Just a big THANK YOU from us to you, the new media community, for making Bum Rush the Charts a very memorable and successful social experiment. I know we raised a lot of dough for a good cause and had a lot of fun doing it.
Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff (Pacific Coast Hellway, Shadow Falls: Badlands, N1B)
Mike Yusi (UC Radio, Pacific Coast Hellway)
Chris Penn (Financial Aid Podcast)
Neil Bearse (Podsafe Revolution)
Jersey Todd (Jersey Toddshow)
C.C. Chapman (Accident Hash)
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
THANK YOU!
Sunday, March 25, 2007
THE RESULTS ARE IN!
Our one day push led to 72 hours of excitement as the charts slowly aggregated. I believe these were our highest chart positions:
iTunes Rock Charts
US: 11
Canada: 10
Netherlands: 2
Germany: 12
Sweden: 7
Portugal: 31
UK: 71
Australia: 35
Austria: 25
Denmark: 40
Finland: 42
Ireland: 54
Italy: 30
New Zealand: 56
Norway: 23
Switzerland: 42
Overall Top 100 Songs Chart
Netherlands: 15
Norway: 55
Canada: 53
US: 99
Germany:98
Sweden: 98
Please let me know if I missed something.
If you were to look at all of the other bands on the charts at the same time, Black Lab was the ONLY UNSIGNED BAND.
Just getting onto the charts is pretty huge. Note that there are record companies out there that can't do what we did on the 24th.
Was there movement on the charts that wasn't apparent because they only updated 3x in 24 hours? Possibly. Was there an Apple conspiracy to shut down the charts on Bum Rush day? I really doubt it. Were the iTunes servers probably swamped because of the release of Apple TV and an update to the iTunes software? That would be my guess.
Did traditional media take notice? Washington Post, BBC, San Jose Mercury, Billboard, Spin, CBC, Businessweek and others. Raise your hand if you've ever heard of any of these.
Was it a success? You tell me. The whole experiment was set up to show that podcasting and new media is a social movement that has a pretty far reach across the globe. Bum Rush got a lot of people inside and outside of new media talking, shed more light on podcasting and helped get some exposure for an unsigned band and helped them tell their story about how they were mistreated by a major record label.
And in the end, even though we may not know the final sales report for 30 days, I'd wager that we raised thousands of dollars for the scholarship fund. Some kid who couldn't afford college before will get to go this fall because of the podcasting and blogging commuities. I don't know about you, but that makes me feel pretty good.
Honestly, 100 percent the credit belongs to you, the podcasters, podcast listeners, bloggers and blog readers who took part in Bum Rush the Charts.
Imagine what we could have done if we had made it a whole Bum Rush week instead of a day?
Friday, March 23, 2007
IT'S NOT OVER YET!
Updated:
Apple's charts are finally on the move! As soon as the numbers solidify, we'll post them here. Early returns as of 11:55PM Pacific Time 3/23.
You can still Bum Rush!
Canada Rock - #10 (Yes, we outsold the new Rush single in Canada!)
Canada Overall - #53
US Rock - #11
US Overall - #99
Netherlands Rock - #2
Netherlands Overall - #15
Sweden Rock - #7
Germany Rock - #12
Norway Overall - #55
Portugal Rock - #31
Source: Apple.com
Also, check out this post about Bum Rush on Spin.com (http://www.spin.com/features/everybodystalkingabout/2007/03/070323_bumrush/)
Worldwide chart positions as of mid day 3/22
iTunes Rock Singles Chart
* US: 67
* UK: 71
* Canada: 22
* Australia: 35
* Austria: 35
* Denmark: 40
* Finland: 42
* Germany: 13
* Ireland: 54
* Italy: 30
* Netherlands: 5
* New Zealand: 56
* Norway: 23
* Sweden: 9
* Switzerland: 42
Overall Top 100 Songs Chart
* Canada: 96
* Germany:98
* Netherlands:38
* Norway: 100
* Sweden: 98
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Welcome
Traffic data from Urchin and Feedburner is posted here, along with raw data if anyone's interested. A reminder that as numbers and data come in, we'll post them up. We will not have full purchase data for up to a month, depending on when Apple generates its reports. We should have third party verification of purchasing from IODA within a day or two.
Podcasting gets little respect from traditional media. To them we're little more than a joke, than amateurs. What they don't understand is that podcasting is more than just a delivery mechanism - it's a social movement. People are sick of the watered-down, cookie-cutter content that networks and record companies expect us to enjoy. People are tired of watching friends and loved ones get sued by record labels who only care about profits and nothing else, not even the artists they supposedly represent.
We want and deserve more. 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. The track we've chosen is "Mine Again" by the band Black Lab. 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.
What's more, we're going to take it a step beyond that. We've signed up as an affiliate of the iTunes Music Store, and every commission made on the sale of "Mine Again" will be donated to college scholarships, partly because it's a worthy cause, but also partly because college students are among the most misunderstood and underestimated groups of people by big media. Black Lab has taken it up another notch - 50% of their earnings are going to be donated to the scholarship fund as well.
If you believe in the power of new media, on March 22nd, 2007, take 99 cents and 2 minutes of your time to join the revolution and make iTunes "Mine Again". If you're a content producer (blogger, podcaster, etc.), we're asking you to join up with us and help spread the word to your audience. Nothing would prove the power of new media more than showing corporate media that not only can we exceed their reach and match their purchasing power, but that we can also do it AND make a positive difference in the world. If we can succeed with this small example, then there's no telling what can do next.
How to help
Remind people about Bum Rush the Charts using email and MySpace bulletins & messages. Remind people that the link to buy Mine Again is:
http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/bumrush
and that using this link will net us 5% in affiliate fees from Apple on top of the 50% donation from the band.
