Take a look at the Bum Rush The Charts PDF! It's a great printout, handout, or attachment you can send people to learn more about what to do, when to do it, and why!
Link to the flyer:
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Bum Rush the Charts PDF
Bum Rushing for 80 Cents
Buying music from the RIAA labels just gives them the funding to sue the people they're supposed to be marketing to, while screwing over the artists who keep them in business.
Example:
Members of Cheap Trick and The Allman Brothers Band, two veteran rock acts that signed deals in a pre-digital universe have sued Sony BMG for unpaid royalties.
The heart of the complaint lies in "packaging costs", which are deducted from royalties paid to artists when music is pressed to CD (or in the case of The Allman Brothers, vinyl). Both Cheap Trick and The ABB claim that they are being dramatically underpaid, being that digital downloads have minimal, if any, packaging costs associated.
"A major label like Sony BMG likely receives 80 cents of every 99 cent download. Out of that 80 cents, 4.5 cents goes to the Allmans based on their existing terms."
Source: http://digitalmusic.weblogsinc.com/2006/04/28/cheap-trick-allman-brothers-sue-sony-bmg-over-digital-distribut/
Wouldn't it be better for the artist to receive that 80 cents than a litigation-happy recording industry association? We think so. Bum Rush The Charts will demonstrate the power of podcasting and the richness of independent, podsafe music. As a bonus, your purchase on March 22, 2007 will take 5 cents out of the 19 that Apple collects and put it towards college scholarships. Great music, social good, and a hearty heave-ho to the record labels - what's not to like?
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
"Can you promote my band, too?" Maybe.
The inevitable question has of course been asked: "Can you promote X band, too?"
The short answer is maybe. The long answer goes a bit like this. This whole campaign is a proof of concept, to show that podcasting can, as a social movement, make a social and economic impact on a large scale in an organized fashion. One of the unstated goals of an event like this is to make it a template that others can use for future projects. Nothing here is being done in secret, in true new media fashion. What you see is what you get.
For this campaign, we're focusing just on Black Lab's song, Mine Again.
That said, the Bum Rush site will still get lots of traffic and attention in the days and weeks after the campaign is over. If there is enough interest, we'd be more than happy to change the iTunes link on that page every week to feature a new band. It'd be like New Music Tuesdays, only a podsafe indie version instead.
If you like this idea, if you are at all interested in this idea, here are my proposed requirements:
1. The band obviously has to be in iTunes.
2. The band must be podsafe. To be podsafe, you must either have your material on the Podsafe Music Network, IODA Promonet, or the Creative Commons music site with a CC 2.5 By-SA license.
3. The band has to not suck. I'm open to suggestions about how to judge this; my initial thinking out loud is to pick 10 podsafe music shows (Accident Hash, PMC Top 10, etc.) and pull bands from their playlists. Other suggestions that are more objective and well thought out are welcome.
Please post your thoughts in the comments. Remember, NONE of the above is set in stone, so constructive discussion may well shape what happens on March 23 and after.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Bum Rush en Italia
http://www.rockcastitalia.com/bum-rush-the-charts/
Thanks to Franco from RockCast Italia
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Let us hear your voice!
Post a link to your audio or video promo for Bum Rush the Charts in the comments!
How To Bum Rush
Okay, so you've heard the news about the movement, you know what the deal is. Send an indie artist to the top of the charts, send a lucky kid to college. But HOW do you bum rush? Easy.
Step 1. Write down and share this address:
http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/bumrush
[Bookmarks: BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Earthlink | ma.gnolia | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | Squidoo | StumbleUpon]
You'll need it on the big day.
Step 2. Set up reminders for yourself - Google Calendar, Outlook, MySpace, doesn't matter. Mark the date carefully. March 22, 2007. On that day, and that day alone, buy the track Mine Again for a mere 99 cents. (you can, of course, buy the album, but the minimum participation requirement is that 99 cent purchase).
