DSPs: Have They Stopped?

[sublimeric]

RHCP play essentially the same 30 or so songs every tour, but change it up with teases & jams, making their DSP's worth checking out. LP only having 3 setlists each tour and rarely improvising (think "No Woman No Cry" in Tel Aviv! It can be done, LP!) doesn't help the "must have" element of the DSP.

 

It also hurts that the DSP site sucks from top to bottom, IMO. If you are not using the right browser with the current plugins, it'll crash, and you'll never hear back from tech support. If you don't believe me I have half a show from Uncasville, CT on my hard drive and 5 unanswered e-mails to show you.

 

Maybe reducing the price would help, but I assume people wouldn't be happy unless they got it for free. Awareness could be an issue, but then again, LP gave away DSP's to every show on the ATS Tour a couple years ago (right?) and that didn't keep people coming back either.

 

Who knows what the issue is but I'm down to support a movement for old or (especially) new shows!

[mrfox]

not at all, they can stuck with a thousands of CDs.

Well maybe they would have sold more than 5 DSPs from each show

[Skipees]

RHCP play essentially the same 30 or so songs every tour, but change it up with teases & jams, making their DSP's worth checking out.

right, and a lot of it.

 

 

there's the possibility that the only problem is just nobody cares about it around the band?

[hahninator]

Yeah I also think, like you guys have been doing already, we should use this thread to discuss the problems with the current DSP system and changes that can be done.

 

If they just promoted them a bit more like RHCP or Metallica does I bet they'd get more sales. They post on their FB I think each time a recording goes up. Also both of those bands sell them in lossless too. If the LP DSPs aren't selling very well it's honestly the fault of the management because they are not promoting them well enough.

 

Pooch gave a very specific number in an interview in 2011 and I wish I could get it, but I will ask him about it, about how many people were downloading on the ATS North American Tour when they gave the codes out for free.

 

10,000~ or more people at each show, all you have to do is advertise it well enough. Surely it doesn't even take one fifth of that to make a profit on one show.

[maik_gianino]

RHCP play essentially the same 30 or so songs every tour, but change it up with teases & jams, making their DSP's worth checking out. LP only having 3 setlists each tour and rarely improvising (think "No Woman No Cry" in Tel Aviv! It can be done, LP!) doesn't help the "must have" element of the DSP.

 

It also hurts that the DSP site sucks from top to bottom, IMO. If you are not using the right browser with the current plugins, it'll crash, and you'll never hear back from tech support. If you don't believe me I have half a show from Uncasville, CT on my hard drive and 5 unanswered e-mails to show you.

 

Maybe reducing the price would help, but I assume people wouldn't be happy unless they got it for free. Awareness could be an issue, but then again, LP gave away DSP's to every show on the ATS Tour a couple years ago (right?) and that didn't keep people coming back either.

 

Who knows what the issue is but I'm down to support a movement for old or (especially) new shows!

100% this.

 

Seems like DSP problem is a mix between:

1-The payment method (for some)

2-The "boring" setlists (not the shows)

3-The expensive price

[Skipees]

Seems like DSP problem is a mix between:

1-The payment method (for some)

2-The "boring" setlists (not the shows)

3-The expensive price

4-promotion

5-site problems (browser compatibility and technical support)

 

Mark, take it to Lorenzo.

Edited August 4, 2013 by Skipees

[maik_gianino]

4-promotion

5-site problems (browser compatibility and technical support)

 

Mark, take it to Lorenzo.

 

Ok, more to add then:

 

Seems like DSP problem is a mix between:

1-The payment method (for some)

2-The "boring" setlists (not the shows)

3-The expensive price

4-Promotion

5-Site problems (browser compatibility and technical support)

 

 

Anything else people? Is your time.

[Skipees]

2-The "boring" setlists (not the shows)

if this^ is gonna work we will "win" twice. Edited August 4, 2013 by Skipees

[Xero21]

Let's be realistic, how many people are really willing to pay for DSPs that aren't for a show that they went to? I may sound cynical, but I don't think very many are.

 

Most people only go to one show a tour. And out of those people, I'm sure a lot of them don't even know about the DSPs. And even if they did, they'd only buy the show they went to. The 20 LPL users (and that's a generous estimate) who might pay for multiple shows probably isn't enough to justify all the work I'm assuming goes into releasing DSPs.

