by Jade Jones
Published January 30, 2022
In light of recent events, it appears that a new marketing technique has emerged and taken over the underground rock scene: memes and satire.
Though centered around humor and good fun, the hard work of preparing these interactions shines through as the artists quest for stardom. Many bands have taken to their cellphones and computers to create satirical images or "memes" to get a laugh or reaction out of their followers. Those memes are then shared to the band's social media as well as each individual member of the band, and any pages or groups the band members are a part of. And it doesn't stop there. Members of bands often post their songs and content to pages associated with mainstream artists, sports teams, and large scale 'meme' pages as well. The band in question is then getting exposure and connecting with fans in such a way that creates a different kind of relationship; one that, regardless of musical opinions, will maintain respect and support for the artist. The question is: is memeing and satire a more effective way to reach new followers and fans?
We explored a few examples of this phenomenon to find out.
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The band I Set My Friends On Fire, in response to not being invited to play the When We Were Young festival, has memed, spammed, and joked their way into garnering more social media followers, Spotify listeners and fans. 20 million impressions across several social media platforms certainly speaks for itself. In a statement, the band stated that they "Literally went from photoshopping a fake CNN article to ACTUALLY being the of Yahoo News within two days." The band originally commented on a Facebook post associated with the emo inspired, star-studded When We Were Young Festival, stating "See y'all in the parking lot I guess." They then proceeded to jokingly 'spam' the post and its commenters. They even went as far as to purchase the domain of the WWWY website, and held it hostage. This resulted in a surge of attention and streams, as well as bringing the band back from the musical graveyard. The group did, however, receive a bit of negative remarks, to which they responded: "We never actually cared about being on the festival and if you look into it for two seconds, it should be pretty obvious that this 'tantrum' was a joke." They also stated that this incident was an act of defiance, attempting to show that record executives and promoters aren't the only ones who have control over the industry. Were they successful? We certainly think so.
What resulted was a counter meme from Modern Day Escape, pictured below. According to band member James Vegas, "Our bassist William 'who is always hungry mind you and a meme god', he made the first initial fest flyer with bands we liked and kinda mocked the other festival." The counteracting When We Were Hungry Festival listed off bands such as Attilla and Attack Attack!, artists favored by MDE. The band did maintain that no bands had been booked nor any decisions made, at first. But the internet would decree that this joke poster would take on a life of its own. A strong suggestion for the popular restaurant Denny's to sponsor the festival because "Who doesn’t like a stack of flap jacks and eggs after a night of moshing right?". The band even went as far as to start a petition needing 5000 signatures and donations to attract local news attention. The idea behind the festival was to be 100% fan driven, and fan driven it has been. Thousands of people have commented, shared, and reacted to posts made by other fans and bands alike. After a few days of posts, the festival attracted the support of Sweetsauce Apparel and Ghost Killer Entertainment. Vegas also said that the band was "thankful people listen to our music and love sarcastic memes as much as we do." It seems that humor and good fun win again.
Pictured above: the original 'meme' of a fantasy concert/festival to rival the When We Were Young Festival.
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Satirical relationships with genuine undertones between underground bands and their fans have proven to result in an irreplaceable connection, and a guaranteed support system. Bands such as Until the Dead Walk, Patient Sixty-Seven, Fight From Within, Dropout Kings, and Perspectives are just a few that have interconnected via social media, resulting in collaborations on projects, sharing and streaming each others' music, co-touring and booking, and sharing fans. Even if those individuals don't 'like' each song by each band, they feel almost obligated to support the other band in question, whether that be via streaming, sharing social media posts (in an effort to be mutually beneficial of course), or recommending the bands' music to their peers. And at no cost to the band or label they are affiliated with. When asked about the meme creation aspect of cede relationships, Fight From Within front man Mikey Hayes said, "I hope that our relationship with our fans doesn't change, even if we get bigger, we want to continue to be able to have a genuine connection with our fans." FFW also makes an effort to help keep the scene alive by doing a 'Thirsty Thursday' post to help promote artists to their fans as well. Until the Dead Walk has an interestingly titled 'Divorce Tour', hitting dates in Ohio, Virginia and Illinois. Perspectives has also hopped on the meme gravy train, being active social media platforms via memes and posts designed to produce a reaction from the reader. Are these viable ways to make a band's music more popular and deliver it to the masses? Indeed it is. "It's all about being relatable," says Hayes. Relatable, palatable, lovable, all amounting to great success on the artist's part.
Pictured above: a 'meme' created by the members of hardcore sensation, and New York natives, Fight From Within.
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Essentially, artists are becoming the masters of their own fate. Whether it be commenting on posts, streaming on Twitch, or attending each other's shows, these groups have renewed the spirit of the scene. Their efforts have proven financially beneficial, and, almost more importantly, resonate with fans both new and old. Overall, more artists and content creators are taking the approach of reaching directly out to fans, and in return, they receive undoubted love and support. With ever-changing algorithms and sponsored content appearing out of thin air, not to mention a very saturated market, it can be difficult for up and coming bands to stand out. This is where the personal relationship comes in. Having a passionate community of fans behind your project is nearly more important than having a marketing team behind you. Long gone are the days of begging anyone to listen, sign or manage a project. People stand for things that are important to them, and having a band that takes the time to respond directly to comments, include them in merch designs, or simply sharing a laugh makes all the difference in the world.
And thus the answer to our question: is satire replacing traditional marketing? It's certainly giving execs a run for their money (pun intended).
Pictured above: a 'meme' by the New York Band Perspectives solidifying the family aspect of their music, while also promoting their latest single "Hope Runs Deep".
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