Welcome to My Imaginarium

So the other day I was speaking with Fred of Triple Crown Records about releasing a “premium” package vinyl pressing. Speaking as a music lover myself, I know I am more enticed to purchase music from an artist when they have more goodies/extras included with the physical music purchase. Contrary to what most people would assume, premium and deluxe packages have actually been one of the few successful endeavors labels and artists have rolled out to help recover a very small portion of what the digital music environment has borrowed.

I heard a statistic the other day that when fans are given a choice, 60% of the time they choose to purchase the more expensive bundle. (I also heard that Sex Panther Cologne works 80% of the time. 100% of the time.)  As a former, for-profit, artist and lifelong music enthusiast, I find my perspective and opinion to be somewhat unique but not all that easy to pin point. In short, I suppose fans just want more value. Artists and labels alike need to find more and more creative ways to tip the plate scale back in their favor. To that point, I don’t think artists should be just doling out their art like pedophiles handing out candy and Pokemon cards at a park. At least get fan demographic and/or contact information, a commitment for purchase or at the very least, a “like” or “tweet”!  Social network leverage and fan information is the new currency whether the industry likes it or not.

I went to a concert a couple of months ago where every band begged the crowd to go steal, share or download their music for free. How do you intend to build value for your product if you are begging kids to steal it?! Maybe this was a short-sited attempt to gain credibility with their audience? but let’s not forget, music is art. It shouldn’t be pawned off as “the deal of the day”, the $1 Gatorade loss leader dressing the entrance of a supermarket.  Music is your heart and soul. There should be no shame in getting something in return for it. It doesn’t have to be money. Just something so it doesn’t turn into a give-away like the complimentary bowl of popcorn before the real meal. I understand the concept of introducing a new fan to your music with hopes of developing a long term, profitable customer but what kind of lesson does it teach your audience to offer it in exchange for nothing?  Now you have opened your customer up to questioning whether or not they should be spending money or exchanging influence and information for your product.  ”Maybe I can eat enough free popcorn to be full and not need to spend the money on the entree?”. 

I digress, back to the point. As Fred and I were speaking it hit me like a Sean Penn paparazzi
assault. I remembered seeing a bag full of left over “New Hope Tour” passes when I moved into my new house last year. Again, straddling the line between artist and fan, I thought how cool it would be to have an authentic piece of history from I band I really loved. These things look the way they did when we ordered them in 2005! and the artwork is killer. Because this was our first headlining tour, this particular pass is by far my favorite and most important amongst my collection.

With that said, check these bad Larrys out!  Pretty cool right?  Good idea to offer them with some ”SuperPremiumBundleGaloreExtravaganza!”???

Let us know your thoughts and re-blog or tell your friends if you feel so inclined.  Also, please, please, pretty please steal our music!

Stay well- Brendan

P.s. I feel like Rev Run at the end of an episode of “Run’s House”, except my bubble bath is an
exercise bike and I have no real moral/life lesson to summarize for you that was inspired by well
orchestrated, yet poorly acted out chain of events that unfolded over the last half an hour. God Bless- Rev Run