With a new year comes a new resolution to keep up with this blog more regularly. I feel it is now time to look at a further facet to Music Marketing in the Digital Age and pick up where we left off.
To reiterate; I was discussing ways of adding value to MP3s to convince consumers to part with cash for something which they can essentially get for free elsewhere (albeit illegally).
One of the ways we can do this is through providing consumers with exclusive content which is not available elsewhere.
Ever since the recording industry began, consumers have been fascinated with musicians as celebrities. Fans follow the artists through interviews, images and news stories and desire information about the music itself regarding lyrical topics and the recording and composing processes. I believe this desire for information varies from fan to fan, with some music fans satisfied with printed lyrics and others, which I refer to as ‘mega-fans’ left always wanting more. I propose that the music industry should utilise fandom and allow fans access to exclusive content. This will work as a marketing tool and improve buzz for the artist or their recordings which should increase sales. This is reiterated by the affiliation vinyl collectors still have today with “limited edition”, rare and exclusive presses.
The internet can be exploited to allow users to gain access to exclusive web content including videos of the recording process, live performances or interviews. This content can be used as part of a wider promotional viral campaign.
Access to exclusive content via the internet was handled particularly well by rock artists, Metallica who delivered content in a clever and effective manner building up to the release of their latest album, Death Magnetic. The band allowed fans to pay a $10 fee to register on a specially set up website; Mission:Metallica, which allowed registers to access daily video clips and footage of the recording of the album including interviews and jam sessions. As it got closer to the official release of the album more content was released so that users had already heard clips of finalised songs and this created fantastic buzz for the album by the time it was released.
