Music Marketing and Download Future: NiN Free Music Download

Above is the introduction to the music download page by the Nine Inch Nails. I thought it was interesting because it creates a “sales funnel” that takes 100% advantage of the Internet. The band’s leader, Trent Reznor, apparently does not like the music industry. Talk about “slapping the hand that feeds you” –something the Rich Sage ill advices! Reznor’s solution is to give away a major portion of their newest album, under a creative commons license. What I found interesting were the “value added” items that were being put up for sale –I think those items will more than compensate for the loss of any sales via the record labels or giving away the music online.

This is a concept that I have talked about extensively here and in my e-books: The idea that you sell one product and only that product is not an ideal way to build online success. The ideal way to make money online is to have a “sales funnel” that gets the potential customer interested, while provides something free. Then the customer is perhaps on a mailing list to receive additional information about similar products and services.

The result is that you end up with selling an introductory product, that leads to more product sales, and that leads to advanced products sales. I think the Nine Inch Nails are exploiting that business model rather well.

Here is the way the “sales funnel” is setup by the Nine Inch Nails:

• $5.00: Download the complete 36-track, NiN Ghost album.
• $10.00: CD box set
• $70.00: Deluxe limited edition package
• $300.00: Ultra-deluxe limited edition package

Its seems like a unique selling model for a diverse group of fans from free downloads to the ultra-deluxe package. It’s unique for the music industry. It is the same model that Internet Marketers have been using for years. Give away free stuff, then have a “foot in the door” product that sold, and then UP-SELL!

They are also distributing their must using torrent sites, such as BitTorrent. All this is rather noble, but keep in mind, that once success is attained, its easy to be “generous” about life. Usually, my experience is that efforts like this will go well at the peak of a bands career. However, when things get tough and the old music machine starts to sputter, then the “idealism” starts to decline. The band may have to “come out of retirement” when those bills start to add up.

Anyway, I’ll see how these guys are doing in their new marketing channel and see how things wind up in the coming months.

Carpe Diem, Rich Sage