namkcuR
ONE love, blood, life
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January 25, 2005
An Open Letter to U2
Dear U2,
I'd like to explain to you what kind of fan I am. I first saw you play in 1982 when I was a freshman in college. That was 22 shows ago - I've travelled across an ocean to see you play. I've bought multiple copies of all the albums, run my own website, worked for others - I've spent a lot of time on U2 because I loved the music. And I always felt that you were different - you didn't buy into all the corporate music crap and I felt that you had a unique love for your fans.
I've told people this over the years, that you were different. You made fun of people who cared about money over love. You dared to speak up when you saw injustice. You were earnest, but didn't take yourselves too seriously. You could poke fun at yourselves and the ridiculous industry you found yourselves in - all while making fantastic music. You cared about the fans - took the time to do things for them, speak to them. Run up into the crowd.
People gave me crap for that, y'know - but I sincerely believed it to be true. I've never asked anything from you, never hung outside the venue to meet you, never asked for an autograph. Just bought the music and went to the shows along the way.
In the last few years, I feel you've changed, and this was hammered home completely today.
The crack first started during the Elevation Tour, during the Boston Show. Die-hard fans lined up all night long to get the best General Admission in the house, right up on the stage. No one thought it was their due to have that ticket because they were the biggest fan - they bought the ticket and stood in line all day and all night to have the #1 spot. This show was a little different - it was being taped for the DVD - and right before the gates came open something happened. People came out and began picking people - pretty people, young people, to go to the front of the line. Can you imagine how that felt to the people who have been your fans for years? Who stood in line all day to get that spot? You're not good enough, not pretty enough for the video. That was the first time, to me, it was not for Love, it was for Money. You see the result of it in that DVD, when half the heart sits down for part of the show. Sour grapes? Maybe. But a betrayal from a band we trusted.
The crack that started then has blown wide in the last few months.
1. Where Are the Lyrics?
Several months ago, most of the major fan sites received a cease and desist letter from lawyers at your label instructing them to remove the lyrics from their websites. Now these lyrics have been there for years - and you have known about them. What's different now? You're charging for U2.Com. Never mind that U2.Com doesn't really work well, doesn't have all the lyrics up - never mind that those fansites have for years been doing work that benefited you, out of the webmasters' pockets - work done for Love! You decided you were ready to pick up your toys and keep them for yourselves. Fair play - they are your lyrics - but a letter from a lawyer? Come on! Couldn't you have handled it better, the people who have done your online marketing for you for over ten years, with no thanks from you? A letter. From a lawyer. Thanks a lot. (Oh by the way, the lyrics at U2.Com aren't complete, nor are they accurate).
2. U2.Com
Then comes the absolute disaster that is U2.Com. First of all, weren't you aware of when your album would be released well in advance of the date? Wouldn't it have been possible - I'd say, even desirable to have the working website on a test server and have all the bugs worked out so you are merely flipping a switch? This is standard web development protocol. Instead, you had a web site that came up well after the album was released, with so many bugs that navigation was nearly impossible. But, it took orders for membership. Orders that never made it into the system. But got charged, once or twice - without the promised Propaganda discount.
Your boards at Zootopia are flooded with people who two months later are still unable to access webmail, unable to log in properly, unable to see the subscriber forums. I was in this boat - and I've sent 15 emails to both fanfire and u2.com - none of which have been answered with anything but an automated FAQ that answers none of my questions. (I got that twice). I called Fanfire 8 times, with long holds each time and the most productive advice I've received from them was "keep hitting refresh." Brilliant. (You still owe me $40 for the double charge by the way - I haven't gotten that refund yet).
A member of your organization representing U2.Com was recorded on the Dave Fanning show last week, making a couple of pretty interesting statements. "We're still providing a really good service for free for fans, they're getting all the news, they're getting all the latest videos, audio, that kind of stuff. But if they (fans) want extra stuff, they can pay for it. We're not trying to rip them off. We're providing extra content and extra stuff. There is a cost to us, and we're passing it along."... "There have been a few technical problems purely because it's been so popular. But we do have a support team online 24 hours a day, and we have been getting through all this backlog of problems people have been having." Where is this support team? I haven't seen them, and they sure haven't answered me. It seemed cavalier to me, as if the concerns of the fans are being disregarded completely.
