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When The Marketing Overshadows The Music


To gain attention for his new album, Moldover created some unique packaging that turns the CD cover into a playable electronic instrument. This YouTube video shows just how innovative and fun the packaging is, but fails to do almost anything to showcase the music that Moldover says took three years to record. (via Lefsetz)

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17 Comments

  1. Look, it’s totally awesome what he did and if you think it “doesn’t focus on the music” enough…I would ask you, has the conventional major label delivery system been focused on “the music” at any point in the last 25 years?
    The music industry at large turned it’s back on the actual “music” long ago so please, stuff that pious nonsense.
    If you old schooler industry fossils hate on him it’s just ’cause you know, deep inside, that one of these “damn kids” has beat you to something cool, that you don’t understand….AGAIN.
    What if music is his secondary product? Did that ever cross your baby boom mind?…or were you too busy eating your young and pissing away millions trying to recreate the 60’s again to notice?
    bbb
    wheatus.com

  2. It’s an awesome tech artifact, a good viral video, and it’s got their band name featured very prominently. I don’t see what’s wrong here. This is pretty damn cool.

  3. Signum temporis. It’s what the blogosphere wanted, isn’t it? I don’t understand why you complain, Bruce.
    Justin put it quite well: they pulled a viral stunt that will get people talking about them. Just what kind of interest would their music have stimulated, do you think? Bands release albums every day.
    My own cynical reflection is that it is a very smart marketing move. In a world where people are educated that recording should be free or cost pennies at best, they are giving them a Reason to Buy the physical copy (for the packaging of course).
    You reap what you sow.

  4. “What if music is his secondary product? Did that ever cross your baby boom mind?”
    LOL
    Hilarious video.

  5. its Bob Levitz who wrote that…who is kind of like Perez hilton…basically pissed off that he is ugly and fat and stupid and takes it out on everyone else who is cool smart and hip. Honestly, just about every thing out of Levitz’s mouth is brainless drivel

  6. OMG, I can’t believe Moldover’s still using the old-as-shit website I made for him back in, like, 2003. Will someone who has the time and skill to build him a DECENT site donate some talent to really showcase what this guy’s doing?
    If I had the time I’d do a new WordPress site for the guy, but I’m busting ass with my own stuff these days. Anyone think they can help him out?

  7. Fits the style of his music. Inorganic, cold and purely technological. I think it works. Not my kind of music at all, but I can appreciate the work and ingenuity of this artist.

  8. rewatching the video, i realized that he’s practically pitching it as selling you this cool device that also has free music (and not the other way around).

  9. This clip is a promotional tool for the album, to encourage people to buy it in its most expensive form (rather than just d/l’ing the mp3s, whether paid or not). Once this clip gets you hooked you can shoot over to the guy’s website and sample to music. Where’s the disconnect here?

  10. I think it’s a very cool marketing gimmick; much better than paying people to download your music or just plainly giving it away. It’s nice to see someone w/ some imagination in their marketing!

  11. “what if music is his secondary product?” “it’s totally awesome…” wow, you just might be the stupidest person i’ve ever read on the internet. congrats!

  12. Sort of Fisher Price meets pop music. I think it has excellent possibilities re: getting a fan to actually spend cash if the music is indeed secondary. I’m sure the circut board and R&D have raised his overhead. I wouldn’t want to be stuck with a garage full of these puppies.
    Good effort at a unique marketing approach.

  13. His primary product it seems, to me, would be his creative process….Do you have one of those, you snarky anonymous coward?
    Or…. are you just another one of the myriad of can’t do’s who has inserted itself into the revenue streams created by those who can?
    bbb
    wheatus.com

  14. I have to agree with Krzysztof. Isn’t this exactly the sort of thing we’ve been advocating over holding out for major label advertising budgets?
    Amanda Palmer auctions stuff on Twitter and gets tons of press and praise; Moldover recreates the CD as an interactive musical instrument that anyone can play and he’s somehow crossed a line?
    I get the sense that Moldover had a lot of fun conceiving of and executing on this idea. When marketing is fun, it’s a win for everybody.

  15. This is a very creative use of CD packaging. It takes some very unique thinking to take something that is normally flat such as CD artwork and make it into an art project that is both functional and visually interesting. Nice job!

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