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Bon Jovi Tries New Approach To Fight Piracy

Dudio writes "80s-era rock band Bon Jovi is taking a novel approach to fighting piracy of their upcoming album, Bounce. Retail CDs will be distributed with a unique serial number with which the purchaser can register in order to receive such exclusives as prioritized concert ticket purchases and unreleased music. Finally, somebody in the entertainment industry is attempting to adapt to the changing market rather than rushing to protect an outdated business model." All Bon Jovi jokes aside, it is nice to see a fresh approach.

41 of 489 comments (clear)

  1. Good Job! by Locke!Erasmus · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Locke!Erasmus feels that this is a prudent and wise course of action for Bon Jovi to take. I only hope that they will keep some records on whether they profit from this strategy, and how much they profit. Hopefully, if it works, we will see more labels/artists try new tactics such as this one instead of simply threatening to DOS people who are running a P2P application.

    --
    I should have picked out the nickname Demosthenes!Tecumseh.
    1. Re:Good Job! by macdaddy357 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Both of Bon Jovi's fans should eat this up!

      --
      How ya like dat?
    2. Re:Good Job! by DESADE · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Thank goodness!!! I proposed this idea to a digital music list almost two years ago hoping that things would evolve this way. The labels could marginalize piracy if they approached the problem intelligently.

      The Nature of Demand
      It seems to me one of the key problems facing the music industry in the
      digital age is the "commodity" approach to marketing music. Who was the
      genius that first determined that the real product is a piece of plastic?
      When I buy a CD, it's not because I simply want to be able to play the music
      at my leisure. At the core of every music purchase is a connection between
      the artist and the consumer. For some, it's an association of ideals. For
      others, it may be image, lust, identity, craft or a myriad of other
      possibilities. This is the real nature of demand in this business and it's
      being completely ignored under the current model.

      Pissing Off the Consumer
      This whole idea came to me as I was driving to work one day listening to
      "Celebrity Skin." I'm on my third copy now and it irks my hide a little each
      time I buy a CD that I have previously owned. Especially considering the
      fact that I know so little money is going to the artist.

      Why can't I just buy personal rights to the piece of work and pay a media
      fee for whatever form of media I choose as a playback device? If I lose the
      CD, why can't I just pay a reasonable media fee to replace it? Why can't I
      be a patron of the artist rather than a consumer of plastic? The value of a
      CD is in the beauty of the work, not in its physical manifestation.

      In a Perfect World
      I'd pay $25 bucks for a CD. It would come with a serial number. I'd go to a
      Web site managed by the artist or their representatives and register. Once
      registered, I'd be able to download the CD in MP3 format. Maybe I'd get
      access to a couple of bonus tracks as well. Maybe I'd like a second copy of
      the CD or a tape for my car. I'd be able to buy a second copy for 5-7 bucks.
      Call it a media fee.

      A Different Approach
      Now here's the real power of this model. Now that I've registered, the
      artist can send me an email telling me about what's going on in their
      creative life every now and then. Maybe I'd be able to get an early copy of
      the next album in MP3 format for pre-ordering. Maybe the artist could send
      me a link to some live tracks from concerts or some things they have been
      playing around with in the studio between major releases. Maybe they could
      point me to a couple of older albums I might be interested in. Maybe once I
      have purchased the rights to three albums I would achieve "distinguished
      patron" status that allows me special access to other material. That's
      value. Now I feel like I have a relationship with the artist. Now I feel
      like a patron who helps support the artist so they can spend their time
      working on their art. Now the artist has a direct way to build a
      relationship with me the fan. Foster that relationship and the artist is
      meeting the real demand of a music consumer.

      Maybe when the artist comes to town, they can put on a special show at a
      small venue for "distinguished patrons." I think a show like this would be
      good for the artist and the patron. The artist would know they are
      performing for a select group that appreciates their craft and has shown it
      by supporting them. The patron gets to see his or her favorite artist up
      close and personal. The patron would be willing to pay a higher price as
      well. The next day, maybe a special commerative t-shirt would be available
      at the web site when the patron logs in.

      Also, think about how valuable the database would be.