 

All I know is, whenever a show with something cool was released on DSP in the past, there'd be a ton of posts/tweets asking if and when it would be in the "usual place." That's part of the problem. We needed to pay for it. And it sucks for the people who DID pay for multiple shows, because they did their part. But I don't think enough people did.

Edited August 4, 2013 by Xero21

[Astat]

No more DSPs? Hey, gives them an excuse to start using live tracks on LPU CDs again...

[hahninator]

Let's be realistic, how many people are really willing to pay for DSPs that aren't for a show that they went to? I may sound cynical, but I don't think very many are.

 

Most people only go to one show a tour. And out of those people, I'm sure a lot of them don't even know about the DSPs. And even if they did, they'd only buy the show they went to. The 20 LPL users (and that's a generous estimate) who might pay for multiple shows probably isn't enough to justify all the work I'm assuming goes into releasing DSPs.

 

All I know is, whenever a show with something cool was released on DSP in the past, there'd be a ton of posts/tweets asking if and when it would be in the "usual place." That's part of the problem. We needed to pay for it. And it sucks for the people who DID pay for multiple shows, because they did their part. But I don't think enough people did.

This is easily the most accurate post in the entire thread.

 

I asked some people for some numbers on the DSP sales so I will get back with you if I get them.

[maik_gianino]

No more DSPs? Hey, gives them an excuse to start using live tracks on LPU CDs again...

 

Damn! Hope not, please we have enough with that in CD/DVDs and Singles

[[AndOne]]

I'm sure they could easily cover their costs if at least like 5% of the people going to a show buy the DSP. If there's a lack of sales I'm sure the reason is not the demand. Their promotion for the free DSPs for the Nprth American Tour DSPs worked perfectly, that's how it should be done.

They played trailers for the LPU summits where almost no one can go to, but they cant advertise the DSPs like that before or after the show?

[JZLP-Benningstrong]

This is easily the most accurate post in the entire thread.

 

I asked some people for some numbers on the DSP sales so I will get back with you if I get them.

And another problem is that the band doesn't do something if it isn't planned. If they throw in 2 or 3 randmon songs at shows they whould make em interesting to pay for them

 

but why would you pay for a DSP that has the same or almost the same songs and it sounds pretty similar too..

[Skipees]

No more DSPs? Hey, gives them an excuse to start using live tracks on LPU CDs again...

so we need to prevent it, i(/we?) prefer anything else on the LPU CDs. Edited August 4, 2013 by Skipees

[felipeintheend]

Pretty sure the management are working on something about the old DSPs and maybe he didn't get any update on it yet (?)?

 

Selling it in lossless would be cool, but lot of fans would not understand what does it means at all

[Xero21]

but why would you pay for a DSP that has the same or almost the same songs and it sounds pretty similar too..

Exactly. I never said people didn't have a decent reason not to pay for multiple shows, but it is what it is.

 

The band has always been up front that they play singles and well known songs at shows. That isn't really going to change. If people aren't going to buy DSPs because of that, then that's it. That's the end of the discussion.

[Skipees]

why do you still think it's because the money? even when Mike said that it's ok to share the DSPs, they didn't stopped for few years later. again, i just think nobody pay attention to this because no one really cares.

[maik_gianino]

I'm not 100% sure how is the DSP thing in North America, but when they played in Argentina in 2012 i've asked to the people of the Linkin Park Merchandisng and were Argentinian girls, they didn't know even the meaning of DSP.

[Xero21]

why do you still think it's because the money? even when Mike said that it's ok to share the DSPs, they didn't stopped for few years later. again, i just think nobody pay attention to this because no one really cares.

Apparently the band doesn't decide to do or not do them (Mike's tweet), which means it must be the label or someone affiliated. Of course they will make business decisions based on money. If people aren't paying for these things, they'll take them off the market. I'm pretty sure that's what's happened here.

[Skipees]

but i guess they sold more DSPs in 2010/11/12 than 2007/08/09, and people "trade" with them freely in the earlier years.

[[AndOne]]

People always spend a lot of money on merch for shows, buy the expensive food etc., so they would pay also for the great show they just witnessed, so they can listen to it over and over again. The problem is not that the people don't want to pay for them, they just don't know that DSPs exist. I wish we had known about this a day earlier so someone could have done a survey at the SSMF to find out how many fans know about the DSPs.

