Have Rock Band's Fan Clubs hurt or helped Fans?
Viva La Weiner
Posts: 284
I am in my 30s so I have not had the luxury of seeing the Beatles, Hendrix, Zepplin, The Doors, The Stones, The Band or Skynyrd. Sorry if I spelled things wrong.
I have had the experience of seeing PJ over 40+ times and I feel they have done their best to keep ticket prices somewhat reasonable (up for debate.)
I would like to start a conversation if the above mentioned epic bands had fan clubs what would they have done/or did to try to grow their fan base and give back to their fans at the same time. Were times simpler then, did they have another plan or was it not a worry to them?
I have checked out other modern bands fan clubs (U2 and Dave Matthews Band) and even joining late does not offer you the chance to see the group up close and forces you to sign up for tickets through ticketmaster.
My point is that even though the 10C is not perfect I feel they have their heart in the right place for the fans. Let me konw your thoughts. If I am way off base let me know I am open to criticisim, this is the internet and all...
Thanks for your time
I have had the experience of seeing PJ over 40+ times and I feel they have done their best to keep ticket prices somewhat reasonable (up for debate.)
I would like to start a conversation if the above mentioned epic bands had fan clubs what would they have done/or did to try to grow their fan base and give back to their fans at the same time. Were times simpler then, did they have another plan or was it not a worry to them?
I have checked out other modern bands fan clubs (U2 and Dave Matthews Band) and even joining late does not offer you the chance to see the group up close and forces you to sign up for tickets through ticketmaster.
My point is that even though the 10C is not perfect I feel they have their heart in the right place for the fans. Let me konw your thoughts. If I am way off base let me know I am open to criticisim, this is the internet and all...
Thanks for your time
Post edited by Unknown User on
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I think it is great, regardless of what others feel. I really don't have many expectations. I know the Holiday Single may be for the 4th of July holiday... and that there is no guarantee that I will get tickets for a gig... but, i know I will get a shot at them. No expectations, no regrets.
As for the money... it's 1/3 of a tank of gas or 3 grilled chicken burrito combos from El Pollo Loco... spread across 365 days... not that big of a deal.
Hail, Hail!!!
I would never say anything bad about 10C because it is really the best. I have no grips. They watch out for us in ways they wouldn't have to, going out of their way to have stuff go well like the hotel deals, the parking arrangements, the TM presale after the MSG trouble thats just a few. The ticket situation is great and the lottery a wonderful thing for the fans and probably the band and the shows themselves.
10C helps Pearl Jam fans immensely and I think the fan club will continue to grow and I think that is a good thing for my favorite band Pearl Jam and for us.
ala:
u2
kiss
ac dc
best fan clubs:
Metallica
10c
Metallica charges 60 bux but its a well oiled machine. 4 mags a year that arrive like clockwork, lots of updates, I'd say its the best one, but 10c is way cheaper.. so I'm not sure what a I prefer.
I did like how NIN had a free fan club, with free access to good tickets when I saw them the other year. Those above fan clubs charge 40-60 bux for the same thing.
That could be a reason you think it's so great. Just saying.
As to the OP, I think the 10C has definitely helped Pearl Jam fans. And I do believe their heart is 100% in the right place. Unfortunately, what frustrates many fans (myself included) is that really, when you get down to it, they do almost nothing well. Here are what I feel are the 3 main points of issue:
1) Information flow is extremely poor. And I'm not talking about pleas on the message boards for an update on a tour announcement. The Pearl Jam website has been notoriously behind the news curve on many band related issues over the years. You would think here is where you would get information first, that the 10C would be a primary source of information. Instead news about the band is often posted by fans from a secondary source and we'll get the link on the homepage sometimes days later.
