Label Complains That Amazon Devalues Artists By Making Music Cheap
from the you-got-it-backwards dept
This is unfortunate. Nearly two years ago, we wrote about the indie music label Asthmatic Kitty, which seemed to take a really forward looking attitude towards the new music market. In that interview, the label noted the reality of the new world, and why it was important to focus on reasons to buy, rather than assuming that people would just pay to hear music. This is what was said at the time:
I operate under the conviction that people buy records because they want to own them, not because they want to hear them. It is too easy these days to hear a record without having to buy it. I don't resent that fact, rather I feel we at Asthmatic Kitty embrace it through streaming albums and offering several free mp3s (even whole free albums). And why do they want to own it? They want it to illustrate to others their taste and identify who they are as a person. I also believe they want to be part of something bigger than themselves, they want to belong.
Our job is no longer to sell folks things they want to hear. They want an experience and to identify themselves as part of a community. Ownership then becomes a way of them supporting your community through investing in that community. Fostering that in an honest, transparent and "non-gross" way takes a combination of gracefulness, creativity and not taking oneself too seriously, while still taking art and music seriously.
Apparently, however, they do resent Amazon for making music available cheaply. Reader Colin points us to a recent article about how Asthmatic Kitty has sent out a letter to fans of artist Sufjan Stevens, complaining that Amazon's pricing is too low and asking people to go to Bandcamp and pay more instead. They do admit to being somewhat conflicted about this, at least:
"We have mixed feelings about discounted pricing," the label explained.
"Like we said, we love getting good music into the hands of good people, and when a price is low, more people buy. A low price will introduce a lot of people to Sufjan's music and to this wonderful album. For that, we're grateful.
But we also feel like the work that our artists produce is worth more than a cost of a latte. We value the skill, love, and time they've put into making their records. And we feel that our work too, in promotion and distribution, is also valuable and worthwhile."
While they're certainly not attacking Amazon or fans, the whole email does feel a little off. The simple fact is, if people want the music (as the label seemed to recognize last year), they can find it somewhere for free. Amazon's prices are meaningless when it comes to the "value" of the music. Price and value are not the same thing. Rather than complaining about the price that Amazon sets on the album, why not give people additional reasons to pay directly at Bandcamp -- such as providing valuable extras if they do. Or discounts on other merchandise. There are all sorts of positive ways to get people to find it worthwhile to spend money without making them feel guilty and bad for paying a price that is legitimately offered by a retailer.
47 Comments | Leave a Comment..
President Obama and the Democrats are making a rather odd ploy for votes: Attacking the Chamber of Commerce and insinuating that it’s secretly funneling money to Republican campaigns.
The White House intensified its attacks Sunday on the powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce for its alleged ties to foreign donors, part of an escalating Democratic effort to link Republican allies with corporate and overseas interests ahead of the November midterm elections. The chamber adamantly denies that foreign funds are used in its U.S. election efforts, accusing Democrats of orchestrating a speculative smear campaign during a desperate political year.
President Obama, speaking at a rally in Philadelphia, said “the American people deserve to know who is trying to sway their elections” and raised the possibility that foreigners could be funding his opponents. “You don’t know,” Obama said at the rally for Senate candidate Joe Sestak and other Democrats. “It could be the oil industry. It could even be foreign-owned corporations. You don’t know because they don’t have to disclose.”
The remarks are part of a volley of recent attacks by Obama and other Democrats on alleged foreign influence within the Republican caucus, whether through support for outsourcing jobs by major U.S. corporations or through overseas money making its way into the coffers of GOP-leaning interest groups.
The comments also come as Democrats attempt to cope with an onslaught of independent political advertising aimed at bolstering Republicans, much of it fueled by donations that do not have to be revealed to the public. The spending has added to a political environment in which Democrats are in danger of losing control of both the House and Senate.
David Axelrod, a top Obama adviser, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that secret political donations to the chamber and other groups pose “a threat to our democracy.” Axelrod also took the unusual step of calling on the chamber to release internal documents backing up its contention that foreign money is not being used to pay for U.S. political activities. Democrats have seized on a report by a liberal blog alleging that dues from chamber-affiliated business councils could be used in that way. “If the chamber opens up its books and says, ‘Here’s where our political money’s coming from,’ then we’ll know,” Axelrod said. “But until they do that, all we have is their assertion.”
Of course, all we have the other way is the Democrats’ assertion. And will Americans otherwise predisposed to vote Republican in November really change their mind on vague assertions that the Chamber is funneling foreign money into their campaigns?
