Through the grapevine

THE LAST TIME I SAW DONNA Maciocia, her band Amplifico were about to play a showcase gig in London for a major record label. The industry's interest had been aroused, as happens often these days, partly by Amplifico's activities on the internet; via podcasts, the Edinburgh group had got their songs played on over 100 radio stations worldwide.

Another factor was Maciocia's friendship with KT Tunstall. She had just appeared in one of Tunstall's videos, sang backing vocals on her second album, and supported her on stage. Maciocia and Tunstall are very much kindred spirits – both are dark-haired Fifers with formidable and distinctive voices, who write credible but unash-amedly mainstream guitar pop. The music industry, it seemed, was very interested in Tunstall's friend, as were the public – Amplifico were drawing bigger crowds in London than the local bands they were supporting. In this magazine I predicted, rashly perhaps, that they would be a big success.

Two years on, they are and they aren't. Over a million people have now visited Amplifico's MySpace page (Maciocia modestly insists she is baffled by this, and thinks it must be a computer virus) but they remain unsigned. "People were talking about us but nothing ever happened," she sighs. "I think we're a tricky band to place. We got an e-mail from somebody at Island records saying 'there's already one KT Tunstall'. Eventually we stopped worrying about why we weren't getting signed and decided to focus on what was working for us."

This led Maciocia, guitarist Ross Kilgour and drummer Dave Brunton to a decision many other bands are now making – they would release their debut album themselves. Once there was a stigma attached to this, but increasingly, as big names like Radiohead walk away from major label deals, it has become something to take pride in – Glasvegas, one of this year's most talked about Scottish bands, remain unsigned and unapologetic. Maciocia, to her surprise, found herself being advised by numerous industry contacts not to sign a record deal.

"When we did the figures we realised that if we sold 10,000 albums with the platform we've set up, for a major label artist to make the same kind of money they'd have to sell 230,000," she says. "When you do the sums like that, and you appreciate the control you would lose signing to a label, it just seems a lot safer."

It also makes sense for a band with a very DIY approach. Maciocia, who went to art school, has always designed the band's artwork herself, including their busy and colourful website, www.amplifico.net. The site, run by Amplifico themselves, has been their most effective promotional tool. Updated daily with a steady stream of new songs, blogs, podcasts and photos, it had built up a sizeable international audience by the time Amplifico were being approached by major labels. When Amplifico needed funds to finish their debut album, See Heart, See Muscle, they asked their online fanbase to help out – and received almost 4,000 of donations, with individual pledges ranging from a few pence to 250.

"There was a little kid in Peru who gave us 1 of his pocket money," recalls Maciocia fondly. "He got his dad to wire it across to us via PayPal." In return, Amplifico promised, everyone who donated would feature in the album artwork. They kept that promise – five pages of the CD booklet are devoted to the faces and names of those fans, from the UK, US, Canada, Australia and across Europe.

Via the internet, Amplifico also found people to help them promote the album. "We're really lucky because we have people who work for us for nothing," says Maciocia. "We've got a girl out in the States whom we're sending 100 press packs to. She was signed in a band before, she loves us, and she's going to send them all out for nothing. And we've got a girl in Bristol who works for a big PR company, for Girls Aloud and Scissor Sisters, who helps us and gives us contacts for free because she loves us."

They also have Maciocia's dad, Max, who has spent much time investigating how publishing deals and the Performing Rights Society work on his daughter's behalf. It feels more like a big family project than a business operation – although the actual product, from sleeve art to press pack, has a very professional sheen. Despite interest from pluggers who have worked with the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Amplifico continue to do it all themselves – partly, Maciocia says, because they still have no idea if over a million MySpace plays will translate into sales. "In the record industry today you can have a great band that get to number one in iTunes but that doesn't mean they're making money, because of all the outlays, and because of file-sharing and piracy."

Recently Maciocia moved from Edinburgh to London, to be closer to the centre of the music industry. Ironically, though, she plans to spend much of her time there locked in her home studio, continuing to promote her band the same way she has so far.

"I really want to see if I can challenge myself – a song a week, a drawing a day – and get it all up online. If the quality of the work you make is good enough then it is a fact that people come back, because they know that every week something new will be there." She grins. "I might totally fail." She might, but she's doing pretty well so far.

• See Heart, See Muscle is released on 3 March via www.amplifico.net. A three-track EP, Logic Kills the Fire, can be downloaded for free at the same website. The band launch the album with a free show at Club Ego, Edinburgh, on 1 March, supported by Riley Briggs of Aberfeldy.