Online Music Fan Clubs Are Booming, But Draw Ire
from the it's-a-start dept
When people talk about alternative business models for music acts, the issue of the “fan club” often comes up – saying that as bands get more popular they can charge for admittance to some sort of fan club – while giving those fans greater access to new music, concerts, and other related promotions. It appears that fan clubs just like those described are booming online. There’s just one problem: those clubs aren’t doing much to offer their members anything of value. While they often promise “pre-sale” access to the best seats at concerts, many members complain that they’re only offered the worst seats. For promotions like this to work, there has to be real value for the end user. Still, it is interesting to hear that a fairly large number of people are willing to pay a yearly fee to be a member of such a “club”. It certainly opens up some opportunities for making money in a world where the actual music is distributed freely.
