Outreach

New Stickers!

FEBRUARY AND MARCH are going to be big outreach months for Downhill Battle. First, there’s noncommercial radio: the interview with Nick ran in CMJ, we’ve already recorded some PSAs, and the next step is a big mailing to 100-200 college and community radio stations. Then there’s campus organizing: Rebecca is finding the people who want to do it, and getting together materials for them to start with (contact her to get in on that). Next there’s free weeklies: a group of volunteers recruited through the Get Involved page are putting together a contact list of journalists at independent weeklies who’ve been writing on this issue (up until now we’ve been focusing mainly on journalists at large daily newspapers). Finally, we’re starting an outreach effort to independent labels that still have their name on the RIAA members list. There are still some reputable independent labels on that list, and we don’t want them losing any business, what with all this RIAA-boycotting going on (the major labels try to get indies on the list to make the RIAA seem legit). Anyway, there’s an easy solution: we’ll just tell them what’s going on, and they’ll take their name off the list–it’s not as if it’s in their interest to be associated with the majors at a time like this. Again, to get in on any of these efforts, go to the Get Involved page.

Parallel to the outreach effort, we’ve just added a new section, Downhill Battle Postal. It’s going to be the central repository for the awesome physical stuff we can send you, and you can go there to stock up. Right now, there’s the “Warning” labels and our brand new sticker (above). We’re ramping up to start making t-shirts, buttons, bumper stickers, and other stuff.

Outreach is vital to making this campaign a success. One of the new stickers stuck on the mirror in the bathroom of your favorite music venue brings cool people from your town to learn more on this site. Put one on your bag or on the inside of your car and someone will ask you “What the hell is that?” …and then you can tell them about this brand new movement that’s sorting out the clash between business and music. Finally, the (small) profit we make selling the stickers goes to our budget for the outreach mailings mentioned above (we need some money for postage and blank CDs).

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The rumor is true: if you hold a Pepsi bottle at an angle and look up at the cap you can see whether it’s a winning iTunes cap. But use this knowledge wisely: there’s absolutely no reason to start buying Pepsi, even if every bottle comes with an iTune. If you’re already addicted to the stuff, so be it. But remember to be smart with that cap.

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