Bum Rush the Charts
Some podcasters have gotten together and organized a show of strength (hopefully) they’re calling “Bum Rush the Charts.” On March 22nd, they’re urging everyone to go to iTunes and buy the song “Mine Again” by Black Lab, an independent and podsafe band. The idea is to get an indie artist to the top of the iTunes charts. Between this and Gizmodo’s call for a boycott of RIAA music in the month of March, it makes me wonder: when do we get to start smashing and burning things?
Comments
Daniel says
Thanks, you almost sent coffee shooting out my nose. :)
As I understand it you can start the smashing now, but the burning has to wait until we get the kegs rolled in.
Andrea says
Wait, we weren't supposed to start smashing yet? Hmm. Anybody have any superglue? No? Oh, no reason, no reason.
Interesting idea, but perhaps they should have picked a song that wasn't incredibly boring and bland!
Darth Paradox says
Personally, I'd like to see a plan that doesn't involve handing Apple money for malware-ridden media. Good luck, though.
Matt says
I have to agree with Darth Paradox. I support independent musicians, but just as much I support DRM-free music.
JY says
By the way, if the Bum Rush plan works, then, Black Lab, the band lucky enough to be selected, stands to make a lot of cash, since they get 81 cents per download according to a PDF file I read on the site.
Andrea says
Apple's DRM may annoy you, but calling it "malware" is unfair. It doesn't hurt your computer like Sony's rootkit, or keep track of you in any way more sinister than Amazon.com does. It doesn't even prevent you from giving a copy of the music you buy to your friend; burning a disc and then re-ripping to MP3 is trivial.
I find the iTunes store extremely convenient and fair. And if the token DRM scheme makes the suits in charge of the music industry feel better about my instant, reasonably-priced access to 90% of anything I could possibly want to hear, so be it.
Rich says
I'm way ahead of you. I've been boycotting the RIAA for years!
Joel says
You DRM bashers are a bunch of idiots. You obviously don't get what this is about. Bum Rush is not about Apple or DRM and the band is donating half of their proceeds to fund a college scholarship.
The One says
That 81 cents thing the band is supposed to receive isn't exactly the case. Out of that, the digital distributor for the band (who put it on iTunes) takes a chunk and I think 50% more of what's left goes into the College Scholarship on the band's behalf in addition to the initial percentage taken.
So I'm pretty sure the band is getting more along the lines of 30% when it's all said and done.
Kevin says
Even though we didn't exactly "make history" with BRTC, I have nominated JC to be the chosen artist when we Rush those Bums next time.
....
Heck! Why wait?
I'll get the ball rolling. I just bought "You Ruined Everything"
That seems aprops.
Who's with me?!?
George Hartline says
Hey we are doing a bum rush of our own, and we are donating proceeds to Marines in Camp Pendelton.
Also, Black Lab was a band already pretty well known. We have never been featured on a tv show, movie, or anything like that.
So help us with this grassroots campaign!
go to http://georgehartline.com
Thanks
George