Step 3. Add a badge to your home page, MySpace page, web site, whatever. Need the code? Just copy and paste this text:
<a href="http://www.bumrushthecharts.com/"><img src="http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/brtcbadge.gif" border="0" /></a>
Step 4. Tell people about what's going on. There will be plenty of promos and things later on, but start spreading the word now - MySpace bulletins, emails, promos, whatever you can think of to spread the word.
Who's In and What They're Saying
"March 22nd you all have an assignment. An assignment to buy a specific track from iTunes both for a good cause AND to show the power and community of new media. Full details soon. You can be damn sure you’ll be hearing more about it from me on every channel I’ve got! I’m not going to allow people to write this one off and to forget about it. The inspiration is way to important to do that!" - C.C. Chapman, Accident Hash
"Alright man, i'm on board! i've posted it a few places already and i'll be bringing it up on the show. sounds like a great idea and pretty simple execution. let's show them that the customers run things around here..." - Drew Domkus, The Dawn and Drew Show
"This is going to be cool - on one day everybody we can round up in social media will buy one specific track on a day in March in iTunes. The affiliate money made will go to a college scholarship..." - John Wall, The M Show
"March 22, 2007 is a day that will stand in podcasting history." - Todd Wachtel, Jersey Toddshow
"On March 22, 2007, a bunch of podcasters are aiming to game the charts in the iTunes Music Store for at least a day by asking everyone involved in podcasting to buy just one song, a specific song, Mine Again by Black Lab, that day. The effort, called Bum Rush the Charts, is designed to demonstrate to old media that podcasting has reach and more importantly, purchasing power." - Christopher Penn, Financial Aid Podcast
"There's a word for what the record companies have been doing: racketeering. Now it's time for us to show them that podcasting is a true mechanism of change." - Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff, Pacific Coast Hellway
"I’m going to participate, because I think the idea’s pretty fun, and it does point a finger in the eye of some of the numbers the world uses to guide its decisions." - Chris Brogan, Network2.tv
"Okay music fans, everyone knows that you are the real power behind the "new" music industry and now is your chance to prove it. On March 22nd, we are going to BUM RUSH THE CHARTS!! That's right, the worldwide podcast community is going to flex our collective muscle and push Black Lab's "Mine Again" to the top of the iTunes music chart!" - Chris Doelle, PMC Top 10
"New London Fire supports indies in every way shape or form. Even the
sweet indie coffee shop next door. They have great espresso! This
rules." - New London Fire
"On March 22, we’re asking everyone to spare 99 cents to make a statement. We’re going to make an independent and podsafe artist #1 on iTunes." - Eric Skiff, TPN Alternative Music Show
"I like the idea except for the revenue being given to Apple for DRM-laden media files. They can have my 99 cents to make this statement. I’m in. On March 22, I’ll be making music mine again." - Kevin from the Schwagcast
"This is a great idea and I'm in and trying to get things going in Japan. I'm contacting some other podcasters here who may not have heard. I'll announce it on my next show and play Mark Yoshimoto Nemkoff's "THE ITUNES TAKEOVER ANNOUNCEMENT". - Tokyo Dan, What's Happening In Tokyo podcast
"I'm buying on the 22nd of March, and try to get my listeners to do the same.
Looking out for the promo's." - Rob from the StamPodcast
"Great idea. Let's do it!" - DigiVegas Indie Podcast
"I just would like you to know Jaycast is in full support of the movement and I will of course be putting links on our Podshow and .Mac websites and spreading the word on the show." - Jaycast Jay
"Great idea and a great band to get started with :-) I'll be buying..." - Three From Leith Podcast
"Giving the finger to old media, buying a kick ass track from a pod friendly group, and giving someone the opportunity to get some money for college, what’s not to like? I’m in and will encourage all of you to help out too." - Coal Cracker Radio
"That ROCKS!! If we can do anything to help, just let us know!! FIGHT THE MAJORS!!! KEEP INDIE ALIVE!! BUY INDIE MUSIC!!" - Western Civ Rock
"Thanks fer checkin' us out! hope your project goes well and you show the record companies what they are doing wrong." - Real Gone
Did you post the badge and a blog post that didn't get mentioned here? Link to it in the comments!
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