Price Bumping – Value Jumping

For all of us “legal” music downloader’s, the days of the .99 across the board tracks on iTunes are over.

I’m not surprised because the strategy is tried and true; lure us into a feeling and once we are hooked on it, bump the price of the experience up. Most of us are still hooked into the easy and popular way to legally get our music. So we will whine, but will crave our Apple fix. They do have rebuttals planned for our whining over this price increase, in the form of value added programs that jump at us in the form of “passes” to make us feel special. The Fray’s iTunes “pass” accompanies the release of the featured track. This pass is set at $17.00 and delivers songs, video’s and photos over a time frame in hopes to retain fans over the long haul.

Innovation and freeware supporters, Nine Inch Nails, are coming out with an app for the iPhone in hopes of connecting their fans interactively with the intent of being a fine “up-selling” group. “ One of the biggest wake-up calls of my career was when I saw a record contract," Reznor says. "I said, 'Wait — you sell it for $18.98 and I make 80 cents? And I have to pay you back the money you lent me to make it and then you own it? Who the fuck made that rule? Oh! The record labels made it because artists are dumb and they'll sign anything' — like I did." (NIN iPhone App Extends Reznor's Innovative Run)



So, who will rule? Free and up-selling or expensive and value-added?

-Jodi

Price Bumping – Value Jumping

'09 Tour W/ Jane's Addiction to be Last for NIN?

Nine Inch Nails

The following letter was posted by Trent Reznor on NIN's website:

Towards the beginning of my career in Nine Inch Nails, our biggest break came in the form of an invitation to perform a series of shows with Jane's Addiction. These performances essentially created and defined the term "alternative" rock in the US, created an ongoing festival franchise that is still thriving (Lollapalooza), set the stage for Nirvana to shift popular taste a few months later, and were really fucking FUN to play and attend - truly the best times I've had. The shows were epic. So epic, they propelled NIN to the "next level" (whatever that means), but caused Jane's to implode. The band broke up at the end of that tour.

Fast forward to the present. Corporate rock STILL sucks. A friend tells me they saw the original Jane's lineup play a tiny show in LA that was unbelievable. I break out my Jane's records and am amazed by how vital they sound. These guys were the real deal and in this current climate mostly dominated by poseurs and pussies it was refreshing to hear something that sounded dangerous, volatile, beautiful and SINCERE.

Emails were sent, phone calls were made, dinner was arranged, ideas were discussed and the next thing I know we're in the studio experimenting. We laugh, we get to know each other, we cry, we yell, we almost quit, we record LOTS of guitar solos, we discuss, we actually begin to all communicate, we yell some more, we become FRIENDS, we laugh again and we do some great things. I get to see first hand why they broke up all those years ago but I also get the chance to see four distinct personalities that become an INCREDIBLE band when they're in the same room.

In NIN world, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of our first releases. I've been thinking for some time now it's time to make NIN disappear for a while. Last year's "Lights in the Sky" tour was something I'm quite proud of and seems like the culmination of what I could pull off in terms of an elaborate production. It was also quite difficult to pull off technically and physically night after night and left us all a bit dazed. After some thought, we decided to book a last run of shows across the globe this year. The approach to these shows is quite different from last year - much more raw, spontaneous and less scripted. Fun for us and a different way for you to see us and wave goodbye. I reached out to Jane's to see if they'd want to join us across the US and we all felt it could be a great thing. Will it work? Will it resonate in the marketplace? Who knows. Are there big record label marketing dollars to convince you to attend? Nope.

Does it feel right to us and does it seem like it will be fun for us and you? Yes it does.

Look for tour dates soon and I hope to see you out there.

Trent

'09 Tour W/ Jane's Addiction to be Last for NIN?

Biting the Hand that Feeds You

I have been thinking a lot about connection these days. Namely what makes people connect.

The Internet has become a relatively new catalyst for connection. The written word has become just as powerful as the spoken word and all over the world, people are connecting in ways they never thought possible.

Now not only do I get to go see a new or an old favorite, I can check out any social networking site to find others who enjoy the same and make a new friend by writing to them and sharing experiences near and far; good, bad and ugly.

When I think of the new ‘raw’ entertainment era that we’re in, I look at ways entertainers are reaching out to their people. No longer does a person have to pay for the latest album or movie; it is readily available for download somewhere on the net where you are not supposed to go, right or wrong. I believe, for an entertainer, creating an experience online and offline is the next level of attack and the entertainers are getting it.


NIN seems to think so. Instead of taking the Metallica road to warfare against piracy, they embraced that their fans are loyal, educated and smart; they gave them the experience of free music on BitTorrent, but in addition to that, they told them in writing exactly what to do to get it. This created camaraderie and a good feeling for all, not to mention buco bucks in their other offerings.

Buckcherry on the other hand, has recently played their audience as fools by having their manager, Josh Klemme, release their new track from their upcoming album on a torrent site and fake that it came from God knows where, knowing radio stations monitor the popularity of downloaded songs as a gauge on what to play on mainstream radio. Better yet, that band had the gall to blog about on a July 3rd MySpace posting stating they felt their fans were cheated because they wanted to bring it to their deserving public first.


I understand, publicity is publicity; now they are being talked about and maybe that is what they wanted, but I know that today’s fans are not going to put up with that type of trickery. What fans are looking for is a connection to a group, not deceptive marketing. Time will tell if they bit the hands that feed them and I personally hope they get disengaged but it teaches us all something about true connecting and how a band will hit the next level or maintain their status.

Personally, I want to see bands playing out on the street corner for free once in awhile where they can entertain, interact with humans and share their gift with the world. If they are good, fame, money and respect is sure to follow. If they are well established, they will be reinforcing a bond. Even with the power of the Internet, the lure of true connection will never be replaced.

-Jodi

Biting the Hand that Feeds You