The top 5 selling shows haven't changed in over 2 years, that's a good indicator that they are not selling much.

[Mesck547]

I think the biggest problem with the DSP's, as somebody already mentioned, is the payment methods. I would be more than willing to pay 10 dollars for an mp3 audio of a linkin park concert (b.t.w i did'nt have the opportunity to attend a linkin park show), but the payment methods stop me from doing that. This is the biggest DSP's probelm that should be solved in order to sell more of them, at least in my opinion.

Edited August 6, 2013 by Mesck547

[hahninator]

Here's what it is NOT:

 

- The Linkin Park setlists. The average concert fan honestly doesn't give a fuck what Linkin Park plays. 90-95% of the concert crowd at the show is made up of casual fans. LPLive and LP fansite people are a small small SMALL portion, maybe like 100-200 max. That's even being generous. Sure there are LPU people, but the LPU has lots of people who know nothing about the band and only join for a M&G opportunity. For example, tons of LPU'ers know nothing about MFR. They wouldn't know a damn thing about DSPs. Back to the setlists - the band had 3 setlists in 2012. That's the same amount they had in 2007, when this whole thing began. It's not the setlists.

 

- Piracy. Yes the "usual place" probably hurts I don't know, maybe 5-10 sales of each DSP max. And THAT is being really generous with the numbers. It might not even affect it at all. The hardcore fans that collect every single show (maybe 100~ in the LP world collect every DSP and 200-350~ collect quite a few like more than 5-10) don't really change the sales of the DSPs. There is no way for someone like myself or Jonas to purchase every single DSP they do. What we do though, is purchase every show we are at, and for me that's about 20 shows. If it came to me HAVING to buy the DSPs of every show I do NOT go to or do NOT *want* to purchase, I simply couldn't do it and wouldn't do it. I just wouldn't have them. I'd have my 20 shows I have seen and I'd have 5 more I could afford over the years. That would be it. The only reason I even collect them all is for the website. There are so many shows I don't even care about that I have listened to just once ever.

 

- The fucked up Basecamp website. I know we all hate Basecamp, their website for the DSPs, and their non existent customer service. Regardless of that, they will still sell. The website doesn't affect how many DSPs are being purchased. They NEED a new website for sure though.

 

Here's what it is:

 

- The advertising. LP's management team frankly is failing to do their part with the DSP project. I could write a novel on this. Let's start with the other bands that do live recordings. Metallica, RHCP, etc all advertise the hell out of their recordings on their social media pages. It just so turns out that Linkin Park has more likes on Facebook than any other band out there. They have a HUGE social media presence. When was the last time the DSPs have been posted about on the LP social media? Or even in the News section on linkinpark.com? Exactly. Nothing is being advertised.

 

If there are 10,000 people at the Linkin Park concert, there are maybe 9,500 people or MORE who have NO idea the DSPs exist in the first place. Why is this? This is because they are no longer at the merch booth and they are not being advertised. There are no screens at the show which talk about it anymore like they had even in 2011. However, tons of people don't even go to the merch booth anyway. Our society is so plugged in to Facebook, to Twitter, to Instagram, etc....just look at all the cameras and phones at every single show, even SSMF. People are obsessed with social media and LP has such an advantage in that category compared to most bands. But not a single fucking post on any of those accounts goes to PROMOTING THE DSPs. NONE.

 

This has nothing to do with the setlists because only a fraction of the people at the show care what the band plays, since they have so many singles and people love the singles. This has nothing to do with Basecamp. This has nothing to do with 100 people downloading a torrent of a new LP show in East Troy, Wisconsin since less than 5 of them guaranteed wouldn't buy the show anyway. This has all to do with Linkin Park management's failure to LET THE FANBASE KNOW about the DSPs and to ADVERTISE them.

 

There is NO reason why these things can't be sold by the many hundreds at the shows. At a 10,000 person show, it is solely management's fault if they can't get almost 1,000 people to buy the recording. And now it looks like we have almost a 0% chance of them releasing older shows. I think it will be almost impossible to convince management to even restart the DSPs. Obviously this decision was made quite a while ago.

[Skipees]

you're right Mark, but i'm not sure if to say to their management "yo, start doing your work" will help us to get something. but it depends on their reaction i guess.