RADIO SARGAM SPECIAL REPORT AND COMPETITION: WIN SHAYAN’S DEBUT ALBUM!

The British-Asian singer Shayan literally auctioned off a portion of his life’s earnings on Ebay! For £3,000, investors got their hands on a quarter percent (0.25%) of his entire life’s earnings – including everything from CD and DVD sales to concerts and royalties - until 70 years after his death (their investment extends to a hold of the copyright!)

Within just 7 days investors from Toronto, London and New York invested in the young singer. They even forked out their cash before he started to produce ‘Deliverance’, his debut album.

Shayan says, “Being a tech-junkie, Ebay was an idea that came off a whim; to seek investors that would help me create demos of my music in offer for a percentage share of my life’s earnings in music. The response was staggering. Through that demos were recorded, the company setup and Deliverance the album born.”

Leading British newspapers like The Observer and The Guardian have already dedicated a few column inches to Shayan’s remarkable story, with further interest from ITV London Tonight and ITV News Sunday resulting in live broadcast interviews with the artiste.

Shayan is one of the few British Asians to use such an innovative method to raise money and possibly the first ever to use Ebay to kick-start a career in music.

Having produced, written, arranged and performed the 11-track pop/rock album himself, Shayan’s sound has a unique sensuality and is performed in entirely in English.

His first single, ‘Soul’ is a gentle, yet passionate ballad that tugs at the heart strings. Shayan won the Honorary Songwriters and Performers Award at the Great American Songwriting Contest for his penning of the lyrics and he was a top 5 finalist at the 2004 VH1 International Song Contest.

It was also the first unsigned/unpublished song to be played on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, one of the station’s most popular and prestigious shows.

To celebrate the release of his album, Radio Sargam have three copies of his CD to give away to lucky listeners. For your chance to win, please email us the answer to the following question:

What type of website is ebay? (a) online auctions (b) free mp3 downloads.

Email your answer to radiosargam@hotmail.com by 5th August 2005. Normal Radio Sargam competition rules apply.

WRITTEN BY PUJA VEDI