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Published
on Tranzfusion.net
15 April 2003
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World-groove label 'Music Mosaic' is all about putting the world into perspective. Discovering talent from our shores and abroad, Music Mosaic have come to the forefront of multi-cultural expression. "We hope that through our music we can encourage all cultures and nations to live together respectfully on our planet Earth." Ama Kalma is owner and Managing Director of Music Mosaic. Together with her husband and a small but dedicated team they have to date produced thirteen uniquely different albums, each exposing the vast talent that exists throughout the world. As Ama explains the label originally began as an online custom CD service, its purpose - to find a platform with which to spread the word of peace through the sound of multiculturalism. "My husband is a producer, sound engineer, composer and musician and I have been working as a small business consultant for over 20 years. It was and is a perfect fit." "First we created a web site where you could make your own custom CD (www.musicalacarte.net ). It took us 12 months to set it up, to get about 40 independent international artists and 5 labels to sign a license agreement and to license tracks to us. The web site is a wonderful tool but barely anybody used it because it took too long to select tracks. It was a flop!" Not to be discouraged however, Ama and Ariel who were left with an amazing array of music on their database took it upon themselves to begin compiling CD's and releasing them locally. "We realized that we had a fabulous database of music, and that we should select the tracks (instead of our customers) and offer professionally made multicultural compilation CDs by theme. In July 2001 we released our first 4 albums." 'Didgeridoo Trance Dance,' 'Lotus Groove,' 'Healing Sounds' and 'Inner Peace' were to become the start of something exciting and inspirational. Frequently dismissed, World Music is often looked upon as being arrant noise that all sounds the same; a myth which Music Mosaic quickly dispelled. Featuring artists from India, Asia, Europe, Africa and Australia, Music Mosaic have consistently tapped into that something extra that only exists beyond the surface. To the surprise of many, alongside the traditional sounds of drums, flutes, pipes, tablas and chants are the workings of modern day electronica. It's the modernisation of these traditional sounds that have had the works of Music Mosaic effortlessly captivating today's audience. From beats bold and percussive to shuffling and gyrating to the awe inspiring fast minimal techno, chilled out house, and anthemic trance, there isn't a style that 'Music Mosaic' hasn't unleashed. 'When people listen to our music I want them to feel uplifted and relaxed, as well as becoming curious towards new sounds and rhythms from other countries and cultures. We want people to develop a tolerance towards people from different backgrounds, and hopefully realise that independent artists compose some excellent music.' Discovering the artists for Music Mosaic's albums is an ongoing process, but with a steadily growing reputation for producing high quality compilations, the artists are now coming to them. "Years ago, Ariel, my partner in life and business, had been traveling all over the globe as a musician and had lots of contacts to artists in different countries. At the beginning he needed to revive these contacts and convince the often skeptical artists that we are doing something special and royalties will be the reward. This took a while. Also, he researches music web sites on the Internet and finds lots of jewels. Now, things have changed. We have an excellent presence on the Internet, artists find us and we receive CD submissions almost daily, and - to our delight - more and more from artists/groups that were reluctant at the beginning of our enterprise." As the number of artists awaiting their place on the next compilation increases, many other changes have taken place since the humble beginnings. "Things are evolving steadily and surely. There has been lots of work to get it rolling, but the sales increase continuously. We were utterly delighted when we received our first order of 2000 CD's from the Australian distributor 'New World Music.' A moment of "Yes, it works!" The cooperation with this distributor has been very encouraging and successful." "Our albums are now distributed in Australia, US, Canada and parts of Europe! We courted the US distributor 'Music Design' for over 1 year, and we were very happy when they decided to take on our world-fusion groove titles in August 2002. 13 albums have been released, with extraordinary reviews and delighted feedback from often repeat customers. Over 100 artists and 15 international labels have now licensed tracks to us. " Most people have now come to the realisation that the internet has become a global point of access and vocalisation for anyone who wants it. For Music Mosaic, along with Ama's online marketing expertise, the internet has become the determining factor of their success. "The internet has helped in different ways. Our online shop (www.world-music-shop.com ) and our other web sites are working well together to attract visitors and buyers of our albums. People mostly buy from the US, Australia and Europe and on occasion from Japan and South America. Music Mosaic is also found by artists, therefore enabling us to offer a large variety of high-quality tracks from different cultures and countries." Situated in the beautifully serene Mullumbimby, NSW, you would be right to assume that idyllic surroundings such as these play a vital role in Music Mosaic's quest for global unity and collective harmony. "It couldn't be better. Furthermore, there are many gifted musicians in this region, and we are glad to help them get out into the wide world." As Music Mosaic strive to push for tolerance and peace, the world is finding itself in a very sad place, but Ama remains positive that peace will win through. "I believe that the wish of millions of people for peace and communication instead of war will slowly but surely prevail. Music is one of the best ways to support this process, and we drive a vehicle to spread a sense of peace.' With bright and positive intentions and a new album 'Groove Magic' soon to be released, Ama is quietly confident that their music and message will continue to spread. "I am hopeful of success, and a growing number of people who love our musical journeys - tell your friends. I am also looking forward to the next release in our 'Music Mosaic Collection,' and there are many more great compilations to come!" Also
check out Related Link: www.music-mosaic.com |