The Ultimate U2 Experience: To Be Milked $1,000 Dry

[jick]

The Ultimate U2 HTDAAB Experience consists of buying one or more of the following items:

MUSIC:
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb $13.98
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb Limited Edition $22.99
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb Vinyl Edition $34.99
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb Deluxe Edition $34.99
Vertigo, Part 1 $5.99
Vertigo, Part 2 $9.99
All Because Of You $9.49

ELECTRONICS:
Apple iPod U2 Special Edition $349.00

DOWNLOADS:
Vertigo $0.99
The Complete U2 (with iPod discount coupon) $99.99

FANCLUB:
U2.com Membership $40.00

CONCERT TICKETS:
Floor $52.50
Seating $163.00

TOTAL = $837.90!!!!!!

HTDAAB: Releasing three versions of the album forces their large stable of hardcore collectors happy, promotes multiple purchases by single customers, and ultimately increases album sales to ensure high chart positions and great hype, which draws in non-fans or casual fans to buy. Brilliant.

VERTIGO: Multiple copies of the same single when all those tracks could fit in one single once again promotes maximization in sales.

ELECTRONICS: The hottest digital music player in the planet with the band whose fans have the most purchasing power (older demographic that covers the working class as opposed to the students) - just add some facsimile signatures in the back and change the color - and then you can jack up the price by $50 - the only way in which to justify it is ....

DIGITAL: ...a discount coupon for the Complete U2. With the discount, it is down to "only" $99.99! Wow, what a steal.

U2.COM: This is the only place to get ticket presales to ensure you won't be closed out of the tour. There are a few other things that come with membership but the real lure is the presales which in turn forces the member to buy ....

CONCERT TICKETS: The reasonable prices for standing are perfect for the college student crowd - affordable and they have the patience to line up early to catch a good location. Seating tickets will put you well away from the action, but these are the older ones who don't like to get down and dirty with the kids and want to feel like they are in a balcony seat watching broadway. So for the crappier locations which are preferred by the over-40 fan demographic, U2 smartly priced it at $163.00 because these are working people who can afford it anyway. Brilliant pricing scheme if you ask me!

OTHER FACTORS: Some may buy two copies of the deluxe edition - one to collect and the other to open up and read. The ticket estimates contemplate one seating and one standing seat. Some might buy two seating seats, or those in Europe will be able to buy four tickets. And this is only all about presale. Others will also attend other shows in additions to the ones they bagged in presale. There are also those who buy online so shipping charges will apply. To those who buy over the counter, there are also corresponding taxes. Don't forget the website merchandise where many members will actually exercise their one-time 25% discount.

Considering all the other factors, we are actually looking at around $1,000 spent this year alone by the hardcore U2 fan. The album cd and the singles are the ones most prone to illegal distribution (mp3, etc) and these consist of roughly 5% of the money that will be spent on U2. By bundling a DVD (which is not as easy to illegally convert, upload, and distribute ) or a book (this is obvious) to their album cds, U2 add value that cannot be found in illegal downloads. By joining the legal download fray (iTunes), U2 face the illegal distribution channels head on. And by redirecting their revenue sources to products that cannot be illegally distributed (iPod, website membership, iTunes, concert tickets), U2 assure themselves of the maximum profit.

Most of us are in Interference because we are hardcore fans, hardcore collectors, or even completists. Now that U2 have saturated the market with so many new products accessory to the actual 50-minute 11-song album, many feel that they must own these products or be left behind. U2 have given us too many options.

If you look at U2's latest business model, the ones hit most badly are us - the harcore U2 fan/completist/collector. We spent so much on U2 in the past already, yet U2 still want to milk us some more. This is a good business idea in the sense that the hardcore U2 fans who have followed the band since the 80's are working and earning by now, so they can afford. It is also good in the sense that we hardore fans have more products to buy. But it is bad if you look at it as U2 making money off their closest fans. I think the correct model should have been to find ways to gain new fans and target them instead in their proft-driven schemes. They shouldn't have targeted the loyal hardcore fans who have already given too much to U2 over the years.

Don't you all just wish it were back to the old days when you could just go to the record store to buy the album and not feel left behind or lacking?

