Umphrey’s McGee has come up with a very clever way to promote their latest CD, Mantis. The jam band is offering up eight tiers of free online material, to be unlocked in sequence based upon the number of pre-ordered CDs. The more fans who pre-order Mantis, the more free material is unlocked at the Umphrey’s McGee website.
In addition, the CD will continue to unlock original material throughout the year when it is placed into the owner’s computer. The band’s website has a countdown calendar (currently at about 75 days). Once the release date arrives, “Mantis is locked for good”. Smart. This promotion will do the following:
- Increase the stickiness of the Umphrey’s McGee website by creating a distribution point for new material connected to the Mantis CD.
- Cause fans to self promote the CD in order for all fans to receive the most unlocked material.
- Keep used CDs off of the market by having them act as a key for new material.
- Any material still “locked” at the end of the promotion can be re-purposed for a second promotional effort.
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