BANDS AND ARTISTS FROM ALL GENRES (but primarily Alt Rock bands or Hip Hop groups) are sought after by a Film/TV Production company currently casting for a new Reality TV show airing on a popular cable network… They're looking for a band/group that has talent and potential, but is struggling with one or more members in terms of moving forward with their career. It could be that a member has an addiction problem, or a less serious (but annoying) responsibility problem, a gambling issue, or an inability to cooperate with the rest of the band in one way or another. The scenarios could be vast, but they really want a band with personality who's not afraid to "show their dirt" to the TV audience. They will be open to using the band's songs on the show, granted that the quality is there. There will be on camera/live performance opportunities, in addition to full promotion of the band and their music.
My friend and I commiserated briefly about what it meant about the state of both our culture and the music industry that artists were being bribed with free promotion to turn their most painful and/or embarrassing moments of personal failure into entertainment for the masses. The word “disturbing” came up frequently in our conversation.
Then I received a pitch from someone obviously affiliated with the same show:
I am a producer for a new reality show featuring promising bands on the **** Network.
This show is a great opportunity for some up and coming bands to get some excellent exposure! Most bands have internal conflicts of some sort that they would like to rectify. This show will help the band work on a problem it has been facing once and for all.
We are currently trying to spread the word about this opportunity and are accepting applicants from all music genres. It would be great if we could post a banner that mentions our casting call your subscribers… I’d love to be able to reach all the artists on your site as this is a great opportunity for them to showcase their music and get attention, on television.
My response:
Sorry ***** – nothing personal – but the premise of your show is offensive to me both as a music lover and as a human being. I don’t care how much “exposure” a band gets out of it, exploiting people’s pain for ratings is just plain wrong.
Discuss.
