Equal Vision Records Tries New Means Of Album Sales
Would you pay a couple hundred dollars for every CD and DVD a label is going to release this coming year, sight unseen?
Indie label Equal Vision Records is asking fans to do just that. With the launch of EVR365, fans can select from 3 packages allowing them to get prereleased copies of EVR albums through the whole year. They throw in some other schwag like t-shirts and such too, to add incentive. The packages are priced between $60 and $200. At the $60 price point, the purchaser gets a digital download of every EVR album released, and to be released, in 2009. Future albums will be given to EVR365 members one week before the street release. The deluxe package sells for $200 and includes an EVR T-shirt, a signed copy of every CD and DVD for 2009 plus the corresponding pre-order shirt, and free shipping after the first order sends out.
I applaud Equal Vision for considering a new means of album sales, but I’m not sure this one will fly. I don’t know that I spent $200 on any single label’s releases last year, much less a smaller indie label like EVR. Who this will appeal to is the younger scenester crowd who would buy every EVR release anyway, and is anxious to gain bragging rights for getting albums early, and having them all signed.
The cool thing about this, from the label’s end, is it essentially lets them raise revenue to fund future product. If they’re making a ton of money on it, they know ahead of time that they can splurge on a particular album or two. If it tanks, then they know to return to the usual mode of operation. It takes some of the risk out of the risky business of record labels since you have some sort of idea as to your take before you go forking out the money to make the albums. Well played EVR, and kudos for breaking out of the norm to try and find new means of sales in this tough climate.
You can see the details of EVR365 here.
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