What About Propaganda?
What about Propaganda members? Those members who were your biggest fans from years back? A lot of those subscribers came on during the Elevation tour and got only one magazine. You decided to kill the fan club, but you neglected to tell the fans! We were all left hanging, for four years before you said anything about it. During this time you were able to get together to create that fantastic Propaganda cocktail table book (yours at Amazon.com for only $27.50) but you didn't tell the fans! Then we finally got a letter. Well not all of us, actually - quite a few of us didn't because you used a years old database, but I digress. We got a letter promising us that as a thank you to make up for the unfulfilled Propaganda subscription we would get a discount on U2.Com - plus "Priority ticketing for 2005 tour available for purchase through U2.Com." Also promised (this in an email) "former Propaganda members go to the front of the line for tickets." Neither of these happened so well.
Guaranteed! Priority! Booking!
I don't care about webmail or forums, not one bit. All I cared about was the tickets. Your very own emails promised me this - in fact, here's the email you sent me on December 15th:
Dear U2 fan:
Big News!
In just a few weeks U2 will be announcing dates for a ten-month world tour in 2005.
And Members of the all-new U2.Com will be first in line for tickets with a guarantee of priority booking.
U2.Com has just relaunched with an all-singing, all-dancing new site, which includes, for the first time, a brand new Membership site.
Membership of U2.Com costs $40 per year and as well as a host of special features like your own '@U2.Com' email address, exclusive full-length performance videos and a big discount at the U2.Com Store, Members are offered the chance to book two indoor tickets or four outdoor tickets - BEFORE the general public sale of tickets.
With the 2005 Tour dates set to be announced next month, we wanted to let you know now about the U2.Com Membership package.
Here's the deal.
As well as the new site which is free to all fans, paid-for 'Members' site offers exclusive online access to what the band are up to with rare video, downloads and exclusive interviews. Members get a special free gift on joining, plus their own '@U2.Com' email address, access to a host of new discussion boards in our interactive area, Zootopia - and a 25% discount on first purchase from the U2.Com Store.
Already building up a treasure trove of U2 specials, the new Members site already offers :
- live band performances of 'Miracle Drug' and 'Vertigo'
- a mini-documentary on how the Vertigo video was shot in Spain
- behind the scenes in the Dublin studios with five live tracks for BBC Radio 1.
Find out all the details on becoming a Member at U2.Com here
If you are planning on seeing the band live in 2005, being a U2.Com Member offers you guaranteed priority booking come the New Year !
See you on the road.
U2.Com Team
Well, let me tell you what didn't happen. I didn't get any guaranteed priority booking. Oh no, what I got was nothing at all. I logged onto the site at 9:59 for a 10:00 onsale (New York City), and I hit refresh until I saw it and then I immediately put in my details and clicked Go! (FYI - I am on broadband cable which was fast as lightening). The system said it was looking, don't hit refresh! You'll lose your spot! And then BAM! No Tickets Available. What? (The time? 10:01 eastern). How many tickets did you put in the presale? 20? I repeated the process again at 10:00 Central (Chicago) and got again - nothing. Almost everyone I am aware of (and this is well over 50 people who each paid you $40) either got NOTHING or got crap nosebleed seats behind the stage. Subsequent emails promised reduced Ticketmaster fees, which either didn't materialize or the reductions were so small that no one noticed.
Guaranteed priority? Bull.
Reduced Fees? No.
Who got those tickets?
A quick search of ebay will tell you the brokers did. How? Am I to pay $1500 for floor general admission in New York?
I don't think so.
Why were the presale tickets so severely limited? Why not sell to your fan club until they have what they want and then go to the public onsale? Don't you want your fans in the venue? Why is your site so expensive, when it fails to deliver on the only real benefit anyone is interested in? (you can have your metal credit card back, if you like)
Other bands handle this so much better, and for so much less money. REM. Dave Matthews. Pearl Jam. Bands that care about their fans.
For Love or Money, indeed. I've got my answer.
