Irish-owned start-up WholeWorldBand, the brainchild of musician Kevin Godley (pictured above right with John Holand, chief executive of Wholeworldband), has been chosen as one of eight finalists in the prestigious South by South West (SXSW) Music Technologies Accelerator Award.

The awards are part of the South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival in the Austin Convention Centre, Texas. WholeWorldBand allows people from around the globe to join in with their favourite band as they perform one of their hit tunes.

You log on to the website and select a video of your favourite band playing. You can then replace individual members with your own performance, or simply play along. Think of it as a global jam session.

The firm has already signed a diverse group of musicians to create new and unique tracks for fans to interact with, including Ronnie Wood (The Rolling Stones), Danny O'Reilly (The Coronas), Gemma Hayes, Cathy Davey, Liam Ó Maonlaí, Mick Pyro (Republic of Loose), Declan O'Rourke, Julie Feeney, Mundy, Delorentos and The Riptide Movement.

Godley cut his musical teeth with 10cc before moving onto Godley Creme, the 1980s pop duo turned video pioneers. Since making the transition to music-video production, he has been hired by a host of clients, including U2.