Today, March 22, 2007, Podcasters, podcast listeners and independent music enthusiasts are going to do something new. They’re all buying one song, for $.99, at the iTunes Music Store. The intent? Show the major labels and main stream media that podcast listeners, netizens, the rest-of-us, are an audience that wants something different than what is being pushed by the major labels. It also is intended to show that podcasting, where primarly independent music is played, has a serious audience.

From their site:
We can match and exceed the reach of big media, corporate media, labels, and the entrenched interests. On March 22nd, we are going to take an indie podsafe music artist to number one on the iTunes singles charts as a demonstration of our reach to Main Street and our purchasing power to Wall Street. The track we’ve chosen is “Mine Again” by the band Black Lab. A band that was dropped from not just one, but two major record labels (Geffen and Sony/Epic) and in the process forced them to fight to get their own music back. We picked them because making them number one, even for just one day, will remind the RIAA record labels of what they turned their backs on - and who they ignore at their peril.

The song is a pretty good tune, and Black Lab is donating 50% of everything they make on this campaign to a scholarship fund. If the song is purchased through this afflilate link at Chris Penn’s Financial Aid Podcast site, the additional iTunes affiliate fees are also being donated to the scholarship.

This is an interesting case study. It will be useful to see how many people purchase the song via the affiliate link, what the band learns about how many people bought the song, and how that relates to their eventual rank on the iTunes music charts. So far the chart hasn’t moved today, but it is unclear when Apple updates it.

So, citizens of the social internet, if this campaign appeals to you, click on the link below and bum rush the charts.

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