What do The Strokes and The White Stripes have in common with the Throat Singers of Tuva? Answer: They were all introduced to Brighton - and Britain - by Anna Moulson.

Anna is the founder and sole face behind Melting Vinyl promotions, which this week celebrates seven years of bringing hundreds of obscure acts to the city - with some going on to stardom, while other remain defiantly adrift of the mainstream.

Bradford-born Anna organises an average of ten shows a month from her tiny office in a Hove basement, with the guiding principle that no venue is too big nor too small, no artist too bizarre.

Anna feels as comfortable dealing with the compact Sanctuary Cella in Hove as with the 2,000-capacity Brighton Dome.

She said: "Both my parents are really musical people and went to a lot of concerts and festivals in the Sixties.

"My stepbrother was a punk, my stepsister a New Romantic and my sister is a real indie kid so I have grown up with lots of different styles and tastes.

"I started going to gigs when I was about 13 or 14, which was possible then because venues were not as strict about security.

"I got involved with promotion while at university in Newcastle. I started just by helping friends put on shows and ended up doing that more than coursework."

Anna decided to move from her roots in search of sun, sea and a place with a vibrant music scene - and Brighton seemed a good candidate, despite having never visited.

She said: "It was originally only going to be for a month but I liked it so much I stayed. I got involved straight away with the music scene because it was so easy to meet people."

Anna's first gig was for female punk acts Tampasm and Lolita Storm at the Freebutt in Phoenix Place, Brighton.

She said: "I think I made something like £20 and thought I had really made it."

"But my second band were The Delgados from Glasgow and I didn't really have a clue what I was doing as we arrived at the Freebutt.

"There was just one small room for the band and the stage was made up of plastic crates and plywood.

"The band were asking where the stage and venue were and I had to explain they were standing in it. Then they were asking for monitors and other equipment and I had no idea what they were talking about.

"It helps to have knowledge about financial plans and realising you can negotiate for a lot of things.

"I'd also liked to have known more about various legal aspects. When I put on a mini-festival on the seafront called Brighton Crawl a few years ago I got a phone call from someone in the licensing department saying that it may not be allowed under the Sunday Observance Act of 1780."

Last year Anna set up another company, Live Reel, to book European tours for the bands she had dealt with in Brighton.

She now hopes her experiences will encourage more women to get involved in promoting.

She said: "It's a bit of a man's world and there are still very few female promoters. But I think sometimes women don't take this job because they want something more financially rewarding.

"I have to guarantee the band and the venue money and if not enough people turn up I might not get paid very much or even lose money. More women would probably change the nature of the business as it is quite cut-throat and macho at the moment."

One thing Anna is sure of is that promoters, male or female, could not start their career in a better place than Brighton.

She said: "The audience in the city is very developed. People know their music and will take a chance.

"I booked a band called God Speed You Black Emperor from Canada, who are an instrumental group with two drummers and loads of violins and things.

"The first time they were at the Sussex Arts Club in front of 20 people but a few years later they sold out the Corn Exchange, which holds more than 1,000."

But she warned: "Brighton is changing with a lot of nouveau riche moving in and it will be a pity if the individuality of the place gets stamped out.

"I'd also like to see a real community venue in the heart of the city. Somewhere with about a 200-capacity where people can put different shows on for not much expense.

"I'd quite like to get involved with promoting bands in schools or in venues which will allow young teenagers."

Melting Vinyl is celebrating its birthday with a mini-festival of bands at the Komedia tonight, January 14, 21 and 29.

For more details, see www.meltingvinyl.co.uk or www.komedia.co.uk