UNCAGED: Capitol Records came up with a...

UNCAGED: Capitol Records came up with a novel way to drum up interest in “Hometown,” the debut album by the pop-folk duo the Cages--ignored by radio since its June release. The pair has been on a nationwide tour, but instead of playing music clubs and theaters, it’s appearing mostly at small functions like parties, picnics and housewarmings--for no charge. Before the group hits a town, an 800 number is printed in the local paper through which people can request a performance.

This grass-roots approach has been working so far. The duo has done as many as four appearances in a day, and has gotten a lot of local TV and press coverage. A Capitol source said the group usually sells about 50-100 albums per city. So far the total sales of the album have been about 35,000--not a whopping figure. But, as the spokeswoman notes, “Without this plan it would be much less than that.”

This strategy hasn’t been cheap. The label has been shelling out about $3,000 a week to keep this show in the road.