Giving People A Reason To Buy: Make Buying Fun

from the what-a-concept dept

Thu, Apr 9th 2009 5:38pm — Mike Masnick

One of the key points in talking about giving people a real reason to buy is to make it an experience where people want to pay the prices that you're offering. In fact, one of the best to do this has been Josh Freese -- who set up a variety of hilarious options on what people could pay him for additional value beyond his latest album, causing the $250 option to sell out quickly -- and the $20,000 option to sell out as well (there was only one, but still... someone paid $20,000 for it). $20,000 is a lot, even for getting the following:

Signed CD/DVD and digital download.
T-shirt
A signed DW Snare from the 2008 Nine Inch Nails tour.
Maynard James Keenan, Mark Mothersbaugh from DEVO and I take you miniature golfing and then drop you off on the side of the freeway (all filmed and posted on youtube of course).
I give you a tour of Long Beach. I'll show ya my first apartment, the coffee shop on 2nd St where my buddy paid Dave Grohl $40 to rip up some tile just weeks before he joined "Nirvana". I'll show you all my old stomping grounds....the Vandals old rehearsal spot, the house Quackenbush and I use to rent, where to go for the best tacos, Snoop Dogg's high school, etc.... for an extra 50 bucks I'll show you where Adrian and Tom from "No Doubt" live. For another $25 I'll throw in Brooks from Bad Religion and Eric from NOFX's houses too! We then spend the night at the Queen Mary and take the "Ghost Tour" (seperate rooms of course.....no spooning).
I write 2 songs about you (or if you want 1 can be about you and the other one can be about whatever or whomever you'd like) and it goes on my next record (you can sing back up on them, clap, play the drums, triangle solo...whatever you want).
Drum lesson OR foot and back massage (once again.....couples welcome).
Pick any 3 items out of my closet.

But, still, the whole thing is fun, and that's a big part of the reason why people find it worth buying. There have even been rumors that some bands are looking at buying the $75,000 option, which would get them lots of attention, and include options like Freese playing on tour with them for a month and recording an entire EP about whatever they want.

But, of course, it's not just in the music business where this works. Reader William Jackson writes in to point to an interesting article of a guy noting that making buying fun works in a range of industries, from software to t-shirts. He describes the process of buying a t-shirt at the T-Shirt Deli, a t-shirt shop that is set up just like a deli, and makes the process of buying a t-shirt like the process of buying a sandwich -- including handing you the final product wrapped up in wax paper with stickers... and including a bag of chips as well.

So, if you're looking for ways to give people a reason to buy -- a good place to start is to make buying your product fun.

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Filed Under: fun, josh freese, reason to buy, t-shirts
Companies: t-shirt deli

18 Comments

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Weird Harold, 9 Apr 2009 @ 5:55pm

... and we can no conclude that music is not only free, but it has also lost all it's value.
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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 9 Apr 2009 @ 5:56pm

Wha??
So you're saying that if the buying process is fun, people won't be reluctant to do it? That's crazy talk!!

Whom do we sue to stop this outrage?!
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2009 @ 6:16pm

Hark! What doest thou hear?
Harold Hill's theme music is playing again!

"Seventy six trombones led the big parade"
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Weird Harold, 9 Apr 2009 @ 6:20pm

Re: Hark! What doest thou hear?
spew crap all you like - if the music was good (and had value) this guy wouldn't have to sell himself like a side show attraction to be making a living.

Then again, I can't wait to see what some of the up and coming girl singers come up with to push their products.
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dcl, 9 Apr 2009 @ 6:24pm

Are you suggesting....
Are you suggesting that:
You would pass having lunch with Neil Armstrong or Buzz Aldrin just because they haven't been to the moon recently.
Or
The Dodgers (or insert your favorite team here) should not have any fans just because they haven’t won a world series in a few decades.
Or
Meeting Adam West would be worthless because he stopped making batman films decades ago.
Or
Talking with Albert Einstein is not useful because he is been dead for .... ummm going to stop now.
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ryan, 9 Apr 2009 @ 6:46pm

Re: Re: Hark! What doest thou hear?
Maybe the point is that music (like all art) is for entertainment, and is an extravagance. The market has finally caught up to corporate machine and has exposed the real costs and profits. So now there is an artist, making money, by creating an entertaining way to pay for him to be able to create further entertainment. Is it really more demeaning to hang out with fans OR to make cents per album sold while everyone else in the chain profits at a much higher rate at your expense?

"...if the music was good (and had value) this guy wouldn't have to sell himself like a side show attraction to be making a living."

Is your grasp of history so limited that you cannot look back before the Elvis era? Go back to pre-WWII and tell me how many massively rich musicians there were. That the conglomerates have created a corporate music machine for six decades does not mean that it must or should remain that way.

