Listening Post tells me that Boris (hailing from Japan) is playing a “free” private concert for whoever buys the American release of their latest album, Smile, from the Amoeba store in Berkeley.
This is great, but it’s not new; I did it four years ago, and I’d be depressed if others haven’t since.
Back in the summer of 2004, I was the drummer for a local high school punk band, Misportrayed. We wanted to play a show, but as a group of unproven youngsters, it was tough to get a gig. So I did what any entrepreneurially-minded music fanatic would do: I made the show come to me. And factored into the $10 ticket price was a $2 charge for everyone to leave with a copy of our newly pressed, home-manufactured CD.
We had over 150 people show up (pretty good numbers for an independently produced show with a nearly unknown headliner), and each one left with our CD.
We may not have profited on the CD itself, but friends and strangers alike were asking for more — with their wallets open.
It’s too bad we broke up a few months later; I hope Boris can sustain their upcoming success.
