Cartel, Reality and the Disappointing Realization That This Post Is Not About Drugs
Well, I'm back after a long break (Sorry. Moving, bad Internet connection, blah,
blah, blah) and it's time to talk a little about Cartel and their future.
For those who don't know anything about them, Cartel is a pop-punk band from Atlanta, GA. They are soon to record their second record, and therein lies the dilemma. The recording process is going to be televised on MTV (eMpTyV) on a show called "Band In a Bubble Presented By Dr. Pepper Featuring Cartel." For 21 days, the band will live in a transparent bubble on Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. Viewers will be able to watch the recording process and day-to-day life of the band both on the show and live via webcams. The band will not leave the premises for those twenty-one days, and cameras will be all over. At the end of the process, the band will come out of the bubble and play a gig. As with anything even vaguely punk rock, there is some controversy about the show.
Punknews.org reported on a spat between music industry figure Bob Lefsetz and Cartel's singer, Will Pugh. In an article from April 23, Lefsetz says:
Read the whole article here.
It's a harsh indictment of the band and their motives, to be sure. Lefsetz is basically calling them sell-outs. Will Pugh, Cartel's frontman, replied:
The question is, is a major label band selling out by engaging in gimmicky marketing? Pugh points out that the band's first record, Chroma was released on an independent label called The Militia Group. Distribution for The Militia Group is done by Sony's RED Distribution. RED Distribution and Cartel's new label Epic Records are both owned by Sony BMG Music Group. It's hard to argue that The Militia Group is truly an independent label. The label itself is, but that's not saying much. Distribution is where money is made, and that's where Sony's grubby little fingers are. That said, I only know of one truly independent record distributor, and that is Southern Records, the distributor for Dischord and other independent labels. So Pugh is kind of right. Their first label is sort of independent and they graduated to a major label for their second record.
This band has always been on this track, and there is nothing wrong with that. For a lot of bands, going to a true major is the only hope for starting to recoup the money spent on previous releases. Now is the time for full disclosure: I have met Cartel, and their new (-ish) bassist, Jeff Lett (Wikipedia, MySpace). Jeff joined the band after they released their first record and right before they joined the 2006 Warped Tour. Also, I have seen Cartel three times, in three different venues, with three very different crowds. All three times, the crowd loved them. To address the "selling out" question: I don't think you can call this show selling out. I don't think it's any worse than what the really huge artists do. Jessica Simpson had some show with her husband, right? Is she a sell-out? No, in her genre of music, that's just promotion. And if it weren't for that show, I probably never would have heard of her. Or I would just think that she is the weird-looking chick from the Dukes of Hazzard movie I wouldn't see anyway.
The entertainment industry is always going to seek the lowest common denominator. That's how you get the most people interested in your product. High-brow entertainment isn't for the masses, it's for a select few. Cartel listeners will never listen to or even hear of Crass. But I bet a lot of them like NOFX, and you aren't gonna hear them called sell-outs no matter what they do, including calling themselves sell-outs.
Before anyone reams me for defending Cartel, I should tell you that I really don't care for their music. It's not awful, it just doesn't do anything for me. But I will watch this show (it better be funny, though). The fact of the matter is, whether you like Cartel or not, whether you think the show is a good idea or a marketing monstrosity, it will bring the band new fans. At the very least, a whole lot more people will know their name. Lefsetz already does. And in the end, that's the point.
What do you think of this? The mouthful of a show name, the fact that Cartel is doing it, or just that I think Jessica Simpson is weird looking? Any opinion at all, leave a comment below. Pick a fight with some teeny boppers for all I care, but say something. Thanks.
blah, blah) and it's time to talk a little about Cartel and their future.
For those who don't know anything about them, Cartel is a pop-punk band from Atlanta, GA. They are soon to record their second record, and therein lies the dilemma. The recording process is going to be televised on MTV (eMpTyV) on a show called "Band In a Bubble Presented By Dr. Pepper Featuring Cartel." For 21 days, the band will live in a transparent bubble on Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. Viewers will be able to watch the recording process and day-to-day life of the band both on the show and live via webcams. The band will not leave the premises for those twenty-one days, and cameras will be all over. At the end of the process, the band will come out of the bubble and play a gig. As with anything even vaguely punk rock, there is some controversy about the show.
