Steven Van Zandt will be the next artist featured in eMusic’s Access & Rewards member benefits program when 25 winners and their guests attend “eMusic Summer School with Steven Van Zandt,” an one-hour event, on Wednesday, June 16, at City Winery in New York City.
The company launched Access & Rewards in March and said sixty-eight percent of members believe the program is a valuable addition to the service, according to the company. “Steals and Deals” and “Experiences” are the first and second most-popular parts of the program, respectively. “Steals and Deals” offer subscribers discounts on album downloads. Currently, titles by Brassland, Nacional and Hyrda Head are on special. “Experiences” give subscribers the chance for exclusive access and discounts. In addition to the Little Steven experience, eMusic’s current offering is a trip to the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago for a winner and a guest. Also available are discounts on tickets to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and discounted tickets at New York City’s (Le) Poisson Rouge.
Chief marketing officer Lee Nadler says while most of the Access & Rewards events have been in New York City to this point, the company is working on expanding the program. “There are several experiences we’re looking to put together across the country.”
Access & Rewards is part of a larger shift in the music industry. Access and experiences are aspects of a fan’s experience that contrast with the omnipresence of digital music. Whereas just about anybody can get a copy of a digital file, relatively few can get backstage, meet a band or get special treatment at concerts. And what eMusic is doing isn’t new – fan clubs have been doing this for years.
“What was a really a great influence for us was looking at fan clubs,” says Nadler. “One of the things fan clubs do is give an opportunity to do is have some kind of either special experience or insider access to a particular band they really love. One of the lenses we look through is to look at eMusic as a fan club for fans of music.”