Important: remind people that they can GIFT Mine Again using this link as well, so if they already own it, they can gift it to a friend, colleague, or associate who may not have heard of Black Lab before.
If college and graduate students are part of your audience, remind them that in order to be eligible for the scholarship, they need to set up a free profile at:
http://www.ScholarshipPoints.com
Also, it may sound silly, but it pays to remind people that they need to download and install iTunes, plus open an iTunes Music Store account with a valid credit card and/or PayPal account.
http://www.iTunes.com
Make sure you've got a copy of the StumbleUpon toolbar for IE or Firefox, and that you have an account set up on StumbleUpon.
http://www.StumbleUpon.com
Once you've got StumbleUpon up and running, visit EVERY blog post (click on the titles of the posts on the main page) at Bum Rush the Charts and click the Thumbs Up button. Be sure to do this on the buy now URL as well.
On YouTube, make sure you watch and rate 5 stars the Bum Rush videos on there:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jMx_66WS9hQ
http://youtube.com/watch?v=u5_y9EZcLDY
http://youtube.com/watch?v=T-zl5hZOScQ
Obviously, buy Mine Again today. In addition to that, we need to give a major social networking blast to BRTC stuff today.
Send out one final round of MySpace bulletins. Ideally, delete any previous bulletins about BRTC and post a new one. If you have the time, delete and repost in the morning, afternoon, and evening, to ensure that the maximum number of friends see the bulletin (especially if you have a lot of friends).
Go to this Digg.com Bum Rush URL:
http://digg.com/videos/music/Bum_Rush_The_Charts_2
and click Digg It. If you don't have a Digg.com account, set one up.
== After Thursday ==
We'll keep you up to date on how BRTC goes - if it goes well enough, there's no telling what we can all do next. Thanks for being a part of it, and please share this with anyone else you know who is excited about BRTC and wants to know how they can help more, beyond just buying the track.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Promos and other stuff
Share this link: http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/bumrush
 You in? Copy this code to your site! | Also in black: |
Play Mine Again on your show!
Mine again is available as a podsafe music selection on IODA Promonet.
Play a Bum Rush promo on your show!
| Family/Work Safe | Explicit |
Share the PDF!
Get college students involved!
In order to be eligible for the Bum Rush scholarships, college students need to set up a free profile at Scholarship Points.
Promos from Cary Chatham
Here are three days of AUDIO countdown promos for BRTC depending on your show schedules. Each is the same except for the mention of how many days till BRTC there is an extra music piece for lead in, if you don't need it fade it out.
March 19 2007
http://download.yousendit.com/036EA57A370A404F
March 20 2007
http://download.yousendit.com/59A6DCF13A8E4456
March 21 2007
http://download.yousendit.com/23C2805F05937551
Depending on show schedules here are three days of iPod ready VIDEO promo starting monday for Bum Rush The Charts. Each is the same except for the mention of how many days till BRTC
BumRushVideo3Days03_19_07.m4v
http://download.yousendit.com/C023D1A03389C1AE
BumRushVideo2Days03_20_07.m4v
http://download.yousendit.com/DE40B7C102DBE9B2
BumRushVideo1Day03_21_07.m4v
http://download.yousendit.com/2BFC375059863D1D
Best,
Cary Chatham
New Haven, CT
Monday, March 19, 2007
Countdown: 3 days
Bum Rush the Charts is 3 days away! Here's something you should know: if you already own "Mine Again", you can gift it in iTunes through our affiliate link to a friend who doesn't own it. Use the affiliate link on March 22nd and give a friend the gift of independent music.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Counting down: 1 week until we Bum Rush the Charts
One week left. Podcasters - have you played the promos? Bloggers - have you posted about it and left comments on music blogs about it? MySpacers - have you sent out bulletins, comments, and messages to your friends? In the end, no matter how many press releases and news stories there are about BRTC, it will come down to YOU and your personal network to make this a success! If you've never tested the reach of your personal network, now is the time!
Monday, March 12, 2007
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
50% of your purchases will go to college scholarships
Paul Durham from Black Lab recently made the announcement about Bum Rush the Charts that the band will donate a full 50% of all purchases to the college scholarships fund. This is huge news - and very generous of Black Lab. Like any indie band, they need to put food on the table, too, and to be willing to contribute back to the community a full 50% of purchases is incredible.
If you were concerned that Bum Rush the Charts was merely a marketing ploy to help a band get rich quick, let's put those fears to rest. With Paul Durham's announcement, the math for Bum Rush the Charts is very different.
On a 99 cent purchase of an RIAA artist:
- 19 cents goes to Apple
- 75 cents goes to the label
- 5 cents goes to the artist
On a 99 cent purchase of Mine Again on March 22:
- 14 cents goes to Apple
- 5 cents goes to the scholarship fund directly
- 40 cents goes to the band
- 40 cents goes to the scholarship fund via Black Lab's donation
We're happier than ever and more sure than ever that Black Lab was the right choice for Bum Rush the Charts, and we hope that you'll be more eager than ever to support this movement. Spread the word - Bum Rush the Charts on March 22!
UPDATE:
Here's a message from Paul Durham of Black Lab!
Monday, March 5, 2007
Friday, March 2, 2007
Create your own promo for BRTC
I've been talking about it on my show, The UC Radio Podshow, but I figured I'd throw it out there for those of you checking out the blog.
If you send a promo that you make to ucradio@gmail.com I'll play it on my show and send you a sticker and a shirt from the show. No questions asked, no rules or regulations. Say what you want and feel and I'll put it into the show.
Thanks for listening and taking part in Bum Rush The Charts
Mike
UC Radio
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