The concept of “sold out” may be over, but Gen Z teens will still toast you for cringing – as pop punk band Tramp Stamp discovered. According to people on TikTok, Twitter and Reddit, Tramp Stamp are ‘industry plants’. The giveaway? Their social media is too good.
An “industrial factory”, Rolling stone explains helpfully, “is an artist who has a label, but presents himself as self-made.” In 2019, the band’s guitarist, Caroline Baker, appeared in MusicRow, signing to Prescription songs, owned by Dr. Luke, aka Lukasz Gottwald. Reddit popped up on that report again this week. The Redditors also found that the singer, Marisa Marino, has also closed a recipe. Oh yeah, and according to the credits on their YouTube video, the Tramp Stamps have a deal with Kobalt Music Group, which is partially owned by … Dr. Luke.
About Dr. Luke: In 2014, Kesha sued him to cancel their contract for being ‘sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally [Kesha] to the point where [she] almost lost her life, ”the suit said. After several years, the legal battle ended when New York Supreme Court Judge Jennifer G. Schecter ruled that Kesha had slandered Dr. Luke in a text message to Lady Gaga, where Kesha accused Dr. Luke of drugging and raping herself and Katy Perry – Perry’s allegations denied. (Dr. Luke is still working with Doja Cat, Kim Petras and Saweetie under his Tyson Trax pseudonym, Rolling stone says.)
A recurring theme in the “plant” posts: that the Tramp Stamps seem to have a social media team. Their website looks like it was designed professionally. They have a robust merchandise store, including a black thong that says ‘sex’ in pink, Sex Pistols lettering. Their Instagram has about 27,300 followers, but many of their posts have less than 3,000 likes. TikTok user Hardcope pointed out that their first Instagram post is an animation – a piece of media that is difficult for a DIY band to put together.
“Everything about this group is so calculated, almost insidious, insidious,” said TikTok user seapunkhistorian. “Even down to their hair colors.”
Another user pointed to a group where the Tramp Stamps judged whether songs were emo or not; they seemed surprised when a fragment of a song appeared. “Oh my God,” said TikTok user dandydemon. “You’re going to co-opt the aesthetic and you don’t even know My Chemical Romance?”
“It’s so obvious that the people who wrote this song don’t understand punk culture,” said TikTok user awtheyreuglee.
In fact, the entire TikTok hashtag #trampstamp is filled with people complaining about the band and their terrifying new song out today called ‘I’ll Rather Die’. (Chorus: “I’d rather die than reconnect with another straight white man.”)
Here’s a lesson. If you target marketing to a younger, social media savvy group, you will be in for a tough fight unless the group being marketed is considered ‘authentic’. And teenagers have a keen eye for that more than anyone else.