Deconstructing Reasons To Buy
from the nicely-done dept
A few folks have sent over Cory Doctorow's recent Guardian column on "persuading people to pay" in the digital era when things are free. It sets up a decent framework for looking at different "reasons to buy." You can read the breakdown of each of these at the link, but here's the basic list:- Buy this or you'll get in trouble
- Buy this because it's the right thing to do
- Buy this because you're supporting something worthwhile
- Buy this because paying money will deliver high quality
- Buy this because it is convenient
- Buy this because your devices won't play the unauthorized version
- Buy this and you'll get more features than you would with the unauthorized version
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Filed Under: reasons to buy
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duh.
I see you're still ignoring the obvious, Masnick.
Your business model relies on a static landscape of piracy. Seriously, how fucking stupid is that?
It does explain why your life is devoted to bitching about piracy enforcement.
Hope this career of selling willfully blind snake oil works out for you.
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If anyone is guilty of being willfully blind it is the content industry who puts out all those error-filled "loss" estimates. Mike at least actually backs his claims up with a firm grasp on economics.
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I'm curious how my business relies on that at all. I'm really scratching my head. How do you figure that? I can assure you, my business does fine no matter what the situation is with "piracy," since my business is totally not impacted by piracy at all.
Are you getting so desperate in your attempts to shoot the messenger (the one trying to help you) that you're not resorting to delusional fantasies about what business you think I'm in?
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It would probably be better for plausible deniability if he doesn't admit to that ;) .
(also I think you meant "you're now resorting" instead of the "not" you have in there)
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Spell it out.
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Oh wait, I am in, I just don't get payed for it. Eh, good enough.
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You can also pay to spend a day with your friend Mike. C'mon, you know you want to.
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"Oh wait, no we don't... we um... we milk web 2.0 virgins for money?"
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If you can't figure it out, well, that's really not my problem, is it?
In the meantime, why should I answer your demand when you refused to answer mine? First you tell me why I need "piracy" to continue to survive in "my business" and then I'll explain why you're confused.
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Well done paraphrasing:
I suspect you mean it to apply to different things than Mike did because you seem to operate under the illusion that there will one day be a way to physically stop people getting digital goods for free, but either way those two phrases are very similar meanings.
I see you're still ignoring the bits of an article that don't fit your view of reality.
I've yet to see Mike push any 1 specific business model so I'm not sure what "his" business model is, but the ones I've seen him talk about seem to revolve around there being zero or near-zero incremental cost to digital goods and how to recognise and leverage that to make more money. That's a rather different thing than "piracy" being part of the model. Zero incremental cost is and will be true however much piracy exists and the only way "piracy" reduces (not goes away, it's always been there) is by acknowledging that.
But complaining about dumbness in others is so much fun. It's like responding to really obviously trolling comments when you know you shouldn't - you just can't resist.
You seem to go through a few bottles a day of the competing brand so there's clearly a market. If that starts to fail I suppose he can always apply to the government to prop up his failing business model with a law or 2.
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Hell, they even have a vault to lock stuff up for ten years at a time so they can sell it again in the latest and greatest format!
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Another compelling RtB...Community
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Yeah? By who's definition?
Meh. Also see above
Yep, sounds good to me.
Yep, sounds good to me.
....unless you use one of the 40 or 50 work-arounds that exist for whatever the tenuous technical block is, most of which will be readily available and many of which will make the product simpler to use.
Meh. Too often features you didn't want in the first place that are clearly stuck in there to justify jacking up the price sky high.
That'll do it every time - the feeling that you ended up with something that was actually worth whatever money you paid for it. Also makes for more repeat buyers I'd imagine since in my case if I end up having to buy something that I consider a rip-off either before or after purchase I'll go out of my way not to give my money to the same place next time.
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++++
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-The cocaine habit of some mid level executive at a record label is not a worthwhile cause.
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Deconstructing
Not really the correct use of the term.
A (over)simplification of deconstruction is: to identify the common central themes that are "obvious" and then *ignore* them, while promoting and focusing on the obscure peripheral meanings that everyone else ignores.
It was a pretty obscure form of literary analysis, so idiosyncratic that only Derrida could really do "properly"
*****End of boring content*****
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8) Buy this at artificially inflated prices because you have to
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WHY Gaurdian
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Other direction
Buy this or you'll get in trouble - Surprisingly not a reason people listen to.
