Google Shines a Light on Indie Artists

Now that you can buy your favorite music from Android Market, we're showcasing some of the world's most established musical talent, from The Rolling Stones to Coldplay to Shakira. But these aren't the only artists you'll discover in our store. Thanks to the Google Music artist hub, do-it-yourself (DIY) musicians who want to sell music directly to fans can create an artist page, and price and sell their own songs, giving you the chance to discover and hear the best of what's next.

We want to shine a light on these promising indie bands and help fans connect with them. Starting today, the best new independent talent selling music through the Google Music artist hub will be "Magnified" alongside megastars.

Get Magnified
Each week, our editorial staff will feature a new indie artist in our Staff Picks—plucked from musicians using the artist hub to distribute their music. These artists get a "Magnified Artist" badge on their artist pages in Android Market to help distinguish them in the store. We'll also be giving a few of these bands an opportunity to perform on some of music's biggest stages in the coming months.

In partnership with T-Mobile, we're kicking off the program this weekend with a concert series at the Sundance Film Festival, featuring eight promising acts. We're proud to present:

• Bad Rabbits: From Boston, Massachusetts, this band adds some funk and R&B to the line-up with songs from their self-released album Stick Up Kids.
• Chancellor Warhol: Nashville doesn't seem a likely place for a hip-hop group to hail from, but these artists have a sound all their own, which you can hear in their first two albums.
• The Civil Wars: With more than 200,000 albums sold, this Nashville duo proves good music prevails, especially with an album like Barton Hollow.
• Feather & Belle: One of the first users of the artist hub, this indie pop duo decided to utilize Google Music to distribute its debut album, and became a new favorite of our editorial team.
• Fort Lean: These Brooklyn indie rockers caught our attention with their self-titled debut EP, which you can find in Android Market.
• Vintage Trouble: This L.A. band combines old school soul and classic rock 'n' roll in a fresh way, and you can hear that in their EP, now posted for free in Android Market.
• The Whigs: From Athens, Georgia, this trio has played some of music's biggest stages, and you can discover a brand new song from them in Android Market now.

While at Sundance, we'll connect these Magnified Artists with tastemakers and industry veterans, and use footage from their performances, along with interviews and editorial reviews, to launch key marketing and merchandising campaigns that will help boost their careers. Following Sundance, our next promotional event, with support from T-Mobile, will be at Red Light Management's after-party for the Grammy's. We'll also promote artists around SXSW and other prominent events.

If you've got questions, check out more information here. We're really excited to find the hottest new artists and give them center stage. – By Caren Kelleher at Google Music