Metal bands and smart marketing
Amon Amarth started 2008 off right for us, with a blistering show at the Amplifier on January 5 (read my FasterLouder review here). Unfortunately as Qantas lost their luggage, their was no merch (and no drinking horns either, but I go into that in the review). Denied!
To make up for this bitter disappointment, Dave, Al and I decided we’d better order some T-shirts directly from their web site. While we were there, we grabbed one of their albums that we didn’t have either. A touch more expensive than Amazon, but hey: the band were brilliant live and we had a great time at the gig, so we’re happy to support them directly.
The package arrived this week and woo-hoo! The shirts are awesome, the CD is cool, and even cooler is the unexpected poster, signed 8×10, big sticker, and three demos discs from other bands on the label (including two hand-labeled CD-R’s) that were also in the package. Unfortunately there was some water damage to the poster (spray from the far northern seas that washed up over the longboat, I can only assume) but I’m thrilled to see a record company that understands how to turn fans into fanatics.
This kind of smart marketing is not an isolated incident – and one area where it looks like metal is ahead of the general curve. Arch Enemy have their own official ebay store where you can buy signed items directly from the band. Trent Reznor impressed everyone at the last Sydney gig by telling everyone to steal his album, and is now experimenting with the idea of “download and pay whatever you want” as pioneered by Radiohead. And metal boyband Linkin Park have just announced they’re giving fans an opportunity to buy a “digital souvenir package” with their tickets that includes an audio download of the concert they attend, mixed by their “official guy”. Which would be cool if you like Linkin Park, I guess.
Either way, it’s good to see. It should be obvious to everyone by now that the music industry has to change because it’s consumers have changed, and the more of this kind of innovation that goes on, the better it will be for the bands that I like.
I think you’ve picked up on a trend here Kay. Everyone you’ve mentioned has better “music credentials” than no-talent ass-clowns like Britney, and I think that because they are all about the music, rather than pandering to what some record company says will sell more albums; they are naturally inclined to think of smart ways to get in touch directly with their fan base. Britney et al are manufactured images – these guys are the real deal and I think it shows in the “realness” of the way they market themselves.
[…] knows by now the traditional record industry’s dead, yeah? I talked a bit about how impressed I was with the gear we ordered from Amon Amarth a while back, their record company actually seems quite switched on. Radiohead had this great idea […]
Trent shows ‘em how it’s done « enter the goatlady said this on March 9, 2008 at 9:52 pm |
[…] awesome in Perth in January… can’t believe that was over 10 months ago. We bought tshirts and I was blown away by how smart their label was. The DVD of their 2006 Wacken set was killer. And hey, viking metal. Vikings, I mean… how cool is […]
Viking level escalates: Amon Amarth confirmed | hell bent for wacken | 3 aussies at WOA '08 said this on October 4, 2008 at 11:25 pm |
[…] READ THE FULL STORY […]
Metal bands and smart marketing said this on November 26, 2008 at 10:13 pm |