MANILA, Philippines ? Heard of the bands Bembol Rockers? Or Out of Body Special? What about Reklamo or Salamin or Switch?

There are many more bands out there than you?ll ever see on MYX or MTV. You won?t probably hear of them until you get online and log on to Splintr.com.

The Philippine music industry is chock-full of great artists and bands that don?t get enough publicity because they don?t have the backing of a corporate system. Well, that?s what splintr.com is all about.

Rolando Gonzaga, director of operations for the site, describes it as ?a video-based online music channel that caters to the independent music scene in the Philippines.?

?We built our platform online and created a virtual community of music fans who stay updated on the latest Splintr videos, events, and news from all their favorite indie bands,? he adds.

So you wanna watch your favorite independent bands play live? Just tune in to the website and enjoy them captured in HD video by a professional crew as they jam and play in a recording studio. The site has over 230 videos from close to 30 artists, and it?s still growing.

It?s been around for three years, and while Gonzaga has called it a ?challenging road? full of obstacles, the site is as professional as they come. There are some 6,000 registered members and over 300,000 monthly hits?virtual proof that people are scouring the net for their music. CDs? What are those?

?We believe that by showcasing these artists through high quality, professional video and audio, fans would be more inclined to go seek them out, watch them in gigs, and buy their MP3s from the online stores,? says Gonzaga. ?Basically, we support these guys so they can continue to do what they do best.?

Nine Inch Nails in Manila

So what is in store for 2009?

?2009 is gearing up to be very busy, both online and live,? Gonzaga explains. There?s a bar tour in conjunction with Jim Beam, and a campus tour coming up in June. The quarterly Splintr Live! events features the bands that appear on the site, and there?s the official launch at the Araneta Coliseum with the band Nine Inch Nails on Aug. 5.

Why Nine Inch Nails?

?What better artist to help herald a new revolution in independent music than having Nine Inch Nails, the purveyors of individuality, originality and independence from the first tracks of ?Pretty Hate Machine? to ?Closer? to ?Only,? perform live?? Gonzaga says.

?This will definitely be a once-in-a-lifetime experience as it?s the first and last time they will perform here (they?re going on hiatus after this tour). From the amazing feedback we?ve been getting for this concert, Filipinos have been waiting for something like this and are more than ready! NIN will also be choosing one local opening act from the bands on our site, which we will announce soon. It will be epic! Trent Reznor is coming to Manila, folks!?

For more updates about the Nine Inch Nails concert on August 5, register at splintr.com and get updates and attend their events for more freebies.