Through Internet-based platforms, bands can now share their passion for music with a global audience.

Shavo Odadjian is the bassist with the American band "System of a Down". Formed in 1995 in Los Angeles, in the western state of California, the band is now on hiatus. But Odadjian is staying busy with other musical projects.

One of them is the website, urSession.com, a place where artists from around the world have an opportunity to break into the music industry.

"Artists around the world, around the world, can audition⁵ via uploading their audio or video of their act, their band, themselves, and they get a chance to get signed by not only us, urSession Records, but any other record company that sees them on our web site."

Bands and individual musicians interested in cyber jamming can upload their material hoping to make an impact on those scouting⁶ for new talent.

"Me and my friend, my partner, thought of the idea saying, 'There are so many great artists out there that have no way of been seen or heard, or have even the money to make a demo because in the world of music today. You know, the dying world of the music industry, we are in the fourth quarter of the industry going downhill, the only way in which you can get signed, get recognized is if you either know somebody or have enough money to get to know somebody."

Musicians aspiring to stardom have their work rated by others on the Website.

Odadjian thinks this creates an innovative⁷ way for new talent to emerge. "The best part of it is that I am going to be able to discover a lot of good artists that would have never gotten the chance to do it."

Odadjian looks forward to hearing new bands that could rock the world just like "System of a Down" has for the past 13 years.

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

3 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

4 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

5 audition   

n.(对志愿艺人等的)面试(指试读、试唱等)

参考例句：

• I'm going to the audition but I don't expect I'll get a part.我去试音，可并不指望会给我个角色演出。
• At first,they said he was too young,but later they called him for an audition.起初，他们说他太小，但后来他们叫他去试听。

6 scouting   

守候活动，童子军的活动

参考例句：

• I have people scouting the hills already. 我已经让人搜过那些山了。
• Perhaps also from the Gospel it passed into the tradition of scouting. 也许又从《福音书》传入守望的传统。 来自演讲部分

7 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。