All publicity is good publicity......or then again maybe not.

Most regular readers of the blog will be aware that the rare contributors and myself, are never that shy about climbing on soap boxes, mounting high horses, or even shouting random shite from the rooftops.

We - the royal we as it's often just me - have been accused of often sailing too close to the wind, and on a couple of occasions legal action has been threatened by those who know little about the law and like to use big words to censure those who know even less.

However we – the royal we again – rarely go as far as to mention names, and instead prefer to wade in and raise an issue in a manner that allows it to be fitted neatly into a wider debate.

It's a concession to diplomacy that I am sure is appreciated.

Especially by those who will be aware that the debate raised stems from their actions.

Unfortunately diplomacy has left the building in this instance.

(It was tired and needed a moments respite from arguing the case for the least deserving people in the music business.

It did put up some solid arguments before leaving, but now that it's gone I can set them aside and partially slip the kid gloves off.)

So stand up Tom Hilton of Aldora Britain blog.

You sir are a belter.

In shark infested waters you are a small fish swaggering around like a shark.

On behalf of all the bands, who you have been spamming for months with the offer of an interview feature for a price, I would just like to ask are you for fuckin' real?

Seriously. Are you?

I am aware that some acts have actually taken this guy up on his offer, but I am at a loss to understand why.

The internet is awash with music blogs who are happy to lend an ear to a song and then feature the artists for free.

So why anyone would pay for something that is freely available elsewhere just seems nuts.

Especially when what is on offer looks as if it has been sourced from a back issue of Smash Hits circa 1982.

All that is missing are the 'what's your favourite colour' and the 'who is your celebrity crush' questions.

It's all just so inexcusably bland and half arsed that its needle has crept into the offensive zone.......and although I am loathe to belabour the point people are paying for this.

Did I mention people are paying for this?

Oh I did.

Well get used to it as it's going to be mentioned again.

Now of course the public naming and shaming debate will always be a hot potato, and quite rightly so.

The reason being that people are allowed to make mistakes.

We learn from them.

I'm not perfect and so far I have yet to meet anyone who is.

So a diplomatic heads up should always, and I do mean always, be the first port of call.

Yet that diplomatic heads up has been visited often in this case.

Months ago social media in this little corner of the world erupted in bemused incredulity at the balls this guy had in spamming everyone who has ever lifted a musical instrument.

The reaction was of course very vocal and very public

It ranged from polite refusals from acts to imaginative knock backs that were laden with humour and scatology references.

Way back then it was £1.50 for an interview and the reason there was a cost to it was because Tom wanted to raise some cash to put some gigs on in Edinburgh.*

The reaction to the initial storm of emails sent out was unsurprisingly one of deafening silence from Tom, until now, because yes folks, he is back,

Nothing much has changed though.

Well apart from the cost as it's no longer £1.50 but instead an all new £4.50.

In addition to putting on some shows he now wants the hard working acts he is targeting to pay for some CDs and gig tickets.

Not their CDs or gigs, but just the stuff he fancies.

Factoring in the extra things that he wants to use your money for, and inflation, that's starting to sound like a fair deal isn't it?

By the way that £4.50 is him asking you to pay for a service that is free elsewhere.

That's me mentioning it again just in case anyone had forgotten.

This most recent run of spam to the bands has yet again drawn an obvious response with one being a rather excellent open letter from Paul Thomson of Sound over Silence and The heart o' the run that can be found here if you are on facebook.

I really don't get why after such a shit-storm of a reaction from before that Tom is back, but fair play to the man as he obviously worships at the 'a sucker born every minute' church and it doesn't look as if he is going to give up on attending it any time soon.

Now some will be reading this and thinking that I am a minority voice in opposing this.

I'm not, and below I would like to offer up the comments section for bands to simply add their name and a link to their webpage/facebook page in support of what has been said.

You can even add a message.

In this way maybe Tom can consider it as a list of acts that have no interest in being featured on his blog, and a clear message that at a certain level acts require support from bloggers and aren't impressed at being considered as fair game to make a buck from.

* So far no one knows if any live shows transpired, but I am happy to be shown to be wrong as if that is the case then there maybe is a light in the darkness within this debacle.