We recently wrote about how Jay-Z’s deal with Samsung to offer his new album, Magna Carta Holy Grail available for 1 million customers as a free app represented the new approach to music marketing in the digital age. But already the approach is being questioned as privacy concerns arise from the app.
The privacy issue was brought to mainstream attention by rapper Killer Mike, who tweeted the following screen grab with the caption, “I read this......”Naw I’m cool”
Killer Mike’s reasons for being suspicious of the app are fairly obvious, and he wasn’t the only one to be disturbed by the amount of access the app wants to your phone. Among the particular causes for concern are “precise (GPS) location,” “modify or delete contents of your USB storage” and “read phone status and identity.”
These privacy issues are in no way only related to this app, and many of these concerns will be found in many other apps consumers use on their phones and other mobile devices everyday, whether they realize it or not. However, it does bring attention to what artists, labels and marketers will have to consider as music marketing continues to take on more digital aspects.
The More Access to Information, The Better for Marketers
The reason for the app’s desire for so much access is clear and easily understandable: the more information Samsung can gain from app users, the more return on investment it will receive from the app. The company reportedly spend $5 million to purchase 1 million copies of Magna Carta , and the overall deal with Jay-Z was worth much more than that. What Samsung gets in return, however, is detailed information on how, when, why and where users are using the app.
Again, this is not a new phenomenon. Companies have been using internet and mobile history for many years to gain insight into their customers that allows them to offer customized user experiences in return. For instance, most people are aware of why ads in Gmail seem specifically related to your interests, and that Amazon will show you recommended items based not only on your previous purchases, but also on your browsing history.
But this certainly sits better with some consumers than others. The recent revelation that the NSA has access to most American’s online activities understandably caused a stir, and on a much smaller scale, Facebook users tend to be worked into a frenzy every time the company changes its privacy policy.
Samsung is certainly not the first marketer to try to gather information from music fans, and it won’t be the last, either. What marketers must pay attention to, however, is that there is a fine line between the amount of information users are comfortable giving up and the amount of privacy they want to retain. And that fine line is constantly shifting in the digital world -- marketers must be aware of this to avoid a backlash from consumers that feel the privacy they are giving up is not worth the product they are using.
So, Why A Membership?
Let’s face it — trying to create professional mixes without the correct knowledge, tools, services, and network is like playing a concert with a broken instrument to an audience of no one.
That’s where the Sage Audio membership comes in — the membership gives you everything you need to create professional mixes consistently.
The membership is the secret to your success — it’s the difference between the 1,929,999,999 of poor-sounding mixes and the .00000002% of mixes that make people say 'WOW!"
There are 7 unique value-points included in your Sage Audio membership.
Let’s go over each one so you can decide if the membership is right for you.
1. Sage Audio University
- SAU Flagship Mixing Course: 23-video in-depth mixing course that reveals the little-known secrets of mixing and matches the needs of the new music industry.
- SAU Flagship Mastering Course: 19-video in-depth modern mastering course that dives into every nuance of making professional-sounding masters.
- SAU Pre-Mastering Course: Concise pre-mastering course that details the latest industry standards for preparing your mixes for mastering.
- SAU is designed for every experience level, ranging from budding mixing engineers to advanced engineers. The techniques and concepts taught can be applied to any DAW to create industry-leading mixes without expensive software or plugins - and free plugin alternatives are suggested throughout each course.
- Each SAU course includes Start-to-Finish session walkthrough lessons for multiple genres so you can follow along with your preferred genre.
- SAU Certification Document, which can be downloaded and showcased on your website and social channels.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
2. Private 1-on-1 Mentorship
- The Sage Audio private 1-on-1 Mentorship gives you direct access to us for advanced mixing feedback, in-depth discussions, and customized guidance that's tailored to your specific needs.
- Unlimited private access to us for advanced mixing feedback, where we provide detailed suggestions for improvement.
- Unlimited private access to us for in-depth discussions to help you improve every aspect of your mixes and masters.
- Customized guidance that’s tailored specifically to your needs.
- Fast communication so you can improve your skills quickly.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
3. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
- Unlimited professional mixing feedback directly from us so you can consistently improve your skills and create professional mixes.
- Mixing feedback is invaluable, and the Sage Audio membership gives you continual direct access to us for real-world feedback so you can improve every aspect of each of your mixes while you're in the process of mixing.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
4. 50 Free Mastered Songs Per Year
- 50 free mastered songs per year with your own dedicated professional mastering engineer so you can get all your mixes sounding like professional songs.
- You get your own dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer to create custom masters that are specific to you and sound exactly how you want.
- Unlimited revisions with your dedicated mastering engineer. As a standard of our service, we are not happy until you are happy with the sound of your masters.
- All masters are delivered as commercial, industry-standard high-resolution 24-bit HD WAV masters so they will sound clean and clear on every platform.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
5. Community
- The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers who can provide you with additional real-world mixing feedback, meaningful discussions, networking, collaborations, and more.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
6. 70+ GB of Curated Sage Audio Downloadable Content
- 36 multitrack sessions spanning multiple genres for mixing practice.
- 57 un-mastered mixes spanning multiple genres for mastering practice.
- 62 Recommended Free Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 39 Recommended Paid Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 71 Sage Audio custom plugin presets to improve your mixes and masters.
- Sage Audio Membership Badge to showcase on your website, social channels, and portfolio.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
7. 800+ Video Catalog
- Access 700+ in-depth Sage Audio mixing and mastering videos - curated and organized into categories so you can easily take a deep dive into all aspects of audio engineering with thousands of hours of concise, expertly crafted Sage Audio videos to continually improve your skills at your own pace.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