January 25, 2005
An Open Letter to U2
Dear U2,
I'd like to explain to you what kind of fan I am. I first saw you play in 1982 when I was a freshman in college. That was 22 shows ago - I've travelled across an ocean to see you play. I've bought multiple copies of all the albums, run my own website, worked for others - I've spent a lot of time on U2 because I loved the music. And I always felt that you were different - you didn't buy into all the corporate music crap and I felt that you had a unique love for your fans.
I've told people this over the years, that you were different. You made fun of people who cared about money over love. You dared to speak up when you saw injustice. You were earnest, but didn't take yourselves too seriously. You could poke fun at yourselves and the ridiculous industry you found yourselves in - all while making fantastic music. You cared about the fans - took the time to do things for them, speak to them. Run up into the crowd.
People gave me crap for that, y'know - but I sincerely believed it to be true. I've never asked anything from you, never hung outside the venue to meet you, never asked for an autograph. Just bought the music and went to the shows along the way.
In the last few years, I feel you've changed, and this was hammered home completely today.
The crack first started during the Elevation Tour, during the Boston Show. Die-hard fans lined up all night long to get the best General Admission in the house, right up on the stage. No one thought it was their due to have that ticket because they were the biggest fan - they bought the ticket and stood in line all day and all night to have the #1 spot. This show was a little different - it was being taped for the DVD - and right before the gates came open something happened. People came out and began picking people - pretty people, young people, to go to the front of the line. Can you imagine how that felt to the people who have been your fans for years? Who stood in line all day to get that spot? You're not good enough, not pretty enough for the video. That was the first time, to me, it was not for Love, it was for Money. You see the result of it in that DVD, when half the heart sits down for part of the show. Sour grapes? Maybe. But a betrayal from a band we trusted.
The crack that started then has blown wide in the last few months.
1. Where Are the Lyrics?
Several months ago, most of the major fan sites received a cease and desist letter from lawyers at your label instructing them to remove the lyrics from their websites. Now these lyrics have been there for years - and you have known about them. What's different now? You're charging for U2.Com. Never mind that U2.Com doesn't really work well, doesn't have all the lyrics up - never mind that those fansites have for years been doing work that benefited you, out of the webmasters' pockets - work done for Love! You decided you were ready to pick up your toys and keep them for yourselves. Fair play - they are your lyrics - but a letter from a lawyer? Come on! Couldn't you have handled it better, the people who have done your online marketing for you for over ten years, with no thanks from you? A letter. From a lawyer. Thanks a lot. (Oh by the way, the lyrics at U2.Com aren't complete, nor are they accurate).
2. U2.Com
Then comes the absolute disaster that is U2.Com. First of all, weren't you aware of when your album would be released well in advance of the date? Wouldn't it have been possible - I'd say, even desirable to have the working website on a test server and have all the bugs worked out so you are merely flipping a switch? This is standard web development protocol. Instead, you had a web site that came up well after the album was released, with so many bugs that navigation was nearly impossible. But, it took orders for membership. Orders that never made it into the system. But got charged, once or twice - without the promised Propaganda discount.
Your boards at Zootopia are flooded with people who two months later are still unable to access webmail, unable to log in properly, unable to see the subscriber forums. I was in this boat - and I've sent 15 emails to both fanfire and u2.com - none of which have been answered with anything but an automated FAQ that answers none of my questions. (I got that twice). I called Fanfire 8 times, with long holds each time and the most productive advice I've received from them was "keep hitting refresh." Brilliant. (You still owe me $40 for the double charge by the way - I haven't gotten that refund yet).
A member of your organization representing U2.Com was recorded on the Dave Fanning show last week, making a couple of pretty interesting statements. "We're still providing a really good service for free for fans, they're getting all the news, they're getting all the latest videos, audio, that kind of stuff. But if they (fans) want extra stuff, they can pay for it. We're not trying to rip them off. We're providing extra content and extra stuff. There is a cost to us, and we're passing it along."... "There have been a few technical problems purely because it's been so popular. But we do have a support team online 24 hours a day, and we have been getting through all this backlog of problems people have been having." Where is this support team? I haven't seen them, and they sure haven't answered me. It seemed cavalier to me, as if the concerns of the fans are being disregarded completely.