      Watch the Money Roll In
      So under this scenario, I'd probably spend at least a couple hundred bucks
      with an artist. Under the current model, I might have shelled out $100 for a
      CD and a couple of concert tickets. Why allow labels to take so much money
      for "managing" the artist, when what they really should be doing is managing
      the relationship with between the artist and the patron? The marketing
      potential under this model is a no brainer. Some might abuse it, some might
      manage it well. At the end of the day, it's the relationship that counts.
      Piss off your registered fan base with a load of spam and chances are the
      fan won't cough up any more dough. Provide a real value to registering and
      watch the money roll in. The better an artist manages the relationship, the
      more money they make. Make the management earn their keep for a change.

      This Kills the Napter Problem
      Piracy will never go away. Instead of trying to limit access to an artist's
      work, why not take a different approach... provide real value for paying for
      the work. Why would I spend hours trolling Napster for bad MP3's encoded at
      different bit rates and labeled with no common format when I can just buy
      the CD and have access to clean copies encoded at a high bit rate for my
      desktop machine and maybe another set encoded at a low bit rate for my car
      or portable player? Napster's cool, but face it, it's still a
      pain-in-the-ass. Today's average MP3 collection is a sloppy mess. Why would
      I pirate when buying the work and registering offers me real value? Sure
      some people will pirate. Face it folks, it's going to happen no matter what.
      The loss from piracy would be more than covered by the additional revenue.
      This would also go a long way to killing the demand for used CD's.

      Eviscerate The Damn Middlemen
      I'm offended that the record companies skim off such a disproportionate
      amount of income from the process compared to the value they inject into the
      transaction. They get away with it because they control the distribution
      channel. That control is dying and all the industry seems to want to do is
      come up with another way to protect it. Wake up! Fans are pissed off.
      Artists are pissed off. Everyone is sick and tired of paying twenty bucks
      for a CD and knowing that the artist only ends up with a buck or two. That's
      why everyone is sucking songs off of Napster. We're all tired of feeding
      your machine. Let go and start fresh. Didn't most people in the business get
      into management or promotion or whatever because they loved music? Wouldn't
      it be nice to get back to that rather than working in a system that is
      basically a leech feeding upon both artist and consumer?

      Someday Soon
      An new act is going to make it big direct. No label. No management. No
      distribution deal. Self-financed. Self-promoted. Self-Published. Another
      possibility is a major act going direct successfully. The day is coming soon
      and when it happens, a lot of people in this business are going to face a
      rude wake-up call. Why not make a deal now while you still have a chance?

    3. Re:Good Job! by Disevidence · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Honest World -

      If it fails, they made shitty music which wasn't marketed well.

      If it succeeds, its due to better music and perhaps the added incentive of the aforementioned offer.

      Marketing world -

      If it fails, its due to blatant piracy

      If it succeeds, it didn't succeed enough. Piracy was still rampant.

      --
      Think nothing is impossible? Try slamming a revolving door.
  2. What will they blame it on when this doesn't sell? by sys$manager · · Score: 3, Funny

    It must be piracy because everyone wants to buy new records from a rock band that is 15 years out of date.

    Or will they go down in a blaze of glory?

  3. Combatting piracy? I don't think so... by blazin · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It sounds like he's not really trying to combat piracy, per se, but more encourage people to buy the CD for the perks and benefits that would come of it.

    Sounds like a great idea... Do something where people want to buy your CD more than trying to make it impossible for them to copy it.

    I hope it works for him.

  4. Bon Jovi??? by tsmit · · Score: 3, Funny


    Never heard of him.

    --
    Yes, my girlfriend is a BitchX
  5. Unreleased Music?!? by carambola5 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    such exclusives as prioritized concert ticket purchases and unreleased music.

    Um, yeah. Unreleased until it's released to the paying customers, who then pass it off to the non-paying "customers." The prioritized ticket thing, on the other hand, actually makes sense.
    --
    IWARS.
    People, in general, disappoint me. Politicians even more so.
    1. Re:Unreleased Music?!? by tsmit · · Score: 3, Funny

      Really, what type of music from Bon Jovi is unrealeased? I mean...really.

      I'd be all excited about an unreleased single from Pink Floyd...but, Bon Jovi?


      What, are they going to remix "Living on a Prayer"?

      And now, the previously unreleased version of "Living on a Prayer", with Busta Rhymes singing backup.

      Please.

      --
      Yes, my girlfriend is a BitchX
  6. huh? by DA_MAN_DA_MYTH · · Score: 5, Funny

    What Bon Jovi jokes?

