Bumrush the Charts

[Jason Tate]

On March 22nd, 2007, podcasters around the world are joining together in an effort to propel an independent musician to the top of the iTunes sales chart. At the same time they will be raising money for a college scholarship fund.
This campaign, called Bumrush the Charts , represents a viral social media experiment in which podcasters, in conjunction with bloggers, indie labels and artists, will ask their listeners to buy one song, by one band, on one day. The goal of this synchronized effort is to leverage the prominence of the iTunes charts to demonstrate the power of social networking and new media. The song chosen for purchase is "Mine Again" by the band Black Lab, a band that fought for ownership of their own music after being pushed out of two major label record deals - and has subsequently become an early adopter of podcasting.

Bumrush the Charts plans to use an iTunes affiliate link to earn a commission on each sale of "Mine Again," which it will use to build a scholarship fund. The Student Loan Network, an education finance company in Boston, Massachusetts, has made a pledge to match the first $1,000 raised on March 22nd using this web address: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/bumrush/

The project was initiated by a group of six podcasters, and has quickly ignited the entire podcast community. Many of the biggest names in podcasting, including former MTV VJ Adam Curry, are taking part. "Major labels use their resources to mass-market their product in a unified effort," says podcaster Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff. "We're going to show that our community can do the same thing."

Podcasters around the globe have created their own promos for the event and have asked bloggers to write about it, independent labels and artists to notify their fans, and podcast listeners to encourage five friends to participate.

The experiment has already garnered mainstream media attention from both the Canadian Broadcast Company and the British Broadcast Company.

[earlynovemberX]

interesting idea...

this is either something very cool or a greedy band looking to make alot of money. Either way I'm interested to see how this turns out.

[lightcollapse]

who the fuck is black lab

[Scott Pippen]

stick it to the man! use itunes!

[youcomebeforeyo]

I wonder what artist it will be?

[TMartin442]

i honestly dont know of any of company with a better marketing program than itunes

[mxpxjf]

Wow, I hate iTunes.

[konstantine94]

who the fuck is black lab

I remember them. They had a song called Learn To Crawl on the soundtrack for the first Spider-Man movie back in 2002.

[NixSantos]

Huh?

[StevieShotgun]

this is such an obvious and shady way for a no name band to sell a bunch of records. Lame, but it will probably work, so genius?

[TheSaltLick]

Yeah...this is gonna work as well as when the spam emails went around that said not to fill up your car with gas on a certain day back in 2004.

[ArmaniMassacre]

yeah, I remember Black Lab being on a few soundtracks and video games back in the day. Probably because I'm an old fucker...but honestly, I don't know that this will really show much, other than a bunch of people buying a song that they're probably not gonna listen to a whole lot....it's not like this is gonna happen everyday and slowly the Majors are gonna break at the knees and sell cds for 6 bucks.

However...i do like the idea of the scholarship fund...it's always cool to see somebody do something positive with the hopes of people waking up to certain agendas. still though...probably won't go over too well....

[eastcoast-fu]

What's the point? Why buy a bad song just to put it at the top of the charts when it doesn't deserve it?

[YourMusicSucks]

What's the point? Why buy a bad song just to put it at the top of the charts when it doesn't deserve it?

To show we can. lawl.

[x Manhandle x]

I wonder what artist it will be?

"The song chosen for purchase is "Mine Again" by the band Black Lab..."

Did you even read the article?

[indermamusicdot]

i agree.. this is an interesting concept.. but it would've been much more useful to take an artist like THEANTI ( www.myspace.com/theantiesspace (http://www.myspace.com/theantiesspace) ) with something to say and propel them to the top of the charts

but whatever

[gladnads]

I'm game no matter. I got .99 cents to waste.

[thesiz]

my dad has a black lab. her name is mia.

[preppyak]

What's the point? Why buy a bad song just to put it at the top of the charts when it doesn't deserve it?
To show we can. lawl.
Yeah...clearly I'm missing something here

my dad has a black lab. her name is mia.
haha...best response yet

[KillMeTheKing26]

shinfo.

