Boulder Entrepreneur creates Internet site where local bands can promote their music

joesgrille.com is the other online compact music disc store.

On purpose.

Unlike CDNow, a World Wide Web site, that sells mainly mainstream, Top 40 music found at most record stores, Boulder-based www.joesgrille.com features independent artists not carried on big company labels.

We introduce new music, " said Wendy Rubin, founder and majority owner of joe's production & grille, inc. joe's began in 1992 as a CD manufacturing company. They launched the website to help the artsist who were coming to them for CDs. "Musicians would come by and go, 'now, what do I do now?'" said Rubin, whose background is photography, film and writing. (She admits she can't carry a tune in a bucket, although she could be a guitarist if she took her guitar out of the case and practiced some.) Rubin said she wanted to help artists overcome the music industry's daunting, competitive system. Normally, its some middle-aged white guy who chooses who will be the next star or who we hear on the radio, "Rubin said. "But we can decide who we want to hear on the radio, joe's is the start of that.The internet allows it to happen."

Visitors to the site can discover musicians by searching genres or typing in the name of an artists and clicking the "search for like artist" button. Punch in New Edition and find Simply Smooth, a three man R&B act out of Seattle.Type in Sting and learn about Bob Duncan, a New York singer/songwriter of pop and soft rock.

"Users with RealAudio software can also listen to music before deciding to order a CD, which they can do through the website. Cds average $9.95 on the website. Of that price, artists receive $7 and joe's gets the remaining $2.95.

joe's employs six-eight people, mostly women in a warehouse in North Boulder. The CD manufacturing business accounts for most of the company's profits and funds the website.The firm made $500,000 in its first year of manufacturing.

The CDs are also selling off the site. One local group, the Freddie Henchi Band, recently sold out of a thousand copies of its "Get up and Ge it off" CD. "Its really helped us, " said Henchi, whose band in past years has been represented by major labels like Warner Brothers and Capitol Records. They have not pursued a label since reuniting two years ago. They have been selling their music at performances, some local records stores and now through joesgrille.com.

CD sales have increased 20% every month on the site, Rubin says. One or more units from 40% of the titles listed sells. That's up from one or more units from 10% of the titles eight months ago, she said.

Profits from the website have been going straight into advertising and marketing the website. "I don't expect to see any real money off of these," she said. "If this works, in the end, everyone will win. It's more of a long-term vision. Let's get something up that will work for everyone."

em,” Rubin says. “Because, frankly, the current system sucks.”