Art Brut's Stock Goes Up

Art Brut was featured tonight on Marketplace, American Public Media's business and financial radio show. (The link provides a transcript or a further link to the audio of the segment.) The focus is on the band's gimmick of offering free franchises to anyone who wants to start their own Art Brut. There are various numbered franchisees, and Marketplace features Art Brut Pi, a guy from Virginia who did quite an interesting version of "Formed a Band." You can see him and many other franchisees by going to Art Brut's Webpage and clicking on Friends & Franchises.

So far Art Brut has avoided being categorized, but Marketplace asserts that they're part of the "punk movement." Now, Marketplace does specialize in financial news, so their opinion of musical styles only carries so much weight. And although Art Brut does have a few punk tendencies, I don't think I'd force them into that slot. But it does raise the question of what it means in 2006 to be part of the punk movement. Hmmmmmm. I wonder what that would entail.