2) They break promises and commitments on a regular basis. It's a running joke that the fan club single is generally up to 6 months late. We're still waiting for 2009's and absolutely no one is surprised. That's really poor business. The newsletters we are promised come out so irregularly I don't even know how far behind they are. I joined in 1998 and have not once changed my mailing address. i should have about 2 dozen issues of 'Deep' or its equivalent (whatever they used to call it.) I would estimate I've received anywhere from 12 to 16 newsletters. Again, this is just poor business and pretty inexcusable. Not to mention the other crap they just bail on, like the 'Big Bold Free' fiasco or the latest phantom offer of bonus bootleg material for purchasing Backspacer directly through them. And when people attempt to search for answers, their requests fall on deaf ears, which again relates to my first point of information flow.
3) The ticketing situation is abominable. I guess because I live in New York it affects me more than other parts, but the process for buying tickets online has got to be amended. It's embarrassing having thousands of people pitted against each other, trying desperately for HOURS to try and navigate through an arcane checkout procedure that fails many and frustrates all. This is probably the single biggest point of rage inducing practices by the 10C. The real reason 99% of people join is for a shot at these tickets. Limited quantities and tickets selling out is understandable, but that's not what happens with these seats. People are denied access through no fault of their own and leave with a sour taste in their mouths over a system that is clearly unfair.
Now why do they do all of these things so poorly? Is it because they know they have us by the balls? That we're so die-hard we'll never leave the fan club and stop paying our dues no matter how poorly the service we receive gets? Is it because they are a truly bare-bones operation that is in way over its head with demand and just barely scrapes by doing the best they can on dwindling resources? Or are they just poorly managed and in desperate need of reform?
I mean really, why is the vinyl single so late every time? Does the month of December really spring up on them every calendar year? How can they be so behind all the time? And the newsletters are even less excusable. That's just printed paper. How hard is it to mail out a pamphlet timely?
I have no idea. All I know is they are very bad at providing the services they promise. I pay my dues because I have had some of the greatest concert experiences of my life courtesy of the 10C. I have gotten great seats to shows and those experiences truly are invaluable and irreplaceable. And that will keep me coming back. But that doesn't excuse them from harsh criticism for consistently providing the things it promises at an extraordinarily unsatisfactory rate. They are quite fortunate to have such an amazing band bail them out time and again. It literally is the only reason to stay a member, which makes it all the more frustrating when they drop the ball on the ticketing issue.
So, that's my soap box rant of a long answer. Love this band, love the experiences I've gained courtesy of my fan club membership and the hopes of future experiences will keep my membership current. But other than that, they have a long way to go to get a passing grade from me.
I disagree. The only information you truly need are tour dates and album release dates and that stuff is always posted at a proper time.
This I agree with. I don't really care about the newsletters because I'm 26 years old and to a point in my life where I don't need Jeff Ament to give me a "what's up" from wherever he's snowboarding at. But that Backspacer download thing is the biggest load of crap I've ever seen. And I'm not even affected by it because I bought the CD in the store. But the band makes more money off a copy sold through the Tenclub rather than at Target.....and made empty promises (lied) in an attempt to get people to buy it in that manner. That's weak. Plus, half the people who bought it from the tenclub didn't even get it on time!
Yeah it's one thing to try for tix on ticketmaster, be told you have a two minute wait time, and then come to a screen that says there are no tickets available. Didin't get tickets....but that's life. But sitting there for 6 hours is a joke. But why would the band ever do anything about it? Why buy a new server? In the end, all the tickets get sold and that's all that matters to them.
Pearl Jam bootlegs:
http://wegotshit.blogspot.com
Same for the news updates. Yes, they are always on the ball with tour info in plenty 'o time for me to clear my credit card balance, but it would be nice if we got some other emails or updates as well. Just generic update crap, like Eddie playing with The Who last night for example (not looking for advanced warning, but a post-concert post like, 'Hey look what happened last night!') Again, not a huge deal for me, but it's stuff other fan clubs do and might help towards gaining some appreciation points.
The fact that 10C offers tickets, music/merchandise, and this forum, which is so much more than what the bands you mentioned were able to do, is such a bonus to me, but that is how fan clubs have evolved. If you didn't have any of those items, those who complain wouldn't have any ammunition. But then, without this forum we wouldn't know about all the band's environmental and social involvement.