    Triumph the Insult Comic Dog: Bon Jovi you are filming a new vampire movie, yes?
    Bon Jovi: Yes I am...
    Triumph: At last a role that requires you to suck...

    --
    "It takes many nails to build a crib, but one screw to fill it."
  7. Back to the 70s by cDarwin · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I remember when I bought Dark Side of the Moon back in the '70s. It came with a really cool poster and a bunch of truly groovy stickers that you couldn't get anywhere else. It added a lot to the value of the album.


    Dark Side of the Moon was a top 40 record for five years running.

    --

    --
    Socrates was asked where he was from. He replied not "Athens," but "The world."

    1. Re:Back to the 70s by NewWazoo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'm going to go out on a limb here, and ask if you've listened to any Tool lately. :)

      Every single one of Tool's albums (with the sole exception of Opiate - it's more of a "garage" album) is masterfully produced and explores some very deep topics - Jungian "breaking through" and connecting with the Freudian alter-ego in AEnima, and dealing with prison rape in Undertow. Much of what you've said applies directly to Tool's music - regardless of musical taste (it may be a little "heavy metal" for some) it's amazing work, all of it.

      While they're becoming more and more of a commercial success, Tool is still one of the best bands around. And they're coming to Tallahassee Nov. 7! w00t! (Sorry, I degress...) ...and remember, this is coming from someone who almost solely listens to pre-1980 music. :) I live off Zep, Sabbath, Tull, etc (along with the likes of James Taylor, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, and the Beatles). Give AEnima and Undertow a shot - you may be suprised.

      Brandon

    2. Re:Back to the 70s by NorthDude · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Today's recipe for being a sucessfull group:

      - Include baby baby 10x in each song
      - Take the good ol' I love you and I want you back theme, stir a bit, remix...
      - Color your hair, put a lot of gel in there and shake well.
      - Travel almost undress, thus revealing your new 100% remolded boobs (or totally fake skin tan)
      - Move your back a lot
      - Find a kewl nick-name
      obligatory... - ??? - succeedddd!!!! /obligatory


      Now, why are people not buying albums anymore?!?

      --


      I'd rather be sailing...
  8. Aside by tunabomber · · Score: 5, Funny

    But...I already feel like NOT pirating Bon Jovi music.

    --

    pi = 3.141592653589793helpimtrappedinauniversefactory71 ...
  9. Re:Congrats by cosmosis · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Well, lets not forget the efforts and foresigth of people like David Bowie who is totally hip to the values of Slashdot. He feels that copyright will be obsolete in 10 years, and he thinks its a good idea.

  10. -1 OT Bon Jovi Joke (It had to be done) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Four Catholic mothers were having coffee together discussing how important their children are.
    The first one tells her friends, "My son is a priest. When he walks into room, everyone calls him 'Father.'"

    The second Catholic woman chirps, "Well, my son is a bishop. Whenever he walks into a room, people say 'Your Grace'."

    The third Catholic woman says smugly, "Well, not to put you down, but MY son is a Cardinal. Whenever he walks into a room, people say, 'Your Eminence'."

    The fourth Catholic woman sips her coffee in silence. The first three women give her this subtle Well . . . ?

    Mrs. B. replies, "My son is Jon Bon Jovi. Whenever he walks into a room, people say, "Oh my God. . ."

  11. Re:Combatting piracy? I don't think so... by Neon+Spiral+Injector · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Daft Punk put a credit card sized card inside their CD with a unique number were you could download MP3 singles of remixes and live versions of the song from a special website.

  12. Resale by geekoid · · Score: 3, Interesting

    what happens to the peopel, who resale the disks later? can the remove there registration?

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  13. Re:Amen to that by Jucius+Maximus · · Score: 5, Interesting
    "The guy downloading it for free probably wouldn't buy it in the first place, much less go to a concert."

    Of course. But I think a better point is that someone in the industry is realising that the real money maker will NOT be CDs in the coming years. They are starting to cultivate the market for concerts instead. This priority ticket purchasing with CDs would probably cause people who would never have considered going to concerts to buy concert tickets.

    And live concerts, I do believe, will be the real money makers in the future as opposed to CD sales.

    THANK YOU Bon Jovi et al for rewarding purchases of the CD with real perks, as opposed to assuming the purchase is a copyright infringement waiting to happen.

