It's about time.
The music industry has been the example of what NOT to do in the face of technological change for so long. Now some artists are realizing that they've got to try something new, and the solutions are pretty impressive.
Two very different bands, Gwen Stefani's "No Doubt" and the "Allman Brothers," have found two very different ways to manage the music industry's fundamental problems: the rising cost of concert tours and the dramatic decline in music sales. And, these new strategies also tackle the challenge of driving spending despite the recession.
"No Doubt" is giving away the its entire digital catalog —FOR FREE (yup, every single song) to fans who buy top tier tickets for the band's upcoming concert. A pretty good incentive to buy the pricier tickets, which aren't even that expensive. Starting at $42.50 plus ticketing fees, these tickets are chump change when compared toBritney's $550 concert tickets.
Fans can download over 80 songs from No Doubt's seven albums starting one month before the ticket date, and one month after. The band clearly recognizes that the big money comes from concerts, not albums and wants its fans to stay loyal and keep turning out.