INTRODUCING BADASSVERTISING: FREE ADVERTISING TO MILLIONS OF SKYLINE READERS EVERY DAY

During the day, we all work in marketing. All we do is try and think of interesting and meaningful ways to communicate our message and break though the constant clutter of advertising messages that bombard us all every moment of our lives. We’re not trying to sell people things they don’t need – that would be a waste of time. We’re just trying to get the right information to the right people when they are in the right mindset. The best way to do this, of course, is to try and find spaces that are clutter free, where it doesn’t have to compete with a myriad of other messages (this is why we think companies that advertise on NASCAR cars are idiots, btw).

Long-time readers might recall a time when we actually had advertising on this site, which we charged bands a tiny amount for – we never made enough money to even pay for the hosting, and when the ad system broke we weren’t that inclined to fix it, cause not that many folks were interested. However, we’re been thinking about a recent Lomax column about why some bands draw and some bands don’t, and a quote from Dunnock (who did booking at the Proletariat and now The Mink) has been stuck in our minds like a Golden Axe riff: “[Some bands] are a hundred percent art and zero percent marketing.”

Now we understand that some people have an aversion to promoting themselves. It goes against many a legitimate creed to feel that one should be required to puff out one’s chest and point out their accomplishments or prepare dubiously commercial-feeling materials to get the word out to the media and the wider world. Indeed, so often, the point of being in a band or doing a thing is to have fun with your buddies and not to try and ‘make it’ or experience any sort of acclaim or success. We realize this, and completely support it, but think you’re blowing it because people might want to actually come to your shows and you should figure out a way to tell them they’re happening.

The internet, frankly, has made too many us lazy. We can remember spending countless nights waiting with a stack of flyers outside of a club, waiting for the bands to finish so we could tell the exiting people about our next show – and we weren’t the only band there doing it. It’s been ages since we’ve seen something similar. It seems like a better use of one’s time to market online, after all, using MySpace and message boards and emails. It’s cheaper and quicker and the potential audience is much larger. But we should all be honest with ourselves – it’s no longer effective. There is too much clutter.

Now we don’t want to try and tell you how or to promote what you’re doing, and you don’t need us to tell you that playing to a small crowd again and again sucks. What we’ve decided to do, instead, is to create a clutter free space for you to get the word out to a show-going audience that is already in the ‘thinking about music’ mindset. And we’re going to make it completely free.

Introducing: BADASSVERTISING.

Starting today, we’re going to bring back the rotating banner ad we once had, and make it completely free to bands. All you have to do is create a JPG or animated GIF sized 728 x 90 at 72dpi and email it to adifferentryan at gmail dot com along with a URL of where the ad should link to. Bam. Done. That simple. We’re not trying to claim that this will increase your show attendance or whatever, and it’s no substitute for word of mouth and footwork, but along with TITE JAMS RADIO and our Show Calendar, it’s another place to get the word out. Do it.

Of course, there are a few rules, but they’re easy – check it:

Bands: Use BADASSVERTISING to promote a show or a new release, do not use it to promote that you exist. We won’t promote a show for longer than two months. Also, don't put anything in your ad that is not safe for work or that our grandparents wouldn't want to read. This means four letter words in your band's name, which we are opposed to generally because it's diluting the shock value of these words and what are we supposed to do now when a situation calls for the SHOCK AND AWE that only an F-BOMB could once instill, but now the response is not horror but "Oh, I like that band."

Promoters/Clubs/Record Labels: Your ads are free so long as there is a local band on the bill for your show/club night/record release. If not, email us and we can try and work something out.

Non Profits: Your ads are free, but you have to send us a new one every two months so it doesn’t get stale. Also if your charity enables people to become crazy old Cat Women when they grow up, we will prolly just trash the ads.

Record Stores, Bars and other Commercial Enterprises: Email us and maybe we can work something out. We love bartering, so hopefully you sell tacos.

Political Candidates: We will run your ads if you name is “Senator Barack Obama.”

SO GET TO IT. Send us some ads, and while you’re at it, don’t forget to email us your shows so they get on our calendar, send us MP3s for upcoming releases to get on TITE JAMS RADIO, and just let us know how you’re doing. It helps. See you outside the clubs.