Welsh proggers Magenta aim for UK charts

Hi All

I hope you don't mind me posting this here. This is a slightly unusual one!

welsh prog rock band Magenta will celebrate their move to a new label Tigermoth records, with the release of a single Speechless on March 19th. This is song that opened their live set at the end of last year. The song is a slice of exuberant, infectious prog with a great hook and a strong contemporary feel. It will be issued as both a CD single and as a download, and we plan to get this single into the UK charts.

A few years ago this would have been an over optimistic assumption for a prog band on a independent label, however the huge changes in the way that the UK charts are compiled - with the increasing influence of downloads against physical CD sales - means that if any band can organise its fan base to download their single within the first week of release, it can chart, as several artists like John Otway, Marillion and Koopa have shown.

Here's what keyboard player Rob Reed has to say: "People may be surprised with Speechless - it shows a side of the band that not many have heard. However, we feel it's a very strong song, and the perfect vehicle to increase the profile of progressive rock in the UK as well as benefiting the profile of the band, so you won't just be doing it for us, you'll be promoting prog.

We'd like as many people as possible in the UK to download the single during the first week of release, or buy it the CD from a major UK chain. There will be two versions of the song, plus a new version of "Anger" from our second album Seven, so please buy as many of these as you can afford as they all count towards the chart placing. If everyone pulls together, a UK top 40 is a real possibility."

The band have shot a video to go with the single and a short clip is already online at a special mini-site that the label have set up for the single at www.magentasingle.com Both CD and download versions also include a superb new full-band arrangement of Anger that was also showcased at the bands live shows towards the end of last year.

You can read more about the campaign at www.magenta-web.com and we are also after volunteers to help with our street and e-campaigns. Fans who live outside the UK can still buy the single and download, but sadly these don't count towards the chart. However, you can still help!

The tracks for download will be:

Speechless 7"
Speechless 12"
Anger - 2007 mix

The CD single will contain the following tracks:

Speechless 7"
Speechless 12"
Anger - 2007 mix
Speechless video

For further information, email magentasingle@btinternet.com

 

Magenta have launched a new, easier to use discussion forum here -

http://magenta.informe.com/index.phphttp://magenta.informe.com/index.php

And check out the rather startling artwork for the new single here...

http://web.mac.com/robreed1/iWeb/Speechless Cover/Blank.html

 

Err, try this link for the new forum instead -

http://magenta.informe.com/

 

Here's the latest news from the Speechless Campaign

Firstly, we are delighted to say that the CD single is now available as an exclusive pre-order from https://www.townsend-records.co.uk/artist.php?artist=Magenta price £2.99 plus p and p ( the standard retail price is £3.99). All purchases from a UK address will count towards the chart placing, so get ordering!


Secondly, the entire video for Speechless is now online at the Speechless Mini site, at www.magentasingle.com. You can also see it at our Myspace page www.myspace.com/magentauk or using this link to google video http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-3082970778450725853 . We hope you enjoy it. Details of the download will follow soon.



Finally, we’ve just launched a new Official Forum at http://magenta.informe.com

 

Just a reminder, the single is officially released this Monday 19th.


So if you have any spare pennies left over after comic relief, treat yourself to some decent music.