[theguilt engine]

operation: fail.

[SuNDaYSTaR]

I wonder what artist it will be?Did you read the article?

[immacabdriver]

I remember them. They had a song called Learn To Crawl on the soundtrack for the first Spider-Man movie back in 2002.

Oh godddd. I remember that song. Horribleee.

[_kate]

there was a black lab song i heard like a year or two ago on digital cable music channel. i want to say it was, like, "wash it away" or something. i don't think it was too bad

and this is a cool idea. even if it is just an attempt to increase awareness of the band, it's always fun to stick it to the man. haha

[Shooter McGavin]

I wonder who started this whole campaign? Possibly Black Lab themselves or someone close to them as a way to sell some songs and make a little money? Sounds kind of fishy to me.

[S9Dallasoz]

this is such an obvious and shady way for a no name band to sell a bunch of records. Lame, but it will probably work, so genius?

God damn it people.
They had nothing to do with being picked aside from them being "Podcast friendly".

This is one of the most underrated bands of the past 10 years
& it's a great fucking song.

[S9Dallasoz]

What's the point? Why buy a bad song just to put it at the top of the charts when it doesn't deserve it?

$10 says you never listened to it.

[Tenn]

this is lame.

[ADren]

there was a black lab song i heard like a year or two ago on digital cable music channel. i want to say it was, like, "wash it away" or something. i don't think it was too bad

and this is a cool idea. even if it is just an attempt to increase awareness of the band, it's always fun to stick it to the man. haha

I was going to mention that one as I would believe that would be the one people would remember. I think that was their biggest radio hit back in the 90s.

[singlexsorrow]

seems kool i guess. interesting

[jdmx]

My god. What the fuck is wrong with this community? Everyone is missing the fucking point.

[redxluckyxcharm]

so I listened to the song on Rhapsody.. and its sounds very U2'ish.... I dont know if that is a bad thing or good thing(?????)

but.. regardless...

It's not an amazing song by any means(well in my opinion)..

[Roboman]

who the fuck is black lab

Um, I'm pretty sure that's the point. Who would want to buy a song from a band they already know of?

[elvis2x]

Filthy marketing campaign for a band... terrible. Thank God I don't use iTunes anyway.

[S9Dallasoz]

Filthy marketing campaign for a band... terrible. Thank God I don't use iTunes anyway.

You're missing the god damn point of this campaign.

and For God's sake BLACK LAB was just picked by these podcasters.

[C.J. Roberts]

My god. What the fuck is wrong with this community? Everyone is missing the fucking point.

This is true. Most everyone on here has good taste in music but is a bunch of fucking idiots when it comes to things like this.

[podsaferevo]

As a podcaster involved in this - I can tell you that the band was chosen by us, not the other way around. Black Lab have simply allowed us to play their music, without all of the nonesense of the royalties etc that the RIAA believes independent podcasters should pay. Because the band was jerked around by two major labels and forced to take legal action to regain ownership of their own music, we thought they were a good example to use.

We selected iTunes because it is a chart that is real-time. Sure we could have chosen some obscure Russian site and avoid "giving money to the evil Apple Inc..", but without the visibility of the chart, part of the goal is eliminated.

The scholarship is our way of doing something positive for others... rather than the major label way of greasing palms - we thought we would raise money for a deserving college student. And the Student Loan Network in Boston has agreed to match the first $1000.

[Levis454]

i think this is great. honestly, who cares about the band and what song it is, and how good you think it sounds. the point of all of this is to prove that we hold more power than we think. spread the word. besides its a good cause.

[jerseytoddshow]

I am one of the organizers of bum rush....we selected the band because they were dropped by a major label, and this is a good way to stick it to the "powers that be" even more.

if this isnt a reason to spend 99-cents for the track, I don't know what is...

