Interscope And Best Buy Team Up To Give You A Free Twitter Application For Free (With Purchase)

Overhype

from the well,-hot-damn dept

Mon, Dec 28th 2009 12:51pm — Mike Masnick

Dear major record labels: when we suggested you learn how to embrace "free" in your marketing and promotions, this isn't quite what we meant. Consumerist points out that Interscope (part of Universal Music) has put together a promotion with Best Buy, whereby if you buy a CD from certain Interscope artists, you get a free copy of the software Tweetdeck. Well, that's nice... other than the fact that Tweetdeck is already free. Great deal! Now, to be fair, the copy of Tweetdeck you get is a special "customized" version that automatically has you following 16 Interscope artists (even if you only bought a CD from one of them). Of course, you could also just follow any of those artists yourself (again, for free), so it's not quite clear what the promotion is. But, they sure seem to suggest it's a big deal in the Best Buy newspaper ad:

Now, I guess, to some extent, we should note that it's a good thing that a major record label is admitting publicly that "free" can act as a good promotion -- so kudos to Interscope for taking that big step. It's also nice to see Interscope recognize that an infinite good (software) can potentially help sell more scarce goods (CDs). But, on the whole, it definitely seems like this promotion could have been handled a lot better. Pumping up the "free" aspect of something that's already free just doesn't seem that compelling.

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Filed Under: free, music, tweetdeck
Companies: best buy, interscope, tweetdeck

20 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 28 Dec 2009 @ 12:56pm

Sounds like they are freeloading off of twitter :)
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Hephaestus (profile), 28 Dec 2009 @ 1:00pm

Re:
"freeloading off of twitter "

TweetLoading?? ;)
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Anonymous Poster, 28 Dec 2009 @ 1:11pm

Re: Re:
Sounds more like a load of Bulltweet to me.
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Robert Ring (profile), 28 Dec 2009 @ 1:15pm

As I was reading this, I was like, Wait. I have that app, and it's already free. Then I read, "Well, that's nice... other than the fact that Tweetdeck is already free."
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Mikes, 28 Dec 2009 @ 1:44pm

Free Google Search
This coupon entitles you to 2 Free Google Searches (with purchase of $9.99 or more). Just click here: http://www.google.com
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John, 28 Dec 2009 @ 1:45pm

It's compelling if it also helps generate FREE publicity. Plus, it's probably seems a little easier to install from CD. Maybe there's a BONUS root kit too.
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Hephaestus (profile), 28 Dec 2009 @ 2:01pm

Re:
"Maybe there's a BONUS root kit too."

... this is Interscope not Sony ... ;)
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Dark Helmet (profile), 28 Dec 2009 @ 2:02pm

Good News / Bad News
Good News: They've got the free part down....

Bad News: Scarce goods ironically still elude them....
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Hephaestus (profile), 28 Dec 2009 @ 2:03pm

Re:
"Maybe there's a BONUS root kit too."

... this is Interscope not Sony ... ;)

but you just have to love those bonus tracks on Sony's CD's
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Dec 2009 @ 2:11pm

The only things big corporations know how to do is to take something that should be free or cheap and make it cost (more) money. They often accomplish this by lobbying the government (ie: for monopolies, such as patents and monopolies on who can use existing and build new cableco/telco infrastructure and also for monopolies on public airwaves). This is just another attempt to take something that's already free and monetize it. They also do it by buying up small businesses that offer a decent product for a decent price and making the free offering suck (ie Hamachi VPN) or taking away the free offering altogether. Just be thankful this particular example doesn't involve government lobbying.
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Dec 2009 @ 2:22pm

Re:
Not to mention monopolizing who can be a taxi cab driver. Those evil corporations, their business model only involves monetizing things that would be free without them and this is just another example of how difficult it is for them to escape their unethical business model.
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Dec 2009 @ 2:32pm

Re: Free Google Search
no thanks, "I'm feeling lucky"
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geoff Lord, 28 Dec 2009 @ 3:22pm

Tweetdeck for Free !!
hi there the tweetdeck application is a free tool but if you join via the free version offered here it also pre loads many high volume tweeters for you so its worth joining Hyper-Advertiser.com
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lavi d (profile), 28 Dec 2009 @ 3:33pm

Now, I guess, to some extent, we should note that it's a good thing that a major record label is admitting publicly that "free" can act as a good promotion -- so kudos to Interscope for taking that big step.

Mike. Now you're just being mean.

:)
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Mike Masnick (profile), 28 Dec 2009 @ 5:37pm

Re:

Mike. Now you're just being mean.

Heh. And the only reason I added that sentence was because someone here read that post earlier and said it was too mean, and that I should at least state something positive in Interscope using free. So I added that sentence. :)
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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 28 Dec 2009 @ 7:10pm

Re: Re:
I don't get it. They're doing exactly what you've advocated, yet are still being mocked. What's the diff?
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Dec 2009 @ 9:39pm

Re: Re: Re:
Copying someone else is not what he said to do. To advance one must offer innovative solutions, not merely charge for something that someone already freely offers.
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stephen, 29 Dec 2009 @ 6:25am

other bands
so interscope's promotion is basically to give you something free that's already free but loaded up with promotional materials for their other bands. how is this different than dell saddling their computers will AOL and other crapware?
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2009 @ 8:36am

BestBuy.com/tweetdeck
funny, the url in the promo doesn't work for me. Am I spelling something wrong?
bestbuy.com/tweetdeck
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Dec 2009 @ 5:09am

From the other side... Tweetdeck is doing whats right.
If tweetdeck is selling the rights to bundle its software
in a commercial product it seems. They are doing what's exactly right by giving away their product to home users and still managing to benefit from their work.
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