Cheers,

J

 

[beau2ifulday]

I hear you Jick, but at the end of the day, noone is holding a gun to your head forcing you the buy all of the items they release. It has been expensive for me, but that's because i'm a collector - I buy the CDs, I buy the imports, I buy the promos.
U2 are maximising revenue. They've been doing it for a while now, and I doubt they'll be stopping any time soon. I don't like it, and i've started to feel a little bitter now when I part with my money for a CD single, or a vinyl, or a different format of the same album, but it's the choice I choose to make. It doesn't matter if fans can't afford it - there are always fans who will go out of their way to find money to pay the prices, and they recognise that.

 

[starsgoblue]

For fucksake...nobody has reached into my purse and ripped money out of it. I have voluntarilly and willing paid for whatever U2 products/services I wanted. I haven't been a zombie and bought whatever was thrown my way.

You wouldn't know about half this stuff unless one was a big fan. Most people I run into always ask what's up with my iPod because they just haven't heard that there was a U2 edition. So you kinda would have to be tuned into this stuff to know it's going on and that takes your own motivation to to do that.

By the way, you forgot Live From Under The Brooklyn Bridge. And yeah, I bought it.

 

[bsp77]

For fucksake...

Very Irish of you. Oh, and I agree with you. I am a hardcore fan but I am only buying some of the stuff, such as the limited edition and the iPod but not the singles. I would have asked for an iPod for Christmas anyway, so the U2 one was just a bonus. People can choose to do what they want.

Oh, and how long do you (Jick, not Stars) spend each day coming up with ridiculous posts?

 

[jick]

I hear you Jick, but at the end of the day, noone is holding a gun to your head forcing you the buy all of the items they release. It has been expensive for me, but that's because i'm a collector - I buy the CDs, I buy the imports, I buy the promos.
U2 are maximising revenue. They've been doing it for a while now, and I doubt they'll be stopping any time soon. I don't like it, and i've started to feel a little bitter now when I part with my money for a CD single, or a vinyl, or a different format of the same album, but it's the choice I choose to make. It doesn't matter if fans can't afford it - there are always fans who will go out of their way to find money to pay the prices, AND THEY RECOGNISE THAT.

That's precisely one of my major points in the post. U2 are brilliant to recognize the demographic of their fans who can afford many things to be thrown at them. Let's take Jojo or Avril for instance, I don't think they will succeed releasing multiple versions of cd's, pay membership in websites, consumer electronics and the like - because they appeal to students. U2 have read their market very well and I commend them for recognizing that fact.

Cheers,

J

 

[jick]

You wouldn't know about half this stuff unless one was a big fan. Most people I run into always ask what's up with my iPod because they just haven't heard that there was a U2 edition. So you kinda would have to be tuned into this stuff to know it's going on and that takes your own motivation to to do that.

By the way, you forgot Live From Under The Brooklyn Bridge. And yeah, I bought it.

Also another point I made which you have reinforced. You wouldn't know half this stuff unless you were a big fan. And that is the part that is a little bit disturbing. Why did U2 choose to target their big fans with all these items? Sure no one if forcing you, but most big fans would still buy a lot of these items anyway. So its extra revenue for U2 and they are making money off their most loyal fans.

And by the way, I think Live From Under The Brooklyn Bridge isn't an official release.

Cheers,

J

 

[jick]

Oh, and how long do you (Jick, not Stars) spend each day coming up with ridiculous posts?

I honestly don't find this post ridiculous. I think my observations have some substance to it and my analysis is accurate. Sure, the hardcore loyal U2 fans aren't forced to buy this stuff - but no matter what, the ones who know about this stuff and who will buy it are only the hardcore U2 fans. I think that is a fair comment because I doubt a casual U2 fan would bother with these items.

Cheers,

J

 

[Party Boy]

Jick, what exactly is the point of your post? Consumer choice.. you buy what you want and what you can afford.

U2 are putting on 6 concerts (I think) in the UK and so far, 16 concerts in the US. According to your logic, a fan (if they are lucky!) can potentially buy a ticket for every concert. Shouldn't that be taken into consideration in your arguement???

