RSSAlbum scavenger hunts in the future?
Sep 06
Merch, Online, Social earth destroyer, have you heard it?, lady gaga, music hackday, piracy No Comments
Although I was initially drawn to the post to find out about Lady Gaga’s touring carbon footprint, which is apparently good, I have to say I have more interest now in the other hack mentioned.
Thanks to the Music Hackday event held in London in September, TrackDropper/Piracy is one of many new and interesting apps available for the curious artist.
Although I’m sure the major labels (side note: Universal was a sponsor for this past hack weekend) may kick and scream about it, I think an app like this has great potential for artists to create excitement about their music.
Imagine employing a street team to drop all the tracks from your new album across major cities a week or two before it is released. Your website could then be the central location for your fans to find clues to the whereabouts of those tracks. Basically, you create a musical scavenger hunt.
Obviously, you would have to include something more tangible for the fan at each site they visit. Something to encourage them to get outside and hunt around for the music you crafted. After all, if they can get it all for free from the comfort of their own home, why leave the computer screen? Depending on your fanbase the chance of simply meeting other fans out on the hunt, or maybe even members of the band, might be enough. Stickers, notes about the track, and ticket presale info are other things that come to mind.
Another possibility would be to simply include a few tracks outside the venue you are playing in each town on a tour. Find a local fan and have them drop a few new tracks in the hopes of enticing people in to hear the real thing. Your tour posters could also mark places where tracks are dropped. A simple note on each poster could explain how people could listen to a track at that very moment.
You could also drop tracks yourself around a city detailing places you love, song inspirations, childhood memories, past romances, etc… Hinting to your fans about the locations of these tracks later on your website could build a great bit of buzz each time you hit their hometown.
Just like so much else on the Internet, I think this new app has a lot of promise. You just need to be creative with it all, and as a musician I hope that is the easy part.
