Kill Hannah & Bad City's clever CD strategy
Most bands set up merchandise tables at their shows and wait for the crowds to come to them.
At Monday's Smashing Pumpkins show at Rams Head Live, openers Kill Hannah and Bad City went to the crowds.
The bands dispatched two young women with push-up bras, mile-high pumps and bleached blonde hair into the audience with handfuls of the bands' CDs.
The girls would walk up to people during the Smashing Pumpkins' set and ask them if they wanted to buy a CD for $5.
Having missed both openers, I didn't bite on their offer. But I realized just how smart of a strategy it was ...
Near the end of the Pumpkins' set, I felt someone squeeze my behind. A little freaked out, I turned to my left, where a guy had just walked up. I eyed him strangely, but he didn't pay me the time of day. Then I looked to my right, and there were the CD chicks, talking to some dude. I can't prove it, but I'm sure it was them.
I still didn't buy a CD.
(Baltimore Sun photo by Josh Sisk)Clicking on Green Links will take you to a third-party e-commerce site. These sites are not operated by The Baltimore Sun. The Sun Editorial staff is not involved in any way with Green Links or with these third-party sites.
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
Post pics or GTFO
Posted by: Cam Elto | July 14, 2010 8:10 AM
They should have been paying the crowd (or more) to take those CD's. The second band was horrendous.
Posted by: CD | July 14, 2010 10:22 AM
Good story. I'm unsure about the effectiveness though. Sure a decent amount of drunk dudes probably bought the CD in an attempt to be friendly to some hot chicks, but think of how many people these girls had to interrupt to sell those (in the scheme of things) few CDs... For those people, the names "Kill Hannah" and "Bad City" became associated with "Oh those assholes that harassed me while I was trying to watching the Smashing Pumpkins show I spent 50 bucks to see" Not too cool when you think of it in that light. In many ways it's the same strategy as going to a party, turning off the music thats playing, and putting on your own CD. Sure you might win some new fans, but you'll probably end up pissing a ton of people off.
Posted by: Nikc | July 14, 2010 10:48 AM
"For those people, the names "Kill Hannah" and "Bad City" became associated with "Oh those assholes that harassed me while I was trying to watching the Smashing Pumpkins show I spent 50 bucks to see" Not too cool when you think of it in that light."
----------------
On the flip side, some people may have been interested in a CD but not enough to lose their spot on the floor. In that case, it's win-win and the band makes a sale they wouldn't have otherwise.
Posted by: Dave F. | July 14, 2010 1:19 PM
And there's no pictures of these hussies in the Sun photo gallery?
No wonder the paper's in trouble.
Posted by: Anonymous | July 14, 2010 2:53 PM
Not that clever. Remember those Bud Light girls?
Posted by: fishtail | July 16, 2010 11:07 AM