[S9Dallasoz]

As a podcaster involved in this - I can tell you that the band was chosen by us, not the other way around. Black Lab have simply allowed us to play their music, without all of the nonesense of the royalties etc that the RIAA believes independent podcasters should pay. Because the band was jerked around by two major labels and forced to take legal action to regain ownership of their own music, we thought they were a good example to use.

We selected iTunes because it is a chart that is real-time. Sure we could have chosen some obscure Russian site and avoid "giving money to the evil Apple Inc..", but without the visibility of the chart, part of the goal is eliminated.

The scholarship is our way of doing something positive for others... rather than the major label way of greasing palms - we thought we would raise money for a deserving college student. And the Student Loan Network in Boston has agreed to match the first $1000.

Finally, Thank you.

[CWeezer2]

sometimes i get so agitated with the people on this site. even if the band sucks and so does the song, do you not see the point behind this? everyone whines and bitches about how independent labels and their bands are being screwed over by bigger markets, and then a group divises a plan and everyone either entirely fails to see the point or says it's a stupid idea because "that band sucks" and just wants attention. forget the scholarship behind it, forget the whole push to bring attention to labels/bands. save your 99 cents for something else, cause it's oh-so much money and such a waste.

[indermamusicdot]

As a podcaster involved in this - I can tell you that the band was chosen by us, not the other way around. Black Lab have simply allowed us to play their music, without all of the nonesense of the royalties etc that the RIAA believes independent podcasters should pay. Because the band was jerked around by two major labels and forced to take legal action to regain ownership of their own music, we thought they were a good example to use.

We selected iTunes because it is a chart that is real-time. Sure we could have chosen some obscure Russian site and avoid "giving money to the evil Apple Inc..", but without the visibility of the chart, part of the goal is eliminated.

The scholarship is our way of doing something positive for others... rather than the major label way of greasing palms - we thought we would raise money for a deserving college student. And the Student Loan Network in Boston has agreed to match the first $1000.


this should've been included in the original article

should clear up things for most people

[TMartin442]

i dont understand how everyone got so mixed up in the first place. it seems pretty obvious to me.

[podsaferevo]

I'm glad it cleared things up for people :)

If you do choose to be involved, please spread the word around. We have badges available on the website for blogs etc etc. bumrushthecharts.blogspot.com (http://bumrushthecharts.blogspot.com)

[starcrossdlovex]

That's such a good idea for that band to make money. But how about we pick a band we actually enjoy & all WANT to support?

[xXrunninglateXx]

That's such a good idea for that band to make money. But how about we pick a band we actually enjoy & all WANT to support?

Because "we" (whoever that broad word includes) would not be able to make a unified decision. People's taste in music is so diverse, how about someone just make a decision on a band that may (or may not) be decent and deserves a little boost? How about "we" stop complaining and just agree to participate or not?

[CWeezer2]

That's such a good idea for that band to make money. But how about we pick a band we actually enjoy & all WANT to support?


did you read the thread/ the posts made by the people who chose the band? jeesh.

[S9Dallasoz]

Black Lab is incredibly deserving.
They haven't been able to catch a break for the past 10 years.
Give 'em a chance.

[genericmadness]

i don't care if i like the song, i'm in.

[and we whisper]

that's pretty awesome. i don't know the song or the band, but i think it's a great idea.

[preppyak]

That's such a good idea for that band to make money. But how about we pick a band we actually enjoy & all WANT to support?
This would be precisely my thought...
Because "we" (whoever that broad word includes) would not be able to make a unified decision. People's taste in music is so diverse, how about someone just make a decision on a band that may (or may not) be decent and deserves a little boost?
So...you are giving us the exact same speech a major label would give any fans who complain about their acts being "pop" or "untalented"...did it ever strike anyone that a "talented" band (in the scene sense that they experiment and play with their genre) probably won't appeal to incredibly large numbers of people?

I mean, isn't that what you are protesting in the sense by buying this track...the major label system that "tells you" what you should like...but, aren't you then at the same time only reinforcing that by buying a song by a band you don't like? Because I've heard the song, its nothing special...certainly not chart topping material.