What About Propaganda?
What about Propaganda members? Those members who were your biggest fans from years back? A lot of those subscribers came on during the Elevation tour and got only one magazine. You decided to kill the fan club, but you neglected to tell the fans! We were all left hanging, for four years before you said anything about it. During this time you were able to get together to create that fantastic Propaganda cocktail table book (yours at Amazon.com for only $27.50) but you didn't tell the fans! Then we finally got a letter. Well not all of us, actually - quite a few of us didn't because you used a years old database, but I digress. We got a letter promising us that as a thank you to make up for the unfulfilled Propaganda subscription we would get a discount on U2.Com - plus "Priority ticketing for 2005 tour available for purchase through U2.Com." Also promised (this in an email) "former Propaganda members go to the front of the line for tickets." Neither of these happened so well.
Guaranteed! Priority! Booking!
I don't care about webmail or forums, not one bit. All I cared about was the tickets. Your very own emails promised me this - in fact, here's the email you sent me on December 15th:
Dear U2 fan:
Big News!
In just a few weeks U2 will be announcing dates for a ten-month world tour in 2005.
And Members of the all-new U2.Com will be first in line for tickets with a guarantee of priority booking.
U2.Com has just relaunched with an all-singing, all-dancing new site, which includes, for the first time, a brand new Membership site.
Membership of U2.Com costs $40 per year and as well as a host of special features like your own '@U2.Com' email address, exclusive full-length performance videos and a big discount at the U2.Com Store, Members are offered the chance to book two indoor tickets or four outdoor tickets - BEFORE the general public sale of tickets.
With the 2005 Tour dates set to be announced next month, we wanted to let you know now about the U2.Com Membership package.
Here's the deal.
As well as the new site which is free to all fans, paid-for 'Members' site offers exclusive online access to what the band are up to with rare video, downloads and exclusive interviews. Members get a special free gift on joining, plus their own '@U2.Com' email address, access to a host of new discussion boards in our interactive area, Zootopia - and a 25% discount on first purchase from the U2.Com Store.
Already building up a treasure trove of U2 specials, the new Members site already offers :
- live band performances of 'Miracle Drug' and 'Vertigo'
- a mini-documentary on how the Vertigo video was shot in Spain
- behind the scenes in the Dublin studios with five live tracks for BBC Radio 1.
Find out all the details on becoming a Member at U2.Com here
If you are planning on seeing the band live in 2005, being a U2.Com Member offers you guaranteed priority booking come the New Year !
See you on the road.
U2.Com Team
Well, let me tell you what didn't happen. I didn't get any guaranteed priority booking. Oh no, what I got was nothing at all. I logged onto the site at 9:59 for a 10:00 onsale (New York City), and I hit refresh until I saw it and then I immediately put in my details and clicked Go! (FYI - I am on broadband cable which was fast as lightening). The system said it was looking, don't hit refresh! You'll lose your spot! And then BAM! No Tickets Available. What? (The time? 10:01 eastern). How many tickets did you put in the presale? 20? I repeated the process again at 10:00 Central (Chicago) and got again - nothing. Almost everyone I am aware of (and this is well over 50 people who each paid you $40) either got NOTHING or got crap nosebleed seats behind the stage. Subsequent emails promised reduced Ticketmaster fees, which either didn't materialize or the reductions were so small that no one noticed.
Guaranteed priority? Bull.
Reduced Fees? No.
Who got those tickets?
A quick search of ebay will tell you the brokers did. How? Am I to pay $1500 for floor general admission in New York?
I don't think so.
Why were the presale tickets so severely limited? Why not sell to your fan club until they have what they want and then go to the public onsale? Don't you want your fans in the venue? Why is your site so expensive, when it fails to deliver on the only real benefit anyone is interested in? (you can have your metal credit card back, if you like)
Other bands handle this so much better, and for so much less money. REM. Dave Matthews. Pearl Jam. Bands that care about their fans.
For Love or Money, indeed. I've got my answer.
to this letter. It's about time someone put it out there so eloquently especially when the feelings she expressed are felt by so many.
)
