Deathcore band Suicide Silence are the latest artist to experiment with in-app purchases as a new income stream. The band have launched an iPhone app that’s free to download, but then charges $2.99 a month for full access to its features. Those features including: “Live streams from the band’s cell phones, immediate access to the latest band updates, unreleased tracks and all their albums” as well as the chance to “chat directly with the guys and share your own photos, videos and updates with them”. Fans will also get first dibs on pre-sale gig tickets and special-edition merchandise, while entering “app-only competitions” and getting access to meet’n’greets at their gigs. The streaming is interesting too, although Suicide Silence aren’t the first band to provide access to their back catalogue through an app: the Presidents of the United States of America did it a few years ago, for example. The key here will be delivering on the promises, especially those around access (cell phone streams, band members chatting) over time.
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Tools: Kaiber
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