  14. Value-Added by DaytonCIM · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It's refreshing to hear of a "retail-minded" band that is adding value to their CD in order to combat piracy. I like the idea of "perks" for those people who purchase the CD.

    Hopefully, this will do well and maybe the industry will begin looking at alternative ideas, those that benefit the customer, rather than punishing, to combat piracy.

    Then again pigs may fly over my house...

  15. Don't care for the music but like the guy by Deanasc · · Score: 4, Interesting
    From what I hear Jon Bon Jovi is a nice guy. I remember when you couldn't turn on the TV without seeing him. Then I remember when the hair became a joke. This guy has been to the top and slid down to the bottom. Lately he's been working his way steadily back up. I say good for him.

    Another reason to like him is he married his high school sweetheart and stayed married through the rise and fall and so far for his second trip up the success ladder.

    Anyway this seems like the kind of thing a real musician would do for his fans. Certainly not the lawsuit slinging behavior some other hair metal rockstars have shown their fans.

    --
    I've hit Karma 50 and gotten a Score:5, Troll... I win!
  16. Hey! C4n 50m3ne m41L m3 thE K3yG3N? by teamhasnoi · · Score: 4, Funny

    I need the keygen for Bon Jovi 1.0. Reply "me too" if you n33d it too. Many thanks to the CR3W!

  17. Re:If only... by Xerithane · · Score: 5, Funny

    I bought this CD for-

    [ ] the music
    [ ] the principle


    Just remember, even if you do buy the Bon Jovi CD on principle, your friends will still lose respect for you.

    "I bought it for the principle!" just doesn't sound right.

    In other news, Kenny G announced his new piracy-defeating measures by releasing another CD. His plans entail marketing only to the over-80 market, who still call computers televisions. In a recent interview, he seemed very excited to demonstrate that piracy only affects good musicians. When asked about Bon Jovi, Kenny G said they were planning a duet in which would be titled, "Kenny G and Bon Jovi: A tribute to the corpses who used to listen to us" and marketed under the pretense of expected zero piracy.

    --
    Dacels Jewelers can't be trusted.
  18. ban jovi by solferino · · Score: 4, Interesting

    why not pass on bon jovi and go for the much cooler 5 piece banjo ensemble ban jovi?

    can't find a website for these guys, but here's a place where you can buy their cd

    no real affiliation to th band in question - just heard them play once at an underground music festival in taiwan (they are american)

  19. Counting Crows are doing the same thing by cpfeifer · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If you buy the new Counting Crows CD (and you should, because it's quite good) it gives you access to a secret bit of their site with unreleased tracks and whatnot. Makes for an interesting reverse engineering project.

