The Urban Myth Club's latest release reaches 5,000 downloads on its own website

LONDON, UK (TRL Music) - With the launch of iTunes turning the music industry on its head, the online music retailer already faces a new brand of competition – the digital savvy musician. UK chillout band, The Urban Myth Club, has had 5,000 tracks from its latest release, The Secret EP, downloaded directly from its website, www.urbanmythclub.com, while waiting to place its tracks on iTunes.

The Urban Myth Club hit the radars of music fans when illegal pre-release copies of its material started circulating around the web. When the band released the limited edition CD, The Secret EP, it sold out in two days, so it was vital to find a new way to meet demand.

Mark Vox, a spokesperson for The Urban Myth Club, comments: 'The guys got frustrated waiting for iTunes to respond. Inviting fans to download the EP directly from the band's website hadn't even been considered, until someone said they could set up a retail system in a few hours. Almost immediately, tracks were selling well online, and cutting out the middleman.'

With the hype and excitement surrounding iTunes, new artists believe they can now reach a global market overnight and sell thousands of records. Mark Vox disagrees: 'Many artists currently think their records will turn platinum by just getting their tracks on iTunes and similar sites. It's a false dream. The reality is that your music competes with 700,000 tracks, far more than stocked in your local record store. iTunes has revolutionised the distribution of music, not the promotion of new music. It's great if you're signed to a major with marketing millions, but for everyone else, the playing field has suddenly become a lot more crowded."

The Urban Myth Club is being hailed as the UK's answer to Air and Royksopp, with a growing fan base across Europe and North America. The band has gained a cult status, as fans try to find out who is behind the group. It's known that the collaboration of established artists include a Hollywood film composer and one of the industry's most respected chill-out names who recently appeared at Glastonbury.
The Secret EP is available for download www.urbanmythclub.com priced at �3.49. The Urban Myth Club is currently in the studio recording its forthcoming album.