Finally, finally, FINALLY!
I’m just so excited about this that I literally can’t contain myself. I’m certain that the implications of this will take a while to ripple out there, but, rest assured, the implications are large.
Anyone who’s been in the game at all is about as tired of using the phrase “email for content widget” as they are of using the word “tweeted.”
That said, to many, this idea that the currency of the day is email, and that you best give someone something if you’re going to ask them for an email, is still novel.
Importantly, beyond being novel, it’s far from easy to just poop out an email for content widget on your site. If you’re fortunate enough to have access to, for instance, the Topspin tools it’s as simple as grabbing some embed code, and you have a snazzy widget ready to rock. But, if you don’t have access to these great tools, or if you don’t want to forgo a percentage of your sales for access to these tools (obviously, because there’s no revenue generated for an email for content widget, you’re not giving up revenue, but, justifiably, Topspin does take a piece in order for you to use their tools where commerce is involved), you’re pretty well shit out of luck unless you’re a coder.
Well, today, CASH added something to the landscape (disclosure: I am a proud CASH board member).
I first saw this functionality via a link from a tweet from one of the original CASH founders, Billy O’Connell. As I’ve learned, it’s a good idea to go where Billy leads, and so I clicked on through to Zoë Keating’s twitter page where you could get a free dl for a tweet. (Just in case she changes this, I’m including a screen grab, below):
Well, this just delighted me to no end. Finally, someone was moving the ball a little, and finding a different value proposition/exchange.
I happily went on my way off to date night with Marci, where we discussed all of this not at all; in the most delightful fashion. (Btw, antibiotics be damned, I drank some wine, and it was good).
Upon our return, and after getting the kids to sleep with an inspired reading, if I do say so myself of The Hobbit, and thinking the night couldn’t get any better, I logged on figuring I’d just check my email real quick and try to go to sleep early before my flight to SXSW tomorrow to see my brotha’/partner, Sean, and blather on at my panel.
Instead, I see this tweet from CASH.
Clicking through, I get to this page. Again, worth a screen grab:
What makes me so giddy about this is the following:
1. Good, inventive iteration on the tired “email-for-song” trope; now, tweet-for-code. So, so RAD! Should get people thinking about other transactional elements.
2. Free
3. Some of the burden is placed on the user/artist/whomever – not a passive thing; you gotta work a bit for it (this is, by the way, good). Another good step in the direction away from artists waiting for “Hand of God” help, and forcing them to figure some shit out.
4. Not obligated to Tweet to get it, but, again, some work required: you gotta go to Github to get the code (of course, this means you gotta know what Github is).
5. Moves the discourse out of the “music business,” and into just good, current markets-as-conversations/sharing of information business model I’ve been prattling on about; business, not “music business,” business.
Anyway, big ups to you, Jesse. You moved the ball.
