be polite. look at it from the other way--let's say you're a magazine who genuinely wants to have reviews. you send an email to the band. you also mention that you're selling ads. and, truthfully, if the band buys an ad, is it so wrong to make sure out of the 50 reviews you have, that band's is one of the 15 you can print that month?
i'm not defending this guy in particular--i think the method he used smacks of hint-hint bribery. but the truth is somewhere in between those two poles, so be chill about it.