Punknews.org reported on a spat between music industry figure Bob Lefsetz and Cartel's singer, Will Pugh. In an article from April 23, Lefsetz says:
Ever heard of Cartel? Not me. But I’m sure they can’t be making music I’m interested in. Music comes from inspiration, not marketing plans. Whoever convinced the act to be involved in this stunt, whether it be their manager or Charlie Walk or somebody else, should be exiled from the business immediately, made to live in said biosphere WITH the band, sans BlackBerry, sans dinners at Peter Luger’s, sans ANY of the creature comforts of modern society. Better yet, Cartel still has time to back out of this misguided stunt. Rather than become the David Blaines of music (and it’s not like Mr. Blaine gets any respect from magicians), Cartel can only save itself by issuing a press release REBELLING against such crap. Would the Sex Pistols listen to their label? Would they be playing it safe? Would they be tools of the marketing machine? Certainly not when they mattered, back in ‘76.
Read the whole article here.
It's a harsh indictment of the band and their motives, to be sure. Lefsetz is basically calling them sell-outs. Will Pugh, Cartel's frontman, replied:
Of course this is a marketing ploy and a huge one at that. There’s not one person who reads about this fan or not that isn’t going to see this as a stunt. [...] The big point is that people who have never heard of us are hearing about us now. [...] All you guys think we’re just another dickless band with mediocre songs without even giving us a chance. Fuck selling records if that’s what you think this is all about. See, we only have one record. We’re about to record our 2nd. People don’t really know us from any other band on the radio or mtv. All that is about to change. This bubble shit is stirring up all kinds of dust around the music world. Its something people find ridiculous. People think we’re crazy, sellouts, whores and everything else negative they can think of. Some people see it as cool. (I would venture to say that most of these people don’t have their head up their asses about music in the sense that they don’t think they are the definitive source on music knowledge or "what’s wrong with the industry"). The big point is that people who have never heard of us are hearing about us now. I know that great bands get out there some way…..but how long does that take. Even the upstarts from left field don’t have a career long enough to even call them road tested…..shit, some of them have played less than 100 shows ever by the time they "make it".
The question is, is a major label band selling out by engaging in gimmicky marketing? Pugh points out that the band's first record, Chroma was released on an independent label called The Militia Group. Distribution for The Militia Group is done by Sony's RED Distribution. RED Distribution and Cartel's new label Epic Records are both owned by Sony BMG Music Group. It's hard to argue that The Militia Group is truly an independent label. The label itself is, but that's not saying much. Distribution is where money is made, and that's where Sony's grubby little fingers are. That said, I only know of one truly independent record distributor, and that is Southern Records, the distributor for Dischord and other independent labels. So Pugh is kind of right. Their first label is sort of independent and they graduated to a major label for their second record.
This band has always been on this track, and there is nothing wrong with that. For a lot of bands, going to a true major is the only hope for starting to recoup the money spent on previous releases. Now is the time for full disclosure: I have met Cartel, and their new (-ish) bassist, Jeff Lett (Wikipedia, MySpace). Jeff joined the band after they released their first record and right before they joined the 2006 Warped Tour. Also, I have seen Cartel three times, in three different venues, with three very different crowds. All three times, the crowd loved them. To address the "selling out" question: I don't think you can call this show selling out. I don't think it's any worse than what the really huge artists do. Jessica Simpson had some show with her husband, right? Is she a sell-out? No, in her genre of music, that's just promotion. And if it weren't for that show, I probably never would have heard of her. Or I would just think that she is the weird-looking chick from the Dukes of Hazzard movie I wouldn't see anyway.
The entertainment industry is always going to seek the lowest common denominator. That's how you get the most people interested in your product. High-brow entertainment isn't for the masses, it's for a select few. Cartel listeners will never listen to or even hear of Crass. But I bet a lot of them like NOFX, and you aren't gonna hear them called sell-outs no matter what they do, including calling themselves sell-outs.
Before anyone reams me for defending Cartel, I should tell you that I really don't care for their music. It's not awful, it just doesn't do anything for me. But I will watch this show (it better be funny, though). The fact of the matter is, whether you like Cartel or not, whether you think the show is a good idea or a marketing monstrosity, it will bring the band new fans. At the very least, a whole lot more people will know their name. Lefsetz already does. And in the end, that's the point.
What do you think of this? The mouthful of a show name, the fact that Cartel is doing it, or just that I think Jessica Simpson is weird looking? Any opinion at all, leave a comment below. Pick a fight with some teeny boppers for all I care, but say something. Thanks.
Labels: Dumb, Music, Rants, Shows, TV
This entry was posted by Power Rambling, on
Wednesday, May 16, 2007.
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June 4, 2007 at 9:30 PM
I refuse to comment on this post.