Re: music just for musicians?

[pycraft@elec.gla.ac.uk (Dr M. P. Hughes)]

>Michael has some interesting perspectives on Lex's ad campaign for the 
>JamMan,

That's the politest way I've heard for saying "he talks a load of tripe"  
:)

>Interestingly enough, that ad campaign was by far the most sucessful 
>campaign
>the company ever ran in terms of response. We received more phone calls 
>and
>reader response cards for them than any other two lex ads combined. What's
>>more,
>one of the magazines opened up their reader response numbers to me (this 
>debate
>raged around lexland for some time) and the Lex ads were getting 50% more
>responses than any other processors during the same time period. Now this
>didn't
>translate into sales, obviously, but it does tell me that they did get 
>people
>interested. Which is one of the key elements in any ad campaign for any
>>product.

Then why did no-one buy it?  Was it under-specced, or what?

>>Where were
>>Chet Atkins or Warren Cuccurelo, both of whom went as far as to name 
>album
>>tracks after the machine???
>
>Actually, Warren *was* in the ad. 

"These thing make music!" - yes, I remember now.  Sorry.  

>As for the others, Michael Manring isn't big?
>He only won "bassist of the year" in Bass plyer magaine that year, and 
>graced
>the cover of the mag twice in the same calendar year. Isham represents
>>composers
>and horn players, and Leni Stern is one of only a handful of female 
>guitarists
>to receive any recognition--and if you look at the Guitar Player 30th
>anniversary issue, there she is among the  
>"30 players who mattered" offering a looping lesson.

Yes, but bearing in mind that the average joe does tend to act like a sheep
rather than learn by example, you need to get people who are in said
musician's CD collections, and Leni Stern quite honestly isn't.  I'm
probably at a disadvantage  here because I'm in the UK and probably aren't
exposed to people like Manring, of whom I'd never heard before the ad.  But
in terms of artist association Peavey's new J. ad for the Tubefex will
probably do far more for sales.  Hell, that ad could've been for the
Vortex.

> Remember, this box is for a wider audience than just guitar players.

But guitar players really don't care.  Well, most don't.  

>And also remember--all of these people really *do* use the device. Was 
>the ad
>>too little, too late? Yes, of course, but to me it's amazing that it 
>happened
>>at all!


>>The JM and Vortex were tools for the "serious" user, part of larger
>>systems but given "beginner" prices.  So they assumed they _were_ 
>beginner
>>boxes, and continued to lust after 2290s etc.
>So, if Lex put a $1500 price tag on 'em they'd have sold? Please! They 
>didn't
>sell at all untill the price dropped to $199.

No word yet on the discontinuation on the $1000 plex....  ;)

Michael

Dr Michael Pycraft Hughes      Bioelectronic Research Centre, Rankine Bldg,
Tel: (+44) 141 330 5979        University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, U.K.
    "Wha's like us?  Damn few, and they're a' deid!" - Scottish proverb