Drummer Pulls Off Best Net Marketing Promo Ever
Journeyman session drummer Josh Freese has just finished what was arguably the most creative promotion of online content in Internet history.
While the band Radiohead and author Stephen King have experimented with price promotions online, Freese—who has appeared on close to 300 records drumming for the likes of Devo, The Vandals, A Perfect Circle and Nine Inch Nails—took online content promotion to a new and extremely whacky height to sell his just-released solo album Since1972.
The promotion’s offers started simple enough: For $7, fans could download the album and for $15 they could get a double DVD set and the download.
But then came the add-ons.
For $50, 25 fans could get the album and a five-minute “thank-you” call from Freese, during which they can talk about whatever they want.
For $250, 15 could get the music, a signed drumhead, a T-shirt and lunch with Freese at P.F. Chang’s or The Cheesecake Factory.
From there, the offers got progressively wackier and more creative.
For example, for $1,000 one fan could get the music, a T-shirt and a signed cymbal, drum head and Drumsticks. But also, according to promotional copy on his site: “Josh washes your car OR does your laundry….or you can wash his car. Have dinner with Josh aboard the ‘Queen Mary’ in Long Beach, CA. Get drunk and cut each other’s hair in the parking lot of the Long Beach courthouse (filmed and posted on youtube of course)”
For $10,000 one fan could get the music, a T-shirt and a signed snare drum from A Perfect circle’s 2003 tour. And also: “Josh gives you a private drum lesson OR his and hers foot/back massage (couples welcome, discreet parking) Twiggy from Manson’s band and Josh take you and a guest to Roscoe’s Chicken n’ Waffle in Long Beach for dinner. Josh takes you and guest to ‘Club 33’ (the super-duper exclusive and private restaurant at Disneyland located above the Pirates Of The Caribbean) and then hit a couple rides afterwards (preferably the Tiki Room, Haunted Mansion and The Tower Of Terror) At the end of the day at Disneyland drive away in Josh’s Volvo station wagon. It’s all yours….take it. Just drop him off on your way home though please.”
Freese claimed in a Wired interview that he was 100% serious about his Since 1972 promotion.
According to Wired, Freese said the idea came about when he and a friend were discussing his minuscule album sales during the previous months.
“Six months ago, my pal says to me — he’s sitting at his desk and he goes, we were laughing about how many records I sold last week or the week before … ‘last week you sold one, and the week before you sold two, and the week before you sold none, and the week before one.’ And I was like, ‘OK, I get it…. Maybe I should call those people and personally thank them.’ And we started laughing. It was like, ‘Yeah, maybe you should offer a free drum lesson.’ I was like, ‘Well, maybe I should just take them to lunch.’ And we started laughing about that — it really came up that easily. And I was like, ‘Wow, this could be a great idea,’” Freese said, according to Wired.
However, Freese’s site has since taken down the promotion and is pitching the new album more traditionally. Freese has also disclosed the promotion was a PR stunt, but that he’ll still make good on any of the high-end offers if anyone buys them.
“I’m not expecting to sell any of those ridiculously priced packages but I sure did get a lot of good press and attention to the fact that I’m putting out a record because of it! Mission accomplished. We’ll see what happens,” Freese’s site now says.
“AND if someone does pay to take my station wagon or have me join their band or go to PF Changs with ’em…… we’ll then, we’ll do it! It’s a prank that isn’t a prank. Make sense? Like… it’s for real but I’ll be surprised if anyone buys any of the real expensive ones, ya know? I’ll keep ya posted on which ones sell and you better believe that I’ll film all that stuff and end up editing together something to release on the internet,” he adds.
Message to Mr. Freese: We’re not worthy.