Btw, what is your definition of a hardcore fan? Its the songs, thats all.

Would be nice to get back to the real reason why we are fans!

 

[bsp77]

I honestly don't find this post ridiculous. I think my observations have some substance to it and my analysis is accurate. Sure, the hardcore loyal U2 fans aren't forced to buy this stuff - but no matter what, the ones who know about this stuff and who will buy it are only the hardcore U2 fans. I think that is a fair comment because I doubt a casual U2 fan would bother with these items.

Cheers,

J

Ok, the post wasn't that ridiculous. I guess I half agree with it. But seriously, do you lie awake at nights thinking what to post the next day?

 

[beau2ifulday]

U2 have read their market very well and I commend them for recognizing that fact.

So, just to clarify, you commend them for reading the market well, but criticise them for acting on it?
Oh, and by 'them' i'm not talking about U2 themselves. I don't believe U2 to be completely uninvolved in certain things, and will be the first to admit it, but I don't think they are directly in control of alot of the marketing approaches that are undertaken.

 

[jick]

Would be nice to see some posts about the music for a change...

This is funny. All the posts have been about the music, from song gushing threads, to song improvement threads, to all the possible preferred setlist permutations of U2. If the music posts are primarily about HTDAAB, then there is a lot of discussion in the Where The Album Has A Name forum. So the norm in this forum, and for every forum about music artists is about the music. It is posts NOT about the music that is a change.

Cheers,

J

 

[jick]

So, just to clarify, you commend them for reading the market well, but criticise them for acting on it?

Yes. As the Zoo TV slogan said - contradiction is balance.

Cheers,

J

 

[Party Boy]

This is funny. All the posts have been about the music, from song gushing threads, to song improvement threads, to all the possible preferred setlist permutations of U2. If the music posts are primarily about HTDAAB, then there is a lot of discussion in the Where The Album Has A Name forum. So the norm in this forum, and for every forum about music artists is about the music. It is posts NOT about the music that is a change.

Cheers,

J

So again I ask, what is the point of this thread??

 

[starsgoblue]

So its extra revenue for U2 and they are making money off their most loyal fans.

And by the way, I think Live From Under The Brooklyn Bridge isn't an official release.

Maybe because they loyal fans want some of these things? Slane Castle DVD anyone?

And by the way, Live From Under The Brooklyn Bridge was a download available on iTunes. So I think it would fit into your equation.

 

[matt76]

Jeez Jick sometimes you do go on a bit!! Go and have a beer and chill out a bit...

 

[ADecentMelody]

First off, Live from Under the Brooklyn Bridge is an official release. What would it be - a bootleg? On iTunes?

Secondly, Avril does sell multiple copies of her singles. This is controlled by the recording company more than the artist. It's just commonplace to release multiple versions.

Thirdly, I may be in the minority but I actually like the different versions. I guess that's the collector in me who likes finding different versions, not everyone has. I like the different color schemes of LNOE, for example. I also like how Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses has the the red/yellow version, etc.

Obviously, U2 knows that U2 collectors (as you referred to: hardcore fans) will be the ones buying these collectibles. Who else would buy them? Collectors are the people who would want multiple copies, etc. Why are you surprised at this concept? How is this "milking" the fans? Collectors want more stuff, unique items to collect. Perhaps you should differentiate between hardcore fans vs. collectors. Hardcore fans don't necessarily buy everything under the sun. Collectors do, and that is a fine business model/concept.

 

[thrillme]

Meh, if you set aside $3 everyday, at the end of year, you'd have about $1000.

If you're one of those people that buys coffee everyday, even at $2 a day, you'd have spent a little more $700 on coffee.

$700 you have no tangible benefits from, if I buy a U2 CD, so long as I take care of it, it could last 10-15 or more years.

Perhaps U2 concerts, have no tangible benefits, though the memories could be worth it.

 

[doctorwho]

First off, Live from Under the Brooklyn Bridge is an official release. What would it be - a bootleg? On iTunes?

Secondly, Avril does sell multiple copies of her singles. This is controlled by the recording company more than the artist. It's just commonplace to release multiple versions.

