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Universal has been recruiting children to promote their bands, including McFly and Busted, in the playground and the classroom, according to today's Guardian. Pupils are encouraged to sign up to the kiddie equivalent of street teams, and are required to put posters up in their schools and hand out flyers in exchange for the usual free stuff and, if the investigation is to be believed, personal calls from the bands themselves.
The kids also partake in the usual teaming activities, such as posting on Internet messageboards under band names (hello, McFlyMadwhatever?) and making request e-mails to radio stations.
Mr Bangs' displeasure at the label's methods was countered by Universal themselves, who claim that they've been running the scheme for some two years, and that the children actually enjoy it.
DiScuss: Is this exploitation gone mad!?