..
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Weird Harold, 9 Apr 2009 @ 6:48pm

Re: Are you suggesting....
You would pass having lunch with Neil Armstrong or Buzz Aldrin just because they haven't been to the moon recently.

Nope - but sort of like on Futurama, after everyone has been to the moon, does it matter anymore? Columbus coming to America was special, but I have no urge to eat lunch with each person off a flight from Europe landing in New York these days.

The Dodgers (or insert your favorite team here) should not have any fans just because they haven’t won a world series in a few decades.

it might be interesting - but I am sure hoping this isn't the only thing they are doing for money.

Meeting Adam West would be worthless because he stopped making batman films decades ago.

It would actually be sad if this is what he would have to do to make a living, but I think Mayor West is doing okay for himself these days and doesn't need to whore himself out for cash

Talking with Albert Einstein is not useful because he is been dead for...

Actually, I would rather meet Stephen Hawking. He appears to have a better sense of humor.

I was never impressed by celebrity, only by what they produce or accomplish. I certainly think it is sad when someone who is a accomplish musician is sort of backed into this sort of corner to make a living. I guess it is better than giving drum lessons.
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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 9 Apr 2009 @ 6:49pm

Re: Re: Hark! What doest thou hear?
Then again, I can't wait to see what some of the up and coming girl singers come up with to push their products.
Been reading too many autobiographical tell-alls about the music industry?
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2009 @ 8:13pm

Re: Re: Are you suggesting....
"Columbus coming to America was special"

Not for the native Americans
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2009 @ 11:20pm

That's awesome as hell. My favorite part:

"Maynard James Keenan, Mark Mothersbaugh from DEVO and I take you miniature golfing and then drop you off on the side of the freeway (all filmed and posted on youtube of course)."

High-larious.

It's not being a side-show, it's called being fun and having a sense of humor. And yes, connecting with fans. Well, fan, I guess.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Apr 2009 @ 3:20am

Re: Re: Hark! What doest thou hear?
The music is what brings fans to his website in the first place. What are you talking about?

In keeping with the Fat Albert theme, maybe you should change your name from Weird Harold to Mushmouth since you just spew nonsense.
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Mechwarrior, 10 Apr 2009 @ 5:43am

Does it matter how he got that money? Are you saying the method of being paid has a value, Weird Harold? I suppose it does if its a Ponzi scheme...
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Apr 2009 @ 7:38am

It is time to alert Bill Cosby to the fact that there is someone impersonating a piece of his IP without permission!! Why should Weird Harold be able to STEAL Bill Cosby's IP like that???
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Jesse, 10 Apr 2009 @ 7:55am

Re:
That's a bit of a jump. That's pretty much what old people say whenever young people find a new way to enjoy something. Like whenever any new genre of music has become popular: "So music has lost all value now."
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Weird Harold, 10 Apr 2009 @ 8:58am

Re:
It matters only because it is a clear indication that the music is of no value anymore. All of what he is selling is celebrity, not skill. He is acting towards music as Tia Tequila acts towards movies - they aren't important, you just want to rub against the famous people to increase your own value in the system.

The only item on that list is the "write two songs" and then he turns around and pretty much kills the concept by saying "and you can do what you want on them", a total lack of respect for his own work.

In the end, he isn't selling being a musician, he is selling fun times with these famous guys I know. It is just disappointing, and even more so when someone would suggest this is one of the successful business models that will replace the music industry as it is now. Sort of like turning the Olympics into an American Idol audition show.
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Easily Amused, 13 Apr 2009 @ 10:39am

Re: Re: Hark! What doest thou hear?
What about all the artists who had to do crappy interviews with radio DJ's to get some promotion of their album? Or all the movie stars that have to do those ridiculous press junkets to drum up excitement about their movie? You could apply the same reasoning to those as well.

The point is, he has gotten a lot of publicity and a fair amount of money already from this idea, and if the choices are any indication, he is having some fun himself along the way. Not to mention making a deep connection to some fans who will buy whatever the hell he asks them to from now on.

How can you be so negative all the time?
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Apr 2009 @ 8:19am

Re: Re: Hark! What doest thou hear?
You disgust me.
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anon, 28 Sep 2009 @ 5:16am

Re: Re: Re: Hark! What doest thou hear?
Ryan you are so very, very right.

The value of music and musicians has been grossly inflated by the corporate machine flogging it.

I love both but I do not worship either.

Also, I have often wondered if the uber-rich musicians complaining about the effects of file-sharing on their uber-richness would actually quit music because of it.

Seriously doubt that they would give up music to earn 80,000 a year selling/fixing/making/etc. whatever. And they bloody well know it.

The talented ones deserve the big bucks if they can get it but don't bemoan a 10% loss to the millions when you're getting paid to play a guitar for a living.

I know, a bit off topic but I have never posted this before and felt the need to express it. Apologies if this has been a waste of your time.
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