Talk:They Might Be Giants Instant Fan Club

Kind of a ridiculous price, at least for what they're talking about now. Or am I missing something? --Luke 00:03, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

well, idk. $80 for two show tickets, an exclusive physical ep, an album download, live show download, and more promised things isn't that bad. it's a bit overpriced, but idk if i'd say ridiculous. -- 00:11, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

I suppose that's another issue for me, frankly I'm not terribly interested in tickets, really, so I wish there was a "build your membership" thing. You could pick and chose what you want. Oh welp. --Luke 00:22, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

Yeah, Ant, two tickets would probably be about $40 bucks, and $10 each for the EP, album, and live album would bring things to about $70, so $80 doesn't seem that far off, especially with the concert swag, etc. It's just a large amount to have to pay up front, I guess. I'm glad they made it so the free tickets offer doesn't expire, though, and I'm hoping there'll end up being more exclusive downloads included down the line. How long do you guys think 1,000 spots will last? Drew 00:27, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

You guys are forgetting that tickets from the band eliminates the processing fees. I have regularly paid $60-$70 for a pair of tickets with fees so this package is a bargain! --BlueCanary 03:14, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

Well, I'm the only one negating the tickets, and that's because I don't want them. They're worth $70 to you, but nothing to me. Like I said, a set of different packages with different option would have been grand, that's all. As it stands, the deal has lots of things I like and want, but they're not worth the asking price to me.

TMBG is the band that pioneered the "cheap as free" model. I'm not asking for more free things, but to jump from dial-a-song, free mp3s, podcasts and all that to an expensive subscription service seems a bit sudden. 'Exclusivity' (especially inherent in the limited edition vinyl, and the 1,000 spots) isn't something the band is (or should be) known for (It's what makes Hello a bit of a headache for collectors to this day); they've typically been great about bring people in, bringing people together, from their shows to their music releases. That open atmosphere is what drew me to the band and the fans in the first place. The whole 'in crowd' vibe of this is a bit wrong for them. Maybe the overal money-for-value thing is 'worth it', but ultimately this is a business strategy, and it just doesn't work for me. It's fine that they're doing special things, I just think it's a bit sad they're doing special things that specifically leave most of their fans out. --Luke 04:24, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

Agreed. This is lame, and especially surprising for John and John. ~ magbatz 08:09, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

You say exclusivity isn't something they're known for but then you bring up Hello... Things are a lot different from the late 80's "cheap as free" model they rolled with, with the internet and everything else. If the stuff on the vinyl EP really is exclusive, you'll still probably hear the songs. They're really not leaving that many of their fans out here. The cap at 1000 can stem from labor, cost, or shoot, maybe just giving a nice pat on the back to the fans that are crazy enough to throw $80 at a band they care about at the drop of a hat. I'm one of them. It doesn't make me a better or more important fan than you, nor does it mean They're proponents of an "in crowd". Really, we're just getting a signed record. Instead of trying to find them after a show, we bypassed the hassle and just paid for it. That's about it. - Druclotwo

I'm with Luke and magbatz on this one. When being a fan of a band starts feeling like an exclusive race between the haves and have nots, it's not fun anymore. Sorry, I can't throw down $100 for an album I haven't even heard just to get some extra stuff. I need to, you know, eat this month. It irritates me when I see bands put out these uber-expensive packages in this economy, but it make me sad and angry to see a band I have loved for 22 years go down this road. Also, if the Johns are including any rare tracks with this ultra exclusive, limited edition, pricy package and are expecting them not to make the rounds online (as they've denoted in the website press release), they are seriously delusional. -- The Vanishing Dot 01:23, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

I see that Hello has already been mentioned, but you guys know that TMBG Unlimited cost around $120 total for the entire year, right? That was JUST MP3 files. No exclusive physical record, no pair of concert tickets, etc. In comparison, this seems like a pretty good deal and it's nothing really new for the band. -CapitalQ ♫ talk ♪ 01:56, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

I thought TMBG Unlimited came with an exclusive jacket and a pre-release signed copy of Mink Car. If only the new club were "unlimited" to more than 1,000 people... -thevince

I got uno.

Thats right. SamuelMan36 00:58, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

unlike the english word "one", "uno" is just a number in spanish, not a pronoun. -- 01:11, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

I would like to add that 999 other people also will receive one. -Apollo (colloquia!) 01:16, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

Yeah, I got one too. I was planning on waiting and seeing if we got any more information, but then I realized that I'd end up kicking myself if all 1,000 spots got taken before I signed up, so I just went for it . . . Drew 03:07, 5 April 2011 (UTC)