SOAD bassist to help unsigned bands

System Of A Down bassist Shavo Odadjian is launching a new online music initiative called urSession.com. According to a press release, the site is an "innovative digital community and record label designed to give independent and unsigned acts a promotional platform to showcase their talent, receive community feedback, monetize their art and land a record deal." The site will go live on June 14th and will be the first online label to sign artists based on audio and/or video performances uploaded by the artists themselves and voted on by members of the urSession community.

Odadjian said in a statement, "urSession will help revolutionize an artistically stagnant music industry and impact significant change. This isn't about a couple of suits in their ivory tower force-feeding the population a steady diet of bland and blander music. It's about the power of community pushing the envelope to help drive a more evolved level of talent."

Odadjian is named as the co-founder and president of the site, while its CEO and other co-founder is Narb Avedissian.

System Of A Down has been on hiatus since last summer. Odadjian has also directed videos and played with members of the Wu-Tang Clan during the break. Singer Serj Tankian has overseen his Serjical Strike label, while guitarist Daron Malakian has started a new band called Scars On Broadway and drummer John Dolmayan is launching an online comic book store called Torpedo Comics this November.