How to Help Spread the Word

Buy your own copy of Everything Will Never Be OK from a retailer – don’t scam song by song from KaZaA or Limewire and the like. ($10 or less) Buying from a retailer (who reports sales to record tracking services like Soundscan) helps the bands more than buying from eBay or another used CD reseller.

When you call your local stations (see First Class) and they protest that they haven't received a copy of the Fiction Plane CD...take them a copy! It's only $10 per station, and it's a great investment (again, what the record company hasn't done, we can!).

Keep your music handy in the car -- while in traffic jams, be sure to blast the songs out of your car. It works! Just yesterday I was blaring "Hate" and the kid in the car next to me asked who that was on the radio! (I had to explain that it was a CD, not the radio...grrr!) This also works in areas where "cruising" is allowed (but try to do it in a decent car -- Mom's minivan doesn't attract the right kind of attention. Trust.).

Buy the “Holes” soundtrack CD. Did you know that Fiction Plane has a song on the soundtrack? ($14 or less)

Buy the “Holes” DVD from a retailer ($15 - $20)

Buy a copy of "Everything Will Never Be OK" for your friend/sibling/parent/significant other (buying one at a show is better – it’s cheap, and the guys are often available for signing!). ($10)

Go see them in concert. Tickets have been ranging from $8 to $25 (depending on venue and who’s playing). ONE OF THE MOST SELF-REWARDING THINGS YOU CAN DO. This band TOTALLY ROCKS. (2005 update...ticket prices to the Sting shows are higher.)

While at the show buy at least one drink from the bar. I can't stress this enough. Even if you don't imbibe, buy a Coke. Bars welcome back bands who inspire the crowds to spend money at the bar. ($2 - $??? - depends on your thirst!)

Buy the guys some Sharpie markers and slip them to Theo or someone before the band starts signing things. These guys have been asked to sign anything that doesn't move...and some things that do. ($5)

Buy an overpriced T-shirt at the show ($25). Yes, it’s pricey. It’s because the vendor created the shirts on his or her own. But without vendor sales to back up the band, record companies think twice about sending groups out on the road as often. Wear it often, and in public places.

Sign up (or re-sign up) for AOL. Sessions @ AOL has a great interview and acoustic sets from Fiction Plane (did you SEE what they caught Seton doing??). But, above all, when talking to the customer service rep, LET THEM KNOW YOU’RE SIGNING UP DUE TO FICTION PLANE. [Note: when I did, I had the rep so excited he asked me to email him the FP website link!] Give the fellas the credit for your account. ($10 - $27 per month, depending on your plan.) And with your account comes space for a web page...hmmm, now where have I seen that suggestion before??

Buy tickets for your sorry, broke friends. C’mon, you know these guys are worth it, and then your friends will be all, “Cool!”, and you’ll be all like, “Yeah,” and they’ll buy a CD to have it signed, then you can show them your collection of FP-signed memorabilia.

If you think you’re going to want an autographed T-shirt at the show, buy two. Often when people buy a T-shirt for bands to autograph, it goes up on the wall or away in a drawer. If you’re one of THOSE people, then BUY TWO. Jeez…T-shirts with FP on them are for WEARING IN PUBLIC to help put the word out! (Same deal if you’re just buying a shirt to sleep in.) ($50)

Create a larger-bandwidth-than-free web page dedicated to Fiction Plane (like this one!), and follow the other suggestions listed above (under First Class). (price varies)

Call XFM in London and beg them to play Fiction Plane on the radio! Here's the number: 011 44 20 08700 800 1234 (that's 011 for international long distance, 44 for the UK country code, 20 for London, and then the number. You may need to delete the 20...the prefixes are based on a search on this web page: www.timeanddate.com). And when you're calling, be sure to take into account the time difference!! (5 hours ahead of Eastern time, 6 hours ahead of Central,... etc.)

**This is breaking the law, but...write "www.fictionplane.com" on your paper currency! I recently got a $10 with a web page for tracing currency on it...thought it was cool!