Band Management: Blog 25: The Tribute Album

First, I am managing a band for a year – “Band A” – and I am blogging this exploration of the music industry. This gives me the platform to send “Band A” info everywhere, actively looking for scams and angles that bands can use to reach a larger audience.. And I am also doing the boring stuff too. So last week I sent out 30 press packets to radio stations and publications – the one sheeter, band photo, CD, sticker, and pin. (Photo below.) And if something happens – great – and it nothing happens – you’ll all laugh at my floundering… Also, this week “Band A’s” label, Kafadan Kontak Records, sent an email saying they’re putting together a Tribute Album for “Suicide” (the band). F*ck yeah. Alan Vega and Martin Rev. Punk before punk. Pre-CBGBs weird downtown NYC electronic punk. They were at the Mercer Arts Center first, which had that wall fall down, and then all those bands migrated to CBGBs. Suicide were basically the first NYC band to play with drum machines, loops, synths, and match it with a confrontational style inspired by Iggy… You”ll know them because Bruce Springsteen covered “Dream Baby Dream.” But check out the original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FFIFsK1duw. Anyway, KK Records wants us to record “Johnny” by Suicide. Good for KK Records – inviting a bunch of garage bands onto a label and then putting together a compilation album. So in the same week I did the most basic vanilla of all marketing – these guys did something a hundred times more interesting. (Edward Madill – we need to book some studio time in August.)