Why Are Thousands of Teenagers Working Long Hours for No Money? (Seventeen)
September 1, 2003
"Music relates to my life. If I'm in a good mood, it's from the music; if I'm down, certain songs make me feel better," says Tara, 16, from Battle Creek, Michigan. "That's why I like helping the bands. I like knowing that they're going to make more music for me to get into." Tara spends about three hours a week working for her favorite group, t.A.T.u. She votes for t.A.T.u.'s songs on Web polls, posts t.A.T.u. links on message boards, and writes to teen magazines, including this one, asking them to feature the duo in their pages. Tara also calls TRL constantly. If she gets through, she bugs MTV to play t.A.T.u.'s videos, like "Not Gonna Get Us."
Is Tara the world's most dedicated fan? Well, sort of-but she's also following orders. Tara is a member of t.A.T.u.'s "street team," teenage volunteers who sign up to hype their favorite artists. She gets her instructions from Fanscape, a marketing company in Los Angeles employed by t.A.T.u. Industry insiders estimate that at any given time, at least 100,000 American teenagers are working for companies like Fanscape to promote products to other teenagers. "Teamers" usually pitch music and movies, but sometimes they get behind sports groups (the NBA), corporations (Coca-Cola), or even causes (PETA). But music is the main gig, with teamers pushing everyone from Nelly and Enrique Iglesias to local bands.
The give and get
Typically, teamers put up flyers, distribute temporary tatoos, post on Internet message boards, set up tables and displays at events and stores, and promote their bands at clubs. They usually labor for love, loot, and a (long-shot) chance of rubbing shoulders with "their" band. There are exceptions-a company called Knee Deep Promotions pays some members of its street team army up to $50 an hour, plus free gear, to work clubs. But most teamers get paid in "swag": free CDs, T-shirts, tickets to shows and clubs, stickers, DVDs, photos, and, occasionally, backstage passes. Still, it's hard to join some of the most popular teams-the companies take only a set number of people before the team is considered "closed." Even if you land a spot, getting the swag isn't automatic; it's usually given out to the people who work the most hours, which can get competitive.
But swag or no swag, a lot of teenagers like the feeling of being part of a group they believe in. Tara feels that by getting her friends to vote for t.A.T.u.'s videos and buy their CDs, she is close to the singers. " I want to be part of the t.A.T.u. scene," she says. Miranda, 16, from Bellevue, Washington, has teamed for several groups-including Mr. Pill, Lennon, and the Used-and she's met some of the bands. "They thank you profusely!" she says. Miranda works for Street Wise, one of the biggest street team marketing companies. For her efforts, she gets CDs, stickers, and pins-"I take them to school and give out as many as I can. People see me as 'the street team girl.' I like that."
The companies don't take your word for it about the work you've put in; street teamers have to file reports. "They'll ask me to take photos when I give stuff away or to write a summary of an event," says Alicia, 17, of Ipswich, Massachusetts, who street teams for the Deftones, AudioSlave, and Memento. Alicia has sent in pictures of people holding up the Billy Talent CDs she'd just given them; she's also sent a picture of her friend's breasts-with temporary tatoos from Cold on them. For Alicia, all the work is worth it. "They sent me a Deftones DVD that everybody wants so bad they're buying them on eBay," she says.
Where's the payoff?
"I created displays at music stores, set up promotion tables for bands and movies, marketed at clubs, and managed four other teamers," says Amber, 19, from Atlanta, who labored on street teams for up to 20 hours a week one year at Clark Atlanta University. "I worked so hard, and at the end of the day, I just wasn't being paid. It can be exploitative." Amber, like many teamers, had thought that working on street teams would be the bottom rung on the ladder of the music business-but it never turned into a paid position. When she realized being on the team wasn't working out, she quit.
Even teamers who aren't hoping for a career in music can be disappointed. Teaming for t.A.T.u. hasn't exactly been all Tara hoped it would be. "I haven't gotten a thing," she says. "I'm disappointed-I've put in so much time." She says the marketing company, Fanscape, promised her a t.A.T.u. sweatshirt, but it has yet to arrive. And she hasn't met t.A.T.u. The CEO of Fanscape, Larry Weintraub, told seventeen that with a team as big as t.A.T.u.'s, there can be mix-ups, which they try to straighten out. "We take running a street team very seriously," he says. "We do everything in our power to get the really hardworking street team members to meet the artists."
But for some critics, the good intentions aren't enough. "Street teams play teenagers for suckers, getting them to give free help or unpaid labor to entertainment companies," says Gary Ruskin, executive director of Commercial Alert, Ralph Nader's nonprofit watchdog organization in Portland, Oregon. "These companies work their marketing ways on the cheap, at the expense of the time and energy of teenagers." Of course, you don't have to put in more effort than you want to, and if you're not getting what you want out of it, you can always quit.
The law's back over that way
"We often put posters on poles and at bus stations, and stickers on walls-public property," says Amber. "We were taking a risk every time." Amber says she knew that what she and her teammates were doing was illegal. (In fact, first-time offenders can get community service and a fine, or even go to jail.) But Amber says she didn't care. According to her, Real Street Promotions told her not to do anything that made her uncomfortable, and they also said they'd pay any fines. Real Street's CEO, Tyreal Lewis, told seventeen they don't recommend any illegal activity, and they've stopped postering on poles. "I tell my street teams, 'Don't do anything that could jeopardize your future,'" he says.
Some kinds of street teaming, while legal, are definitely sketchy. Infamously, MGM/UA had street teams market a violent 1998 R-rated (18 and over) film, Disturbing Behavior, at hot spots for teenagers-cheerleading camps, driver's ed centers, and skate parks. That movie was cited in 1999 Senate hearings on kids and teenagers, marketing, and violence. The movie studios admitted they'd been pushing R-rated movies on kids and teens, and agreed to follow voluntary guidelines about how they advertise.
So what's the deal?
While some teenagers and adult critics think street teams are a waste of time, for others the perks and sense of having an in on the buzz and glamour of the music biz are enough. "I get the band merch-the CDs-before everyone gets them," says Miranda. "Plus, helping out a band I like is more than enough payment."
Four steps to smart street teaming
1. Check out these Web sites for a basic intro: streetwise.com, totalassault.com, knee-deep.net, xtreme-zone.com/joinstreet.asp. Or visit your favorite band's Web site to find out if it has a team.
2. Consider joining a smaller company (like Empathy Promotions) instead of a bigger one (like Street Wise). Some Street Wise team members say the most popular teams can be hard to join, and the competition fierce. The vibe can be less intense at smaller firms.
3. If money matters, look for companies that pay. Knee Deep is one; Cornerstone Promotions also hires students to campaign for bands like Fisherspooner and Coldplay.
4. Try a nonmusic street team. Kathleen, 19, from New Brunswick, New Jersey, who is on PETA's team, says she's learned about animal rights and human nutrition. Maya, 19, from Maplewood, New Jersey, who has worked on MTV's Rock the Vote team for three years, says she now has "a leadership position and real opportunities to work with good organizations."