On March 22nd, 2007, podcasters around the world are joining together in an effort to propel an independent musician to the top of the iTunes sales chart. At the same time they will be raising money for a college scholarship fund.

This campaign, called Bumrush the Charts , represents a viral social media experiment in which podcasters, in conjunction with bloggers, indie labels and artists, will ask their listeners to buy one song, by one band, on one day. The goal of this synchronized effort is to leverage the prominence of the iTunes charts to demonstrate the power of social networking and new media. The song chosen for purchase is "Mine Again" by the band Black Lab, a band that fought for ownership of their own music after being pushed out of two major label record deals - and has subsequently become an early adopter of podcasting.

Bumrush the Charts plans to use an iTunes affiliate link to earn a commission on each sale of "Mine Again," which it will use to build a scholarship fund. The Student Loan Network, an education finance company in Boston, Massachusetts, has made a pledge to match the first $1,000 raised on March 22nd here.

The project was initiated by a group of six podcasters, and has quickly ignited the entire podcast community. Many of the biggest names in podcasting, including former MTV VJ Adam Curry, are taking part. Podcasters around the globe have created their own promos for the event and have asked bloggers to write about it, independent labels and artists to notify their fans, and podcast listeners to encourage five friends to participate. The experiment has already garnered mainstream media attention from both the Canadian Broadcast Company and the British Broadcast Company.

You can find more information, pick up a banner or hear promos for the event, here.