Perhaps because I really like Phil Wickham's music and wanted a chance at a free CD, or perhaps because I was just curious to see what the giveaway was about, I clicked the link.
It took me to a blog post at FreeCCM.com, where I learned that all subscribers to FreeCCM's email newsletter will be entered in a drawing to win one of 50 CDs from some of the top Christian artists. This was my first introduction to FreeCCM, self-styled as "your source for free & legal Christian music downloads."
Perhaps because I was impressed with Phil's and FreeCCM's marketing moves, or perhaps because someone had slipped giddy-teenage-fangirl pills into my breakfast that morning and I really, really wanted a shot at a free CD, I decided to subscribe.
The contest winners won't be selected until October 20, so I haven't received my "you won a free CD!" email yet, but I did receive the obligatory subscription confirmation email, and, within four hours, a second email from FreeCCM, proclaiming "Stream The New Albums From Shane & Shane And Phil Wickham And Download A Free Song!"
Apparently, once a week FreeCCM posts a free download of a track from a popular Christian artist. All one has to do is create a free account on FreeCCM.com, and voilà! one is permitted to download as many of these weekly free tracks as one desires. The site also posts YouTube interviews with each of these artists. And sometimes, as with this Shane & Shane/Phil Wickham email, also posts streaming versions of full albums, with encouragement to readers that "If you like what you hear, be sure to support these guys by picking up your copy of the album at your store of choice, and don’t leave without downloading a free song from each below!"
So, FreeCCM and these partner artists are offering me:
- a chance to win a free CD (on occasion)
- "exclusive" interviews with the artists
- a free track weekly, which I can download and play on my iPod forever
- a free stream of a few full albums, to which I can listen online as many times as I desire
And then they give me a simple, humble encouragement to support the artists I like by following the iTunes link and actually purchasing their albums.
They are giving me so much free stuff that, if I like these artists enough to want to receive and listen to their free music, then I feel compelled to thank them and support them and actually purchase their albums, not just be content with taking them for free.
And so, in an industry consumed (and perhaps with justifiable reasons) with the protection of their intellectual property rights, in which customers are frequently reminded that it is wrong to download and share music without receiving permission and giving payment, and in which the most "free" music that most artists provide is a 90-second preview of songs in the iTunes Store, these artists are, with complete goodwill, warmly and wholeheartedly giving me access to loads of free music.
And, since they seem to place no limit on the number of times a person can listen to the web-stream, nor on the number of free weekly tracks a person can download, these artists must know that people could take advantage of the system. People could simply listen to the freebies forever, without once offering thanks by purchasing an album or merchandise.
But the artists offer this free stuff anyway.
And, quite possibly, earn more fans, and more loyal customers, and more album purchases, and more concert revenues, than the majority of the artists who keep their wares so heavily guarded.
We could stand to learn from artists like Shane & Shane and Phil Wickham. In most cases, it pays to be generous.
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