    --
    it's not going to stop until you wise up, no it's not going to stop. so just give up.
    1. Re:Counting Crows are doing the same thing by anthony_dipierro · · Score: 3, Interesting
      Q: Do you think the RIAA and the government should be going after the Napsters of the world they way they are?
      AD (as in Adam Duritz): Yeah, I do. I'll tell you why....well, I don't know. The fact is, it is illegal, so if you want to go after Napster, you can go after Napster. But there's always going to be another one. It's just too easy to make them. I mean, now there are nine Napsters, or 20 Napsters. What I didn't like about Napster was the way they took on that mob mentality. Because you know you're doing something wrong, right? Let's face it: Everybody loved it, but let's not lie about it. It was wrong. So don't pretend that you're the Great White Hope, or that you're this great rebel, because the only people you're ripping off are the artists you supposedly love.
      And what I really hated about Shawn Fanning and those guys is that they really whipped up a mob mentality toward the artists who spoke out against them, as if they were these rich corporate types. You know, Lars Ulrich was this guy who had the decency and the guts to speak out, and they really jumped on him. I thought, "Man, that is so wrong." I mean, do what you want to do, be a fan, whatever. I'm cool with that. But where do you get off lecturing him when you know you're wrong. It's just too easy to shout somebody down when you have the majority with you. I always feel like that's wrong, no matter whether you're Napster and MTV, or whether you're Joe McCarthy at the Communist trials in the '50s. It's just too easy to shout someone down when everyone's on your side. It's always wrong. It's just never right to be in a mob. Never.
      But, I don't know, the government...See, I really think it's just a world. I mean, we've got countries, and they're not going anywhere. But they're just these things we made up. Really, it's just a world. We've made up these countries, and I'm not sure how much good they've done us. It's just because our nature is to become a mob and gang up on each other, so we make these boundaries to sort of scare ourselves into not doing it. Maybe it's the only way we keep ourselves from slaughtering each other daily. And we still do that, but the great thing about the Web is that it's sort of this untamed thing. It crosses all natural boundaries, it is lawless. It just doesn't belong to anybody. There are no rules, in a world that's so obsessed with rules, there aren't any. I kind of think that's cool. I really do appreciate that part of it. And regardless of what I think about things like Napster, I'd be really hesitant to involve our government, because I'm hard pressed to think of examples in which our government gets involved and does a particularly good job of it. They generally step in there and do it all wrong. Because who are they, really? Where are their interests? They're not with me and you. They just generally aren't. If the government had to choose between me and your and Universal/Vivendi - and I've got nothing against my record company, they've been great to me - but they're going to choose Universal/Vivendi.
      The perfect example was when the record companies got that law passed that music was a work-for-hire a couple of years ago, and they did it effortlessly even though it was clearly unconstitutional and wrong. The fact is that all it takes is a vote of the government, and when you're the biggest company in the world, it's easy. It's not that hard to get it passed. We're an unorganized group of artists, you know? It couldn't be more unorganized. Thank God for people like Sheryl (Crow), Don Henley, and people that organized against it. But we're not the union types. It's not in our nature to be organized, and to be, like, a union. It's not the nature of anyone in this business to do it. As a result, the companies run roughshod over us at times. I'm very lucky, you know? I'm part of a very, very small percentage of people who do what I do who make a living at it. Generally, they've made it almost impossible to make a living doing what we do. Very hard. You get paid almost no money, percentage-wise. So if you're small, you just can't do it.
  20. Curing the problem, not the symptoms. by Andy+Dodd · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Problem: RIAA products overpriced given what you get, people don't want to pay for them.
    Sympton: People pirate the music instead.

    Solution: Add value to the CD that makes people more willing to buy it.

    The RIAA in the past has been trying to cure the symptoms, without attacking the core problem. This is a MAJOR step in the right direction.

    --
    retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
  21. A little different from fighting piracy IMHO by foqn1bo · · Score: 5, Interesting



    While I'm sure tactics like this are advertised as anti-piracy measures, I'm excited about this as a sales technique. The online community(slashdot especially) has been talking for quite some time about the relative value of copyright when it comes to music recordings. A very common response has been one which suggests that in order to assure sales, a retailer/merchant/distributor/manufacturer needs to give a prospective buyer a good reason to purchase.

    The traditional extension to that idea I've come across here is that in most transactions the consumer is paying for a service rendered. For example, a new car was built by a factory and an ordinary consumer cannot make his own. Same goes for computer parts, TVs, and many types of clothes. The consumer has discovered, through the advent of consumer digital media devices(esp computers), that the act of taking an existing digital audio recording and duplicating it is trivial and practically mundane. The artist(who only has to record the album once) does a lot more work than the record company copying it, particularly within the boundries of the insane amount of elbow grease that goes into writing/recording/touring.

    You may think Bon Jovi is the lamest crap on earth, but in my opinion this strategy not only sounds like an effective solution but a vote of confidence for consumers. For once a recording institution is admitting that it needs to work to keep it's customers loyal instead of the other way around.

  22. It's Direct Marketing just for a "live chat"! by mekkab · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Read the article (I thought of submitting this too!)
    This isn't JUST to combat piracy, but they are collecting more detailed marketing information, such that in the future it will be easier for sales to hit their target without "wasting" money on promo's that don't work; be they airplay at the wrong time, or video exposure on VH1...

    SO let me get thsi straight: I pay money, I sign up online, they get a WHOLE lot of personal data (I wonder if they ask for household income?), and I get a newsletter and maybe the chance to talk to the band and maybe a first crack at buying over-priced concert tickets at an arena where the pre-selected seats are all nose-bleeders?

    SIGN ME UP!

    --
    In the future, I would want to not be isolated from my friends in the Space Station.
    1. Re:It's Direct Marketing just for a "live chat"! by Coplan · · Score: 3, Insightful
      The reality is that even if it were as bad as you think it is, its more likely to work than the negative combat techniques.

