…but I like it!
I’ve made mention of this before…
“Social Media Marketing With The Rolling Stones”
“Marketing, The Rolling Stones, Now!”
“Marketing And How The Mega-Rich Get “Satisfaction”
And I was reminded of the money-making and marketing side of Rock ‘N Roll by this recent post from Malcolm Auld…
…and he reports…
“Like thousands of others we queued at one of the merchandise tents to buy some branded memorabilia. The Concert Programme alone was $30 – and of course the kids wanted one each. There was a special merchandise pack we could have bought for a meager $550 – that’s not a typo – $550. So we bought posters and t-shirts instead. I also bought a hand towel for my golf bag – a great conversation starter as I wander the course (put that thought aside for a minute).”
Great post from Malcolm and well worth reading the whole thing.
And as I was trawling through Amazon recently, I came across something from the Stones that provided…
…a useful reminder of the value of material that you already have in your portfolio…you might even think of it an archive.
A couple of years back, the Stones set up a “Rolling Stones Archive” site…
“The Rolling Stones have unlocked the door to their archive, full of music, film and memorabilia from their incredible, almost fifty year career. At the Rolling Stones Archive you can listen to unheard music, watch unseen and films, and view rare photos and memorabilia.”
The main attraction (for me, at least) are a series of concert recordings labeled as “bootlegs”. In fact, they are the band’s own recordings of some of their shows and (depending on where you live) are available to buy in digital form.
I guess they must have been pretty popular because a couple of the gigs are now available through an “official” release…
“From The Vault: LA Forum – Live In 1975”
…and…
“From The Vault: Hampton Coliseum – Live In 1981”
(Full disclosure…those are affiliate links.)
Now, these “new” releases do contain a DVD of the concert in addition to the audios. There are also a number of different versions available (if you want the audio on vinyl, for example).
The marketing point behind all this is that the Rolling Stones have a new product to sell…all created from material that was, in effect, gathering dust and forgotten about. And if you’re wondering if these albums will sell…take a look at the customer reviews on Amazon. Heck, I’ve already got the digital audios and I’m going to buy them (assuming Santa doesn’t deliver them)!
And…there are another three of these “bootleg” concert recordings that haven’t yet been released…including waht many regard as the best of the lot, “The Brussels Affair”.
So, before going ahead and creating a totally new product or program, it’s well worth taking a look at what you already have in your own marketing archive to see if there is something you can re-launch or re-present.