Thirdly, I may be in the minority but I actually like the different versions. I guess that's the collector in me who likes finding different versions, not everyone has. I like the different color schemes of LNOE, for example. I also like how Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses has the the red/yellow version, etc.

Obviously, U2 knows that U2 collectors (as you referred to: hardcore fans) will be the ones buying these collectibles. Who else would buy them? Collectors are the people who would want multiple copies, etc. Why are you surprised at this concept? How is this "milking" the fans? Collectors want more stuff, unique items to collect. Perhaps you should differentiate between hardcore fans vs. collectors. Hardcore fans don't necessarily buy everything under the sun. Collectors do, and that is a fine business model/concept.

As others have said, no one forces anyone to buy anything. Besides, if one wants an iPod, it doesn't have to be a U2-themed iPod.

The market presents choices. Should we chastise General Mills for making different types of cereal? Should we also scold them for making different size boxes of cereal? No one is saying we have to buy every single type and size of General Mills cereal. Analogously, no one is forcing us to buy every thing U2 offers. We have choices - choose wisely.

A collector often buys an item because of something special. This has been true for decades and it's not unique to U2.

 

[OnFire]

U2 represent a marketing "perfect storm" for the othewise dying recording industry. They are a classic rock act that continues to release new material and tour and has the widest possible age demographic of fans.

So do you try to sell them everything they might possibly buy or present as many buying options for your fans as possible? For the old foogies like me, there is the good old fashioned buy the damn cd at Circuit City approach ($8.99 the day it went on sale, nice loss leader CC). For the kids who don't buy CDs anymore, there is the iTunes/downloading approach and for the collectors and hard-core fans there's every imaginable combination or option.

It could be that U2's just greedy and trying to milk their fans but somehow I don't think they feel like they need the extra money.

 

[Aardvark747]

Jeez Jick sometimes you do go on a bit!! Go and have a beer and chill out a bit...

 

[typhoon]

Bono honest-to-God broke into my house and took a thousand dollars. Should've stolen my CDs too, I haven't heard a Clash influence in that bastard's music in years.

 

[starsgoblue]

I hope he breaks into my house next.

 

[Souly]

U2 are smart buisnessmen.

 

[david]

You forgot to factor in the costs of everything U2 has released in multiple formats, NOW THAT IS THE ULTIMATE U2 EXPERIENCE!

 

[jick]

Maybe because they loyal fans want some of these things? Slane Castle DVD anyone?

And by the way, Live From Under The Brooklyn Bridge was a download available on iTunes. So I think it would fit into your equation.

Actually, perhaps I should include the two versions of the Slane Castle DVD on this list since that is when U2 started using the HTDAAB font in their cover. Maybe the font signifies a shift in profit-making gears. Elevation Boston and Rattle&Hum only had one DVD versions each, it is with Slane when they started all this multiple version hogwash to maximize earnings.

Thanks for correcting me about Live From Under The Brooklyn Bridge, I always thought it was a bootleg DVD taken from an audience camera. So how much did that sell for in iTunes? Were the other live performances like Miracle Drug and City Of Blinding Lights included as well?

Cheers,

J

 

[jick]

Should we chastise General Mills for making different types of cereal? Should we also scold them for making different size boxes of cereal? No one is saying we have to buy every single type and size of General Mills cereal. Analogously, no one is forcing us to buy every thing U2 offers. We have choices - choose wisely.

There is a world of difference. General Mills products are consummables and necessities. U2 products are for keepsake and repeated use. The closest thing U2 has to a consummable is their concert tickets - but did I even try to list every tour date and multiply it by the ticket price? That would be too much and pretty impossible. I also dont think there are collector edition limited run cereals, so correct me if I'm wrong.

Cheers,

J

 

[Windmilllane]

Jick

You are the Messiah. You have shown me the light.... That U2 Sucks!!!

 

[jick]

Jick

You are the Messiah. You have shown me the light.... That U2 Sucks!!!

I think you failed to complete your sentence. "U2 sucks my money" - that's what it ought to be I think.

Cheers,

J

 

[Lancemc]

Hmm...I'd still rather U2 have all of my money than...say...the Nazis.

 

[starsgoblue]