      Enforcement through perks is always better than enforcement through military tactics. Rather, I should say it works more efficiently without as much controversy.

      It may not be perfect, but its a step in the right direction. If nothing else, it does cut down on the backlash. And lord knows, you get the RIAA and anyone else in a screaming match, you might as well be back in third grade. Nothing productive truly comes from backlash, aside from the obvious statement that people are pissed off. We already know that. So steps like this need to be made in order to find the most widely selected solution.

  23. CD file sharing and piracy by Daimaou · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I really hate when people compare the sharing of mp3 files to software piracy. Why? Because the two are totally different.

    Music has been broadcast over the airwaves for years and years and then some more years. For most of those years, there has existed the technology to copy those songs onto cassette tapes and other mediums and listen to those songs at a later time; and numerous times.

    Growing up, I always recorded my favorite songs off the radio; and I believe, just like recording a TV show, it was perfectly fine for me to do so. In fact, wasn't it Sony, one of the companies that is now whining about music sharing, that sold me the ability to record radio broadcasts? Why, I believe it was!

    Since the radio reaches nearly every corner of our country and nearly everone owns the technology to record that music, I don't see a difference between that and sharing an mp3 file with your friends, other than you get to cut out the retarded DJ who always talks over the song like some dimwit fart.

    A couple more interesting things to note, in Japan, they have stores that will rent you CDs, for a couple hundred yen, in much the same way American's rent VHS and DVD movies. Those same stores also sell very specialized cassette tapes so you can record the CD instead of having to pay around $30.00 for it. Since the stores are not owned by the record companies, I don't see a difference between this and sharing mp3s with your friends (other than you've cut out the middle man).

    Also, you most public libraries will loan you music CDs for free.

    On the otherhand, software has NEVER been broadcast over public airwaves or freely distributed in your public library. Nor are there stores that will rent you software and then the media to use to copy it. Nor has the means to copy software ever been commercially provided with the copying of software being its primary marketed function.

    I think that the record industry is too damn stupid to provide their customers with a product in the form their customers demand and I think they are using an apples to oranges comparison of software piracy to sharing music to force the governments to pass laws that maintain the status quo of their current, obviously undesirable, business plans.

    And all of that is why I hate hearing music sharing compared to software piracy.

    1. Re:CD file sharing and piracy by evbergen · · Score: 3, Informative
      On the otherhand, software has NEVER been broadcast over public airwaves
      Why, it has! Here in the Netherlands in the 80's, you had the NOS Hobbyscoop, a radio programme on public radio that broadcast home computer software. It used a standard for compatible BASIC programs, called BASICODE. It was basically a 'shared library' with well-known subroutines at well-known line numbers.

      You'd record the part with the awful sounds on your cassette recorder, and then you could load it onto your Spectrum or C64 or MSX. Loads of fun!
      --
      All generalizations are false, including this one. (Mark Twain)
  24. Serial Number = Watermark? by mini+me · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Conspiracy Theory: Little do these people know, their serial number is embedded into the audio tracks on the CD. When distributed on the internet these wartermarks can be matched against the contact information used for signing up for the free merchendise. Therefore the person who distributed the audio on the internet will be known.

    Well that probably isn't the plan here, but who knows what the future will hole.

  25. This sure beats extra-cost fan clubs. by dbirchall · · Score: 4, Insightful
    During the '90s, I was relatively involved with a band that never got quite as big as Bon Jovi did, but still sold millions of albums. (Those who know me know who the band is.)

    At the beginning of the decade, they were asking some amount for lifetime membership in their fanclub. I don't remember the amount, but it was between $15 and $35. Got you a bunch of stickers, a newsletter, etc.

    By the end of the decade, they were asking around $35 a year for a glossy magazine-style newsletter, preferential ticket sales, and backstage potential. (They were also selling 1/10th the albums.)

    Doing it this way makes a lot of sense to me. Instead of charging extra to join the fanclub, put those unique codes on everything, and let folks punch in codes for everything they buy. Bought the CD? Yeah, we can hook you up with good seats at a good price. Bought the last five CD's, plus posters, videos and t-shirts? Front row center, baby!

    Reward the folks who are dedicated to you, and all that stuff.

