Labels Hiring “Callers” To Influence Video Chart Positions

Did you ever wonder how the major labels are spending the extra dollars they have left over now that their not handing it over the table to indy promo guys that "own" stations and under the table as "gifts" to radio programmers?  Well, here’s part of the answer in a letter that irrepressible music industry commentator Bob Lefsetz received posted to his LefestzLetter list:

Hello — hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving! This is Richard Sarbin, owner of Market Development Company in New York. Nice to meet you, if we haven’t met by e-mail or by phone by now! We have a great opportunity that I want to immediately address with you.

We have been approached by a few major labels to suddenly handle their video request campaigns for some top priority artists. Video requests mean making calls to request videos for major video shows like TRL (Total Request Live on MTV) and "106 & Park" (on BET).

This is a TERRIFIC opportunity — but it means that we suddenly have to EXPAND the size of our request teams in a very short period of time! So we are on a mission to immediately find new and reliable people on our national staff to help us with these campaigns — and I’m hoping you can be one of those who can jump on board and help!

The video request work is pretty easy and regular. It takes up 20 minutes/day of your time on weekdays and about 10 minutes/day on weekends. Total of 2 hours work a week. You get paid $30.00/week. All it involves is calling up a toll-free number (like 1-800-dialMTV) at your convenience during the day (you just plug in numbers on your phone, no talking to a person) and also going on-line (at your convenience, any time of day/night) and making some on-line requests. For the phones, you can use a land line or cell phone, doesn’t matter

SO — please, as soon as you can, e-mail back with a response — whether you are interested in helping us with our new video request campaigns. One, you can put another $2000 in your pocket each year without taking up much time at all! Two, you will be helping Market Development Company in our goal to break new artists for our most important clients!

If you are interested, just e-mail back to RICHARDS@MARKETDEVCO.COM a YES, you are interested or a NO, you are not interested at this time. If you do respond with a YES, we will immediately get back to you and give you more details so you have good understanding of what the job entails.

A "YES" doesn’t commit you to anything other than interest. Thanks. I look forward to hearing from you ASAP!

Best regards, Richard Sarbin