I went off on one recently, about the idiocy of a music industry which insists on releasing and rereleasing slightly changed versions of the same old albums, based on an expectation that fans will keep on paying out for pretty much anything. Turns out, maybe that's not as ridiculous as it sounds. Take Josh Freese for example. He's a drummer who has toured with Guns n Roses, Nine Inch Nails and The Offspring amongst others, and now he's releasing his second solo album. It all sounds like angry dirge rock to me - the soundtrack to a million guyliner-wearing teenagers furiously self-polluting. But we're not here for the music, we're here for the marketing.
Whilst most artists these days are happy to offer two or even three different 'bundles' of their latest albums, ranging from bare bones right through to bonus tracks, mixes and videos, Josh has taken things one step further.
Fans can pay $7 for the digital download, or $15 for the CD/DVD double set. Or they can pay $50 for the CD/DVD, a T-Shirt and a personal phonecall from Josh himself. Or they can pay $250 for the CD, T-Shirt, a drum head and a lunch date. And so it continues right up to the $75,000 option which includes the chance to go on tour with Josh and his band, a month of Josh as your personal assistant and a limo-trip to Tijuana... The full list is here and makes for an amusing read.
He maintains that all of these offers are genuine, but doubts how many takers the high-end options will garner. Still, it's worth noting that the $250 option sold out in 48 hours.
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