Buy this because it's the right thing to do - A little better then the first, but still subjective.
Buy this because you're supporting something worthwhile - Getting closer, but not quite there
Buy this because paying money will deliver high quality - Went the wrong direction. More $ != better. The "better" part needs to come before the higher price. AKA: Make it better and you can charge more.
Buy this because it is convenient - This needs to be true, but it isn't.
Buy this because your devices won't play the unauthorized version - This needs removed. If my device won't play the unauthorized copy it means my device won't play the authorized copy from someone else.
Buy this and you'll get more features than you would with the unauthorized version - It worked for me with Futurama, though technically I could have just downloaded the director's commentary.
Buy this because there's no other way to get it - Ding. Provide something that cannot be obtained anywhere else. Time, physical goods, quality, support, something that the competition cannot replicate.
Hell, you only need that last one. Follow that rule and people will buy your product (as long as there's actually a market for it).
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But did it then make me BUY what I otherwise would have gotten for free? No. In 2010 I spent over $800 for ebooks (probably more, but this is what I'm sure of). So far in 2011? A smidge over $32.
"Buy this because you're supporting something worthwhile" - If I liked the ebook I had downloaded, I then purchased a copy for this very reason. Now that I am no longer downloading I either read only legit freebies or ebooks that I get from my Kindle lending club. I have purchased the few of those I have enjoyed, but my greatly reduced "preview" reading has led to the greatly reduced spending I noted above.
So content providers may be happy that a pirate has been converted, but the consequence is that I am giving them much less of my money because of it.
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A few more...
Buy this as a status symbol (i.e. a huge art collection)
Buy this and we'll publicly recognize your contribution (i.e. in a CD jacket)
These aren't necessarily the only reason to buy, but they may become contributing factors if you set it up right (for example by strong branding).
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Buy this to listen to (would apply to all music, but is not a reason to buy).
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music has been overvalued since the 70s
CD prices have gone down some, but enough. Itunes and other music renters still charge too much. In my opinion an unlimited on-demand music streaming service available on ANY device is worth at most $2 to $3 per month.
Ps. I love Crunchyroll.
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Buy this or you'll get in trouble
- I don't like being threatened, I resent this method. I will stop buying as soon as it is practical, just out of resentment.
Buy this because it's the right thing to do
- If I agree, I'm happy. If I don't, well I'm not buying, but if there is some guilt trip attempt, I will resent this tactic.
Buy this because you're supporting something worthwhile
- Same as above really, it's all about the warm-fuzzies.
Buy this because paying money will deliver high quality
- I'm happy with this tactic, your not tugging on emotions to convince me.
Buy this because it is convenient
- I'm happy with this tactic too
Buy this because your devices won't play the unauthorized version
- I resent this for the reason I like the previous tactic. I'm happy with making life easier and resent attempts to make it harder on purpose.
Buy this and you'll get more features than you would with the unauthorized version
- I'm happy with this, adding value like the higher quality.
It's important to remember not to screw with your customers. If they resent your business/company they will go elsewhere when there's viable option. That leaves you open for competition to easily convert your customers. I guess the only way to prevent that is prevent competition. Get you bribe money ready, no wait I mean marketing and donations, sorry,
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Re: EXACTLY!!!!
Exactly. We work hard to keep a personal & political & social connection with our label's fans. We know that as soon as we release something, it's available, somewhere, for free.
(I'm the GM of indie record label that sells physical & digital formats of audio recordings)
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Wow
Let's take bets on how long it takes Cory to come up with some kind of paywall-equivalent and start blogging about how his version of a paywall is cool. I'm guessing it just needs to be put in the right terms. What if someone created an "artists' union" and then used a paywall-like mechanism to force the world to support the artists'-union if they consumed any of the bounty? That might do it.
I'm guessing that the over-under here is about 6 months until Cory comes around and starts celebrating paywalls altogether. He just won't call them paywalls.
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Re: Wow
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Competition.
YES, buyers do compete, when the seller gives them a chance to compete!
Top Contributions list at http://www.humblebundle.com/ is a brilliant, if underappreciated idea.
Am I the only one who noticed?
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