Since I continue to put off the long post I have floating in my head about Helprin and perpetual copyright, I have been short on ideas for today’s post. Thankfully there has been a deluge of articles on artists who have chosen interesting non-conventional ways to profit from their music. Below is a collection of some of my favorites.
The Hold Steady – Vagrant records released their album with black and white comic books to entice record sales rather than downloads.
Sonic Youth – Buy their new album before release and you get a vinyl-only recording of the band’s NYC Fourth of July concert, a poster, early access to concert tickets, and online access to a collection of outtakes and B-sides.
Sunn O))) – Their new album Monoliths & Dimensions is available under a variety of different package deals. Each one coming with different band merchandise.
Amanda Palmer – Made $19,000 in 10 hours selling tshirts and auctioning off stuff merchandise. Amanda connected directly with her fans via twitter.
It is exciting to see that bands and labels are continuing to get beyond the copyright battle and instead are focusing on ways to profit despite potential infringement.