Apparently, the impetus for all this is last week’s reporting from Think Progress that I’d missed until now. It’s rather convoluted — making its likely impact on next month’s voting even more unlikely — but, essentially, the argument goes like this:
- The Chamber is the chief outside group buying ads for Republican candidates
- These ads are paid for out of the Chamber’s general fund
- The Chamber accepts foreign donations through its overseas Business Councils
- Thus, foreign money is used for the ads
- Additionally, a 527 called American Crossroads, which Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie are affiliated with, is coordinating spending with the Chamber. And who knows where American Crossroads is getting the money? Maybe it’s from foreigners!
For their part, both the Chamber and American Crossroads have denied that foreign money is going toward these ads, asserting that they have firewalls in place. Absent strong evidence to the contrary, I’m inclined to believe them. After all, money is fungible. So, the Chamber doesn’t need to use foreign money to fund political advertising — which is presumably still illegal — when all they have to do is use the foreign money to finance legal activities and shift the domestic money that would have funded said activities over to advertising. (Now, effectively, there is no difference! Legally, though, it’s the difference between night and day.)
I suppose that, given the polling numbers, Obama and company have to try something. Certainly, “We’re doing a great job and you should give us two more years” isn’t going to cut it. But this is not only desperate but it’s the kind of inside baseball that will just irritate voters. I guarantee you that if I’m just now getting wind of this week-old blog story, nobody at that rally in Philly had any idea what the hell Obama was talking about.
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Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
This Week in Credit Card <b>News</b> - MoneyBuilder - making sense of <b>...</b>
Discover Says US Antitrust Settlement Won't Help Consumers Discover says US consumers may not benefit from an antitrust settlement that lets merchants offer rewards and incentives to people who pay with lower-cost credit cards.
Fox <b>News</b> Hits Ratings High With Rescue Coverage Of Chilean Miners <b>...</b>
Some 7.1 million viewers tuned into Fox News at 8 PM last night to watch the last trapped Chilean miner, Luis Urzua, making it safely to the surface. That was not only the cable news channel's largest audience in the hour this year but ...
benchcraft company portland or
Label Complains That Amazon Devalues Artists By Making Music Cheap
from the you-got-it-backwards dept
This is unfortunate. Nearly two years ago, we wrote about the indie music label Asthmatic Kitty, which seemed to take a really forward looking attitude towards the new music market. In that interview, the label noted the reality of the new world, and why it was important to focus on reasons to buy, rather than assuming that people would just pay to hear music. This is what was said at the time:
I operate under the conviction that people buy records because they want to own them, not because they want to hear them. It is too easy these days to hear a record without having to buy it. I don't resent that fact, rather I feel we at Asthmatic Kitty embrace it through streaming albums and offering several free mp3s (even whole free albums). And why do they want to own it? They want it to illustrate to others their taste and identify who they are as a person. I also believe they want to be part of something bigger than themselves, they want to belong.
Our job is no longer to sell folks things they want to hear. They want an experience and to identify themselves as part of a community. Ownership then becomes a way of them supporting your community through investing in that community. Fostering that in an honest, transparent and "non-gross" way takes a combination of gracefulness, creativity and not taking oneself too seriously, while still taking art and music seriously.
Apparently, however, they do resent Amazon for making music available cheaply. Reader Colin points us to a recent article about how Asthmatic Kitty has sent out a letter to fans of artist Sufjan Stevens, complaining that Amazon's pricing is too low and asking people to go to Bandcamp and pay more instead. They do admit to being somewhat conflicted about this, at least:
"We have mixed feelings about discounted pricing," the label explained.
"Like we said, we love getting good music into the hands of good people, and when a price is low, more people buy. A low price will introduce a lot of people to Sufjan's music and to this wonderful album. For that, we're grateful.
But we also feel like the work that our artists produce is worth more than a cost of a latte. We value the skill, love, and time they've put into making their records. And we feel that our work too, in promotion and distribution, is also valuable and worthwhile."
While they're certainly not attacking Amazon or fans, the whole email does feel a little off. The simple fact is, if people want the music (as the label seemed to recognize last year), they can find it somewhere for free. Amazon's prices are meaningless when it comes to the "value" of the music. Price and value are not the same thing. Rather than complaining about the price that Amazon sets on the album, why not give people additional reasons to pay directly at Bandcamp -- such as providing valuable extras if they do. Or discounts on other merchandise. There are all sorts of positive ways to get people to find it worthwhile to spend money without making them feel guilty and bad for paying a price that is legitimately offered by a retailer.
47 Comments | Leave a Comment..
President Obama and the Democrats are making a rather odd ploy for votes: Attacking the Chamber of Commerce and insinuating that it’s secretly funneling money to Republican campaigns.
The White House intensified its attacks Sunday on the powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce for its alleged ties to foreign donors, part of an escalating Democratic effort to link Republican allies with corporate and overseas interests ahead of the November midterm elections. The chamber adamantly denies that foreign funds are used in its U.S. election efforts, accusing Democrats of orchestrating a speculative smear campaign during a desperate political year.
