Thursday, November 18, 2004
I have a funny idea but I need the cooperation of everybody who has a credit card and about $15 worth of space on it.
Normally I don't like practical jokes but this would be really interesting. Because this isn't really a joke. Well, yes it is, but no matter.
Here's what we do:
Pick an album -- something obscure, very "niche" or "cult-status" like "Song Cycle" by Van Dyke Parks or "12 Songs" By Randy Newman or something by a very little-known, avant-garde composer who's still living. In other words, an album that critics have always liked and most people (except weirdos like me) have avoided like the plague because you couldn't dance to it.
Then on an appointed day, you get as many people as you can -- a hundred, two, three -- to order that album from Amazon.
Sell them out.
Amazon will suddenly think, "what the hell is this? Shit, we need to order more Van Dyke Parks!" The album will suddenly become a "hot seller." They might even get press out of it! Amazon will put it on their online best seller list, and then they'll back order thousands of copies, and when most people listen to the sound samples, they'll realize the music is a little too "weird" for them, and they won't buy it, and Amazon will be stuck scratching their heads.
If I could get five, six hundred people to do this, we could pull the wool over Amazon, Barnes and Noble, CDUniverse and Walmart all at the same time. All while making a deserving musician a little extra pocket change.
(We can't do this with MY album, because CDBaby only has seven left.)
Is this brilliant or what? Are you in? Let me know!
TT
Normally I don't like practical jokes but this would be really interesting. Because this isn't really a joke. Well, yes it is, but no matter.
Here's what we do:
Pick an album -- something obscure, very "niche" or "cult-status" like "Song Cycle" by Van Dyke Parks or "12 Songs" By Randy Newman or something by a very little-known, avant-garde composer who's still living. In other words, an album that critics have always liked and most people (except weirdos like me) have avoided like the plague because you couldn't dance to it.
Then on an appointed day, you get as many people as you can -- a hundred, two, three -- to order that album from Amazon.
Sell them out.
Amazon will suddenly think, "what the hell is this? Shit, we need to order more Van Dyke Parks!" The album will suddenly become a "hot seller." They might even get press out of it! Amazon will put it on their online best seller list, and then they'll back order thousands of copies, and when most people listen to the sound samples, they'll realize the music is a little too "weird" for them, and they won't buy it, and Amazon will be stuck scratching their heads.
If I could get five, six hundred people to do this, we could pull the wool over Amazon, Barnes and Noble, CDUniverse and Walmart all at the same time. All while making a deserving musician a little extra pocket change.
(We can't do this with MY album, because CDBaby only has seven left.)
Is this brilliant or what? Are you in? Let me know!
TT
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