Mantis: An Album Done Right
Umphrey’s Mcgee is probably my favorite band. No other band has rocked my face off so consistently. They just plain rock.
More than rocking harder than most mortals can, Umph seems to understand how the music world is changing. While many bands (or at least their labels) are busy screaming and suing over “piracy,” effectively treating their fans as criminals, Umph is constantly experimenting with new ways to treat their fans better. The band is almost continuously touring, and they are certainly most known for their stellar live performances. They have had free, hour-plus long podcasts available for over two years. They have embraced the taping community, and currently have over 100 full show recordings on archive.org.
And now, as I type this, they are releasing their latest venture into using “free” music to both promote themselves AND improve the experience for their fans. Mantis is the newest album, released today (I actually got mine last night). The interesting part of this album is the promotion the band ran leading up to its release. Upon announcing the album, Umphrey’s allowed pre-orders, with one amazing twist; the more copies that were pre-ordered, the more content would actually be included in the album. They explain:
The more fans that pre-order the release, the more bonus content we’ll unlock for everyone. We are leaving the amount of additional content and the makeup of some of that content entirely up to you. There are 8 total levels of material that could be unlocked containing over 45 unique & unreleased audio tracks, including behind-the-scenes perspectives, videos, and plenty of quirky surprises.
In one move they incentivize promotion by fans. Every person who pre-ordered would get more for their money by making sure more people bought the album. Having eight unlockable levels made it almost a game, and engaged fans in a way that bands rarely do these days.
It is refreshing to see a band, especially one of the most talented groups out there, recognizing that the changing landscape of produced music does not at all mean that “music is dying”. Far from it. Electronic distribution is opening whole new avenues for both bands and fans to enjoy, collaborate, and share in music.
January 20, 2009 at 12:22 am | Blog, IP | No comment
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