The sweet music of success

Lots of bands have obsessive fans but one band called Clear is asking for a lot more than a bit of screaming from its adoring followers.

It wants them to hand over hard cash. To make an investment in their success.

Clear is a three-piece guitar band, who perform regularly at the 12 Bar Club in Soho, London.

The band is made up of Craig Wentworth, Neil Ward and Mark Stevenson; they've been together for six years, but until recently they've found the music industry a tough one to crack.

After numerous attempts, the band gave up on trying to secure a record deal with a major label and lost hope of releasing an album.

But they hadn't counted on the loyalty of their fans were who were keen to step in to help.

"It all came about through our fan club," says Craig, the lead guitarist.

"One of our fans asked why they couldn't buy our records in the shop and so we told him about where we'd got, and he said that he'd be prepared to stump up some cash."

He did that, and others followed.

Clear formed a limited company called Abstraction Records and issued shares to all the fans who'd put money in; the cash allowed them to cut their first album on which all their shareholders became executive producers.

"These people are actually working on our behalf, almost like a marketing force. It's a very collaborative environment, they regularly suggest things we can do better." says the band's lead singer, Neil.

According to Craig, the shareholders will share in the band's future success.

"It's a long term project. It's not just about what we earn from one album, it's all the recordings we do through Clear, it's Clear's investment vehicle.

Craig: "It's a long term project."

"And it's not just recording it's merchandising, tour revenue, it all gets ploughed back into Abstraction records and then gets distributed amongst shareholders as you'd expect."

Richard Friend is a fan and a shareholder.

"The only way they were going to get a CD out into the market was if they got some outside investment. I believed in them so that's why I put the money in."

"There were about 30 of us who invested between £500 and £1500. The first album should do quite well, so I've heard, and there's another album in the pipeline.

"Hopefully things will go well."

So if Clear do become the new Coldplay or Oasis but then have to hand millions back to their fans will they regret their decision?

Neil doesn't think so: "The truth is that we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them."

Although most of the money raised by the fans has been spent, Clear are sensibly holding back several thousand pounds for future marketing projects.

It may take several years until Clear make it to the big time, if at all, so at best their fans are making a long-term investment.

But the investment has given a group of fans a great deal of pleasure from their involvement with the band in the short terms; and there's always the promise of a genuine share in any success the future may bring.