Sandi Thom Story Update
The marketing of Sandi Thom continues…
Stories of unsigned UK musician Sandi Thom doing 21 shows broadcast over the net from her tiny UK apartment and capturing an audience of 100,000 plus her subsequent signing to RCA caught readers attention. But that was nothing compared to the interest generated when it appeared that much of the organic hype was probably part of a 
very well orchestrated publicity campaign paid for by her publishing company. (Read opinions om the effectiveness and morality of this campaign in our face off with Coolfer "Two Opposing Viewpoints On The Sandi Thom Story").
Now signed to RCA, a single and video on the airwaves and a May 22 UK debut CD release, the Sandi Thom promo juggernaut is in full swing. She’s got a too slick too cool new web site complete with RSS feeds, song samples and a video tour of the "legendary" basement apartment where the 21 gigs took place. There are ringtones, tour dates, a fan club and of course stuff for sale. And Thom who started out with an attractive and likable street scruffiness (upper left photo) is being transformed into some kind of earthy vamp Lower right photo). Too bad since her street cred was already being called into question.
Potential fans (like us) who forgave Thom’s PR trickery as a means of gathering attention in a crowded marketplace may be less forgiving of her new found slickness. Once again it appears that a major label is setting up a scenario where Thom either has a mainstream hit or she’s nothing. Too bad…we kind of liked the song.
