One of the best and most cost effective ways of boosting record and ticket sales are through controversy, especially if you’re in a band.

Motley Crue received the best type of unsolicited publicity any band could ask for. Today, The Sault Star has reported that a city councilor wants to ban Motley Crue from playing a festival in the city of Sarnia on July 10, 2008. Link to original article. What really got under my skin was the fact that the Coun. Dave Boushy, man behind this discriminating idea, openly admitted that he knows nothing about the group and based his conclusions on an article about the band in a local paper promoting Bayfest. But I do have to give credit to other city officials for not being so narrow minded, and stopping the motion to ban Motley Crue in its tracks.

This little debate and controversy just gave the event a promotional boost and increased interest from the public. Ultimately resulting in increased ticket sales, records sales, and more traffic to the band’s website. The lesson here is that it’s in our basic human nature to seek things we cannot have. The more you deny us access, the more ways we’ll to fulfill our desires to rebel and seek things we want.