  26. Re:Amen to that by Simon+Garlick · · Score: 3, Insightful
    "Not too bad for working less than 3 hours a night."

    What you're paying for is the probably 50+ YEARS total practice, training, shitty unpaid gigs, rehearsal, and the honing of the individual artists' skills, all of which together have created a band which you want to go and see. The three hours is the time your butt is in the seat, not the "working".

  27. Whoa... by mshomphe · · Score: 3, Funny

    they're halfway there...

    --
    She sat at the window watching the evening invade the avenue.
  28. Toad the Wet Sprocket Did this 5 Years ago by weston · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Toad the Wet Sprocket did this 5 years ago. May of 1997 was the release date for their album Coil. If you bought Coil, you got two special bonuses:

    1. A free ticket to a promo tour they were doing for the album
    2. When you visited their website with the CD in the drive, you could play a hidden track on the CD. There was a contest, too -- the first person to correctly identify all the lyrics from this song won a signed guitar.


    The result: my brother and sister and I bought four copies for the three of us and a friend we would take to the concert. Ticket prices were usually well above the $12.99 promo price for the CD. Even though I had access to a burner and blank CDs cheaply, it simply didn't make sense NOT to buy the CDs with the ticket incentive. The multimedia was nice, too.

  29. Re:One more time.... by VivianC · · Score: 3

    The Dave Matthews Band did this with the CD Busted Stuff a couple months ago. They even included a DVD with more material. All this for only $9.99 on the release date and $11.99 the rest of the week (Best Buy, Chicago).

    --
    Viv

    Gmail invites for ip
  30. d00d! i needz bon jovi serialz! by mr_gerbik · · Score: 3, Funny

    is this going to be the future of warez? i think i'll start working on my bon jovi serial generator now.

    -gerbik

  31. Somebody is finally in tune... by Mulletproof · · Score: 3, Insightful

    No, seriously... Besides going cold turkey internet, subscriber base and everything that goes with a downloading service, what Bon Jovi is doing is THE ONLY way to lure fans back from the brink of piracy. it's all about added value and so far, the labels have been doing nothing but subtractive value marketing. MP3 added value because I could at very least burn my own CDs, let alone ~ahem~ sample them before I buy. You can damn near do anything to MP3. There is so much added value in the digital format it's pathetic and the best the Labels can think of is encryption and new media formats? Not to stroke myself, but me and others have been saying this for years now-- The only way to combat this if you aren't going to move away from CDs is pack in shit with the CDs. Autographed guitar pics, tickets (their method is probably easier) and other stuff you simply can't get online. hell, I might just buy the CD as a show of support. This is actually one submission I totally agree with... Somebody is finally doing something right here, so support the bad man (it's like that 'going to a crappy video game movie' thing to 'support the cause').

    --
    You need a FREE iPod Nano
  32. It's not just about fighting piracy. by Tsuzuki · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It's about getting people to buy the damn album - pure and simple sales. If that means less people pirate it, all the better.

    Working in a promotional company has exposed me to a fair bit of how marketing and sales operate, and "new and innovative" is what every client always wants, no matter how much or how little they're willing to pay for the resulting premiums (ie. toys) or services.

    Most of you would be physically sick if you saw some of the promotions that are being planned in the name of kids (and their parents) maintaining the market share of certain fast food and cereal companies. Sony Ericsson phones and POX were advertised in unique and innocuous ways that increased their "cool" factor.

    These promotions are ways to add perceived value to a product, which are a big part of increasing sales. We all complain about the price of CDs, whether we choose to buy them or not. Don't you think it's about time we started to at least feel like we got more value out of them?

    People who solely download music are being conceited if they think approaches like this have been generated in direct retaliation to piracy. It may be one of many reasons to carry out a promotion like this, but gathering valuable market research data and generating sales full stop are far more lucrative reasons to do it.

    (Regarding market research: a large company will probably keep your under lock and key for themselves so they know how to target future promotions. A company that provides free services is far more likely to sell information about you to others without asking you.)

    All that said, the first value-added CD I ever bought was a Pitch Shifter album. Not only did it have two small multimedia clips on it, the last two tracks of the album were made up of royalty-free samples they'd created of the album itself. They were full stereo, neatly separated, there to be ripped and used however the buyer pleased. The only "condition" of their use was that you sent the band what you'd done with it later. I think I bought it in about 1995...