SONG CONTEST BLOG

It’s been more than a week now since I downloaded Officer Roseland’s album and I’m still waiting to receive my $1.  I don’t want to be a jerk about this because I love the concept but, clearly, the band was unprepared for the overwhelming response.  Their strategy was to pay users $1 if they downloaded the entire album for free.  Fans had the option to donate their dollar to charity but it appears that the band’s target audience, myself included, is not as selfless as the band members anticipated.  As such, Officer Roseland is facing a backlog of downloaders who submitted their PayPal addresses but have not yet received the one dollar contribution promised to them.  I imagine that the group’s arrangement with the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation is more flexible than the opportunistic demographic the campaign was aimed at.  I received a group email from the band this evening assuring me that the money is on its way…  and that I can still change my mind and donate my one dollar, if I wish.  I think I’ll stick to my guns on this one, not to be a jerk or anything, just to see what happens.

Here’s Officer Roseland’s response to the campaign:

Philadelphia group, Officer Roseland, has taken the “free download” marketing strategy [flawlessly executed by Trent Reznor] a step further.  As part of their marketing campaign for their fourth album release, “Stimulus Package”, the band is offering to pay $1 to every person who downloads the album.  Each user has the option of “taking” the dollar or “giving” it to the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.  I entered my name and PayPal details to “take” the dollar on www.mystimuluspackage.org, opted-in for the band’s newsletter (by default), and received an email with a link to download the album.  I am now waiting to receive my dollar…