i guess I'm qualified to argue the pro-street team comment as I run one...I'm fully aware of all the negative feelings some people direct at street teaming, and having thought about it over the last few years I've been doing this, here's how I reconcile what we do....

Just suppose rather than some evil machiavellian, exploitative scheme, street teaming's about motivated music fans helping the artists the love - yes in return for thank you gig tickets and CDs...maybe it's not too dissimilar to the way that those contributing to a fanzine such as DiS of their own volition, do so because they enjoy commenting about music and ensuring people are hearing about the music they love in return for promos to review, or free gig tickets...? just a thought.

No-one's holding a gun to street teamers' heads, nor the many, many people who enthusiastically take badges/stickers or sign up to mailing lists at gigs, knowing perhaps that they might not be bothered/forget to do it the morning after some heavy drinking or whatever. Everyone on this board is clearly online savvy, band knowledgable and has enough initiative to hunt out music themselves - not everyone out there is as clued up as you fine people, so why not help show them the way once they've enjoyed a band, and signed up because they want to hear more?

It's very rare a street teamer comes fwd to cover a gig / hand stuff out for a band they're less than 100% excited about (who could be bothered otherwise?), and they want to help great bands like The Futureheads, Radio 4, Ella Guru, The Hidden Cameras, Joy Zipper etc who aren't exactly likely to get constant radio 1 rotation or NME coverage, some of the exposure they deserve.

Yes, bigger bands like The Streets, The Libertines, Belle & Sebastian etc have street teams, but it's through these bigger acts that it facilitates opening the door for smaller marginalised artists getting some of the promotion otherwise tight marketing budgets wouldn't allow for.

street teams if done properly can be an extension of fan clubs - you're passionate about a band/artist, so why not use the tools available to spread the word, rather than keep them all to yourself the way some pretentious music fans seem to enjoy doing...? I don't have much time for so-called music fans who go mad once their fave band gets huge or some - gasp! - mainstream exposure. they suddenly go off them and find a more obscure band to devote their inflated egos onto.

rant over...all I know is that if one more person gets into say, the marvellous Futureheads and goes sees them live or checks out their album as a result of being handed a flyer at another gig, then I don't feel bad about what we do.

laters x