All you are proving by boosting this one bands sales is that the system of promotion regardless of the musical talent that major labels use is an effective one...and the very reason it still exists. While you may be able to point out that anyone can do it...and that bands could use that as an effective tool...by choosing the band instead of the band coming to you with this idea, you reinforce the reasons bands rely on major labels...because it is much easier to just have someone do the promotional stuff for you.

Ultimately...I think your logic is pretty backwards, and outside of the money going to a good place, doesn't really prove anything other than that the current system works...

How about "we" stop complaining and just agree to participate or not?
Ah yes...blind support for an idea...the true American way.

If anything, the promoters, if they want to be effective in any sense, should be listening for any and all critiques, because they are only going to hear them again in mass form when it actually happens and this song (assuming) moves up the charts. It's better to tweak an idea now before you promote it as a grand idea to millions

[Shooter McGavin]

As a podcaster involved in this - I can tell you that the band was chosen by us, not the other way around. Black Lab have simply allowed us to play their music, without all of the nonesense of the royalties etc that the RIAA believes independent podcasters should pay. Because the band was jerked around by two major labels and forced to take legal action to regain ownership of their own music, we thought they were a good example to use.

We selected iTunes because it is a chart that is real-time. Sure we could have chosen some obscure Russian site and avoid "giving money to the evil Apple Inc..", but without the visibility of the chart, part of the goal is eliminated.

The scholarship is our way of doing something positive for others... rather than the major label way of greasing palms - we thought we would raise money for a deserving college student. And the Student Loan Network in Boston has agreed to match the first $1000.

Well now you tell us. Alright, I'll allow it.

[neverender2113]

Because "we" (whoever that broad word includes) would not be able to make a unified decision. People's taste in music is so diverse, how about someone just make a decision on a band that may (or may not) be decent and deserves a little boost? How about "we" stop complaining and just agree to participate or not?

im going with not

[Mike128]

i just downloaded it and saved some money.

[xXrunninglateXx]

By choosing the band instead of the band coming to you with this idea, you reinforce the reasons bands rely on major labels...because it is much easier to just have someone do the promotional stuff for you.
If you read the eariler posts by the organizers, the band did not come to anyone with this idea. They were chosen by the organizers of the project because they felt the band deserved the help. Who are you to argue with their opinions?

Ah yes...blind support for an idea...the true American way.
I agree the country has a tendancy to blindly support things ::cough::Iraq War::cough:: ::cough::John Kerry::cough:: but I am not advocating to blindly support anything. I speficially said:
agree to participate or not
So if you want to support this, then go ahead. If you don't agree with its premise or think it's some shady deal, then don't.

[G.rex]

Black Lab is a great band. Since getting fucked over by labels several years ago, they've made a living writing songs largely for television and movies, keeping ownership and basically doing things their own way. Besides the Spiderman soundtrack, you can find their stuff on The Shield, Law and Order, The Covenant, Blade Trinity, and tons of other projects. Some of you would call this corporate whoring. I would call it a smart band using the conventions of this business unconventionally and to their advantage. They absolutely deserve our support.

[fueledbyiz]

interesting. now i'm curious to find out how it goes down...

[nerdvglc]

stick it to the man! use itunes!
don't be naive...itunes IS the man....

[Scott Pippen]

don't be naive...itunes IS the man....

nobody on the internet gets jokes anymore...

[gladnads]

Can this be reposted on the 21st or the 22nd? I know I will probably forget if not most people.

[podsaferevo]

Hey guys - I just wanted to report back to y'all with some *awesome* information that we got about Bumrush the charts.

The band has now stepped up to donate 50% of their proceeds March 22nd to the college scholarship fund... in addition to the iTunes affiliate account that we had already set up, and the matching of the first $1000 that is coming from the Student Loan Network.

So - 99 cents gets you a song, demonstrates the power of new and independent media AND puts a chunk of change into a scholarship fund. Just keeps getting better.