Now that the dust has settled on the Stop Peter Bjorn & John campaign, there’s a new netroots movement to turn your attention to (or ignore). The folks at Bum Rush The Charts are “sick of the watered-down, cookie-cutter content that networks and record companies expect us to enjoy” and furious about the RIAA’s litigious streak. They’re also sick of podcasters being disrespected, saying:
…to [traditional media] we’re little more than a joke … they don’t understand … that podcasting is more than just a delivery mechanism — it’s a social movement.
A movement, people. This is some William Wallace shit right here. And so far, their bleeding heart is in the right place. So whatcha gonna do about it, Bum Rush?
On March 22, 2007, we’re going to change that with your help.We can do better. We can match and exceed the reach of big media, corporate media, labels, and the entrenched interests. On March 22nd, we are going to take an indie podsafe music artist to number one on the iTunes singles charts as a demonstration of our reach to Main Street and our purchasing power to Wall Street.
Fun! Do we get to vote on a track that best represents our interests?
The track we’ve chosen is “Mine Again” by the band Black Lab.
Guess not. Not as much fun, but tell us more.
[Black Lab is] a band that was dropped from not just one, but two major record labels (Geffen and Sony/Epic) and in the process forced them to fight to get their own music back. We picked them because making them number one, even for just one day, will remind the RIAA record labels of what they turned their backs on — and who they ignore at their peril.
Well done with the rabble-rousing rhetoric. To further their altruistic intention, the BRTC gang is donating their iTunes commissions to college scholarships, while Black Lab is donating 50% of their profits to the same cause.
You can buy “Mine Again” iTunes here. And we’re always down to aid the underdog, but we leave this one to you: Cleverly subversive? Or band marketing ploy?
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so i first have to decide which i am more against:
major labels or itunes.
pretty much a marketing ploy… it smacks of it.
Donate the profits to “college scolarships”? What a myopic cause. Helping out middle-class well-educated future professionals – that’s gonna change the world all right.
according to wikipedia…
“Black Lab is a post grunge, alternative rock band drawing influences and similarities from U2, The Prodigy, Live and Coldplay.”
while i like the ideology of said movement, i wish they’d pick a more promising sounding band…
Actually, their time has passed. Their first single, “Walk Away,” came out at about the same time as Matchbox 20′s “Push”. In my mind, they were rivals.
A) We see who “won”
B) I used to have REALLY bad taste in music
I guess they figure that it’s a band that would have no chance of just coincidentally making the chart (kinda like when a bunch of people got NKOTB on TRL to celebrate the 10 year anniversary or something)
I get the distinct impression that this is not going to come anywhere near success. Not that I’m trying to discourage them, but how many protest statements actually work? Really?
seriously? these guys are suppose to be indie? just because they can’t get signed doesn’t make them indie. Don’t get me wrong, my inner high-schooler loves that they sound just like Stroke9, but come on! indie?
Man I’m sick of that fucking Peter Bjorn and John song. I liked it at first, but I hear it way way too much.
okay is that StopPeterBjorn&John blog for real? i never heard of it until now and even still i’m not convinced it’s real.
Why do they chose a shitty band? This smells like it is going to be about as big of success as the thought they put into it…
heyy,
i couldnt see the link for emailing you guys so sorry for the comment!
anyways, i just wanted to tell you about two new bands that i have discovered whom, i think you shall agree, are very talented and are going to be massive. lyrically both are superb but musically very different. well, ive rambled on long enough! check them out here:
http://www.myspace.com/tiltcityghosts
http://www.myspace.com/deliriumtremenssongs
thanks for your time
and keep up the great work!
best
issy x
Ugh. Maybe they were dropped from two labels because they suck.
Michael Quirk, you took the words right out of my mouth. Sometimes bands are dropped because they aren’t worth listening to. This would be one of those bands.
As much as I’d love to see whatever song they choose go to #1, I have to admit this Black Lab tune is pretty weak. Like… super weak.
I’d rather listen to shitty Fergie than listen to super-super-super-super-super-much-much-shittier Black Lab.
i remember black lab when they first came out. bleh. too bad they couldn’t make decent rock music and gain ‘indie respect’ to begin with.