Is This The Future For Guitar Shops...?

Strat54

I guess its only a matter fo time before some of the other 'big name' media orientated dealers start charging for additonal content like Norm Harris....

https://www.patreon.com/normansrareguitars?fbclid=IwAR3GUNXfOaWZr-sjG6_s6h7U-U_4mOnfwjVfrYcO07a1o23RrW55gScC_TE

I for one won't be paying for his $4.95 monthly subscription, but I'm sure plenty of others will. Norm said the other day that he was not sure whether they were a guitar shop or TV studio because that's what it felt like in there some days. If this is the future then count me out. 

JezWynd

Perhaps we’re nearing the tipping point where guitars become terminally uncool for anyone under 18.

Philly_Q

JezWynd said:

Perhaps we’re nearing the tipping point where guitars become terminally uncool for anyone under 18.

Until the launch of.... the Apple Guitar, made of carbon fibre for consistent weight and 100% stiffness all along the string path.  Only available from authorised dealers, and only available in white so no-one can claim their black one sounds better.

It'll also have a special type of jack socket which nobody else uses.

@Three-ColourSunburst should approve wholeheartedly.

Alvin

Philly_Q said:

JezWynd said:

Perhaps we’re nearing the tipping point where guitars become terminally uncool for anyone under 18.

Until the launch of.... the Apple Guitar, made of carbon fibre for consistent weight and 100% stiffness all along the string path.  Only available from authorised dealers, and only available in white so no-one can claim their black one sounds better.

It'll also have a special type of jack socket which nobody else uses.

@Three-ColourSunburst should approve wholeheartedly.

   With non user replaceable strings so you have to send it back to them every time you need to change them !

Ben_McCarthy

They are trying to move with the times but the whole thing doesn’t sit right with me. On the face of it norms seems to be a proper, maybe a little overpriced, guitar shop going in an unfavourable direction.

 They are seem to be thinking this is what the kids are into let’s do that..

sgosden

Philly_Q said:

JezWynd said:

Perhaps we’re nearing the tipping point where guitars become terminally uncool for anyone under 18.

Until the launch of.... the Apple Guitar, made of carbon fibre for consistent weight and 100% stiffness all along the string path.  Only available from authorised dealers, and only available in white so no-one can claim their black one sounds better.

It'll also have a special type of jack socket which nobody else uses.

@Three-ColourSunburst should approve wholeheartedly.

https://reverb.com/nz/news/fender-collaborates-with-supreme-on-flashy-white-strat

Or crazy overpriced clothes branding on guitars ?

Alterlifeson

Quite a few of the YouTube channels I follow run a Patreon subsciription along side their main channel. IMO, not much changes. I still get the regular normal content I would have gotten anyway, but have the option to subscribe to see behind the scenes videos, exclusive competitions, different merch, maybe the chance to interact with the channel at a personal level.

I think this is where Norm is going. The exisiting Guitar of the Day videos will remain but as a Patreon subscriber you will get access to 'special' content that normal views won't get. For example the videos on Norms Tresure Trove of stuff.

Philly_Q

sgosden said:

Philly_Q said:

JezWynd said:

Perhaps we’re nearing the tipping point where guitars become terminally uncool for anyone under 18.

Until the launch of.... the Apple Guitar, made of carbon fibre for consistent weight and 100% stiffness all along the string path.  Only available from authorised dealers, and only available in white so no-one can claim their black one sounds better.

It'll also have a special type of jack socket which nobody else uses.

@Three-ColourSunburst should approve wholeheartedly.

https://reverb.com/nz/news/fender-collaborates-with-supreme-on-flashy-white-strat

Or crazy overpriced clothes branding on guitars ?

Looks more like a toothpaste brand.  I must admit I quite like it (apart from the scratchplate, obviously).

thegummy

I welcome any move that reduces how much time I waste watching guitar shit on youtube

Sassafras

It's called maximising profits which I suppose is a legitimate pursuit for any business but I shan't be subscribing.

SNAKEBITE

I'm struggling to find a more eloquent way of saying it, so I'll resort to the old standard "He can fuck right off".

Strat54

Meanwhile the 8 year old kid reviewing toys makes $22M ! 

King85

Don't like it, don't pay for it. Simple as.

I won't be and i'd say this a more testing the waters sort of thing tbf to see if they can generate some more income. If they're knocking out hours of videos each week and it's the sort of thing you enjoy watching then is it that far removed from other subscription based services such as netflix?

JAYJO

selling the sell. Have a nose in the store room. ffs.  Not for me.

axisus

apparently when they get to 10,000 patrons (netting $50K a month) they will give away a guitar! Such generosity!
They are on 55 patrons so I hope that they aren't holding their breath on that one.

To be honest, things are tough these days, if they can make it work good luck to them. My money wouldn't go to this sort of thing though.

Paul7926

I think Patreon is an OK outlet for content creators, especially podcasts where people are talking about a hobby or a pastime and they would like some compensation for the time they put into making the content and the costs associated with doing it.  I think when it's an actual shop that are pretty much asking you yo pay for their advertising that's a whole different ballgame.  

However I do get that things are difficult in the current climate and if it works for them then great.  

Gagaryn

Strange for a business to go down the Patreon route - you would think that their business should fund what I presume is basically a marketing channel.

Patreon, for me, should be an alternative means to fund content creators who for one reason or another eschew traditional funding streams, like endoresment or other advertising. I fund one - AvE. $2 a month, well worth it for me as it's informative and funny. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChWv6Pn_zP0rI6lgGt3MyfA

ESBlonde

Probably an awareness that Mark Agnesi has recently set up his own independent yootoob channel as well as hosting Norms Guitar of the day. Norm didn't get to be king of the hill by watching opportunities pass by.

mbe

Meanwhile Lee Anderton and Rob Chapman are scouting venues for next year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Philly_Q

I don't know much about the YouTube business model, but don't the people with lots of subscribers make money out of it anyway, through hosting adverts and product placement?

thegummy

Philly_Q said:

I don't know much about the YouTube business model, but don't the people with lots of subscribers make money out of it anyway, through hosting adverts and product placement?

They do; I found out yesterday, in one of those "the modern world can indeed get worse" moments, that some wee boy gets 22 million a year from his YouTube channel about toys.

I guess Norm is just greedy and wants more.

I wonder if he pays the people who play on his videos. They're the reason people watch, aren't they?