Comments on: Seth Godin and the New Free

By: Alexander

Alexander — Thu, 21 May 2009 00:51:58 +0000

Nice post. I also arrived at “quality” as the means of standing out in a free economy. Significant differences exist in what I think of as “presentation” quality: file formats, tagging, etc. But of course the intrinsic quality of the music itself is what matters most. None of this contradicts Godin’s post; I think he was taking aim at the marketing types who seem to think that tacking “free” or “sale” or “special” on anything at all instills that thing with value.

My full thoughts on the matter can be found here:
http://www.ektoplazm.com/journal/free-is-not-enough-quality-matters/

By: refe

refe — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:04:29 +0000

First of all, I checked out the response you posted on your blog – I had to use Google Translator to read the German though, so I may have missed some things! If anyone wants to check that out you can find it here (it’s in German)- http://kliklak.net/blog/musik-die-dich-bezahlt.

Gigging can absolutely be profitable, but it does take a lot of hard work. If a band wants to make the kind of money they would expect from a full-time job, they should be working full time hours. That means playing shows 4 or 5 times a week, honing the songs, recording new tracks, etc. If you do that and have used your recordings to generate exposure for yourself, you should be able to make money for each show you play. You have to be good, of course, but if you’re bringing in the head-count the venues will pay you.

Then you should be thinking about creative merchandise options. T-shirts, pins and patches and all that are fine, but what about custom artwork? Elaborate packaging for vinyl or CD copies of your album that are sold at a premium? DVD collections of music videos you shot, etc. There are all kinds of different products out there – find something you think your fans will like and sell it to them. Sell invitation only house parties for an upfront fee if you want.

As for your point that free devalues the product for the consumer, I will respond to that soon – that is a post in itself!

By: Jayrope

Jayrope — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:03:48 +0000

Refe, tericee, i was sure i had pointed out, that i don’t dislike free giveaways at all. Excuse my Denglish, eventually. Freebies are a good means of promotion, and i enjoy them from others constantly.
It would be most interesting to know, though, what other sources of income you are referring to. Playing live in the USA is both almost impossible legally for any non-US citizen, and when i did it still it almost always was a “Tips for the band” thing, besides one very well paid festival show ages ago. The concert situation over here in Berlin (or Europe in general) is pretty much the same regarding payments, although not restrictive against one’s nationality at all.
Still, the average listeners are so worn out (i guess mostly by their own consuming manners), that they start complaining about the slightest bit of entry fee already.

So, uhm I’d love to hear your suggestions.

By: refe

refe — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:33:09 +0000

Jayrope- good to see your comments here, I’ve been enjoying our exchanges on Twitter. Musicians do of course need to get paid, but there are more sources of revenue for an artist than just the sale of recorded music. Record sales have not traditionally been very lucrative for the artists anyway – the labels are the ones who made money on records. They have always been primarily for promotional value, as they are in most of the Free models.

And tericee – you bring up a good point. Most fans are more than willing to support their favorite artists finacially through purchasing their music even when it is offered free. Even the so-called “pirates” that the industry is so concerned about have proven to be some of the highest spenders when it comes to recorded music. (Check out my recent post that talks about this.) So giving away records doesn’t mean you won’t still sell records – it just recognizes that there is more profit to be made elsewhere (such as touring and merch, custom packaging, etc.)

By: tericee

tericee — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:15:13 +0000

There are musicians like Tim Reynolds, who is a frequent guest guitarist for Dave Matthews, who are *very* good at what they do, but are also willing to give away their music for free. Tim is serious and passionate. But he still gives his music away.

He posts audio files online where his diehard fans can download them the instant they’re available. (http://www.timreynolds.com/audio/) He allows people to record audio and video at his concerts (unless the venue says no) and even offers advice on how to make good quality recordings. (http://www.timreynolds.com/taping_policy/) And he independently makes CDs that he sells — and people actually buy — when he’s on tour.

He’s probably not making the same amount of money as DMB, REM, or U2, but he makes a living, and he plays the music he wants to — without a bunch of “suits” telling him what to do. I guess you could say he’s the GNU kind of musician!

By: Jayrope

Jayrope — Wed, 13 May 2009 09:48:35 +0000

I don’t think, that all bands or musicians are equally good.
And i do believe, that consumers value higher what they paid more for.

In other words: a 40 Euro colored vinyl 12″ of my fav band is what i value high. I put it up th wall and adore it. But if i pay nothing for a download or physical media, then it lands straight in the “all the same to me bin”. Obviously it wasn’t worth more.
UNLESS the MUSIC is NEW and AWESOME (not in 99% of all cases ,)

Giving music away for free seems to work mainly in a zone, where music is just a wall color or a teenager item. Most of it plays in the “vain & fame zone.”

Serious, passionate &/or professional musicians need to fill their fridges and feed their kids as much as everyone else and would surely only consider to give stuff their music for free, when it is about changing or widening your audience.

Back to my cello. I am rehearsing the same piece since a day, and it still needs more shine.

Greetings from Berlin, jayrope