President Obama, speaking at a rally in Philadelphia, said “the American people deserve to know who is trying to sway their elections” and raised the possibility that foreigners could be funding his opponents. “You don’t know,” Obama said at the rally for Senate candidate Joe Sestak and other Democrats. “It could be the oil industry. It could even be foreign-owned corporations. You don’t know because they don’t have to disclose.”
The remarks are part of a volley of recent attacks by Obama and other Democrats on alleged foreign influence within the Republican caucus, whether through support for outsourcing jobs by major U.S. corporations or through overseas money making its way into the coffers of GOP-leaning interest groups.
The comments also come as Democrats attempt to cope with an onslaught of independent political advertising aimed at bolstering Republicans, much of it fueled by donations that do not have to be revealed to the public. The spending has added to a political environment in which Democrats are in danger of losing control of both the House and Senate.
David Axelrod, a top Obama adviser, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that secret political donations to the chamber and other groups pose “a threat to our democracy.” Axelrod also took the unusual step of calling on the chamber to release internal documents backing up its contention that foreign money is not being used to pay for U.S. political activities. Democrats have seized on a report by a liberal blog alleging that dues from chamber-affiliated business councils could be used in that way. “If the chamber opens up its books and says, ‘Here’s where our political money’s coming from,’ then we’ll know,” Axelrod said. “But until they do that, all we have is their assertion.”
Of course, all we have the other way is the Democrats’ assertion. And will Americans otherwise predisposed to vote Republican in November really change their mind on vague assertions that the Chamber is funneling foreign money into their campaigns?
Apparently, the impetus for all this is last week’s reporting from Think Progress that I’d missed until now. It’s rather convoluted — making its likely impact on next month’s voting even more unlikely — but, essentially, the argument goes like this:
- The Chamber is the chief outside group buying ads for Republican candidates
- These ads are paid for out of the Chamber’s general fund
- The Chamber accepts foreign donations through its overseas Business Councils
- Thus, foreign money is used for the ads
- Additionally, a 527 called American Crossroads, which Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie are affiliated with, is coordinating spending with the Chamber. And who knows where American Crossroads is getting the money? Maybe it’s from foreigners!
For their part, both the Chamber and American Crossroads have denied that foreign money is going toward these ads, asserting that they have firewalls in place. Absent strong evidence to the contrary, I’m inclined to believe them. After all, money is fungible. So, the Chamber doesn’t need to use foreign money to fund political advertising — which is presumably still illegal — when all they have to do is use the foreign money to finance legal activities and shift the domestic money that would have funded said activities over to advertising. (Now, effectively, there is no difference! Legally, though, it’s the difference between night and day.)
I suppose that, given the polling numbers, Obama and company have to try something. Certainly, “We’re doing a great job and you should give us two more years” isn’t going to cut it. But this is not only desperate but it’s the kind of inside baseball that will just irritate voters. I guarantee you that if I’m just now getting wind of this week-old blog story, nobody at that rally in Philly had any idea what the hell Obama was talking about.
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Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
This Week in Credit Card <b>News</b> - MoneyBuilder - making sense of <b>...</b>
Discover Says US Antitrust Settlement Won't Help Consumers Discover says US consumers may not benefit from an antitrust settlement that lets merchants offer rewards and incentives to people who pay with lower-cost credit cards.
Fox <b>News</b> Hits Ratings High With Rescue Coverage Of Chilean Miners <b>...</b>
Some 7.1 million viewers tuned into Fox News at 8 PM last night to watch the last trapped Chilean miner, Luis Urzua, making it safely to the surface. That was not only the cable news channel's largest audience in the hour this year but ...
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Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
This Week in Credit Card <b>News</b> - MoneyBuilder - making sense of <b>...</b>
Discover Says US Antitrust Settlement Won't Help Consumers Discover says US consumers may not benefit from an antitrust settlement that lets merchants offer rewards and incentives to people who pay with lower-cost credit cards.
Fox <b>News</b> Hits Ratings High With Rescue Coverage Of Chilean Miners <b>...</b>
Some 7.1 million viewers tuned into Fox News at 8 PM last night to watch the last trapped Chilean miner, Luis Urzua, making it safely to the surface. That was not only the cable news channel's largest audience in the hour this year but ...
bench craft company reviews
Label Complains That Amazon Devalues Artists By Making Music Cheap
from the you-got-it-backwards dept
This is unfortunate. Nearly two years ago, we wrote about the indie music label Asthmatic Kitty, which seemed to take a really forward looking attitude towards the new music market. In that interview, the label noted the reality of the new world, and why it was important to focus on reasons to buy, rather than assuming that people would just pay to hear music. This is what was said at the time:
I operate under the conviction that people buy records because they want to own them, not because they want to hear them. It is too easy these days to hear a record without having to buy it. I don't resent that fact, rather I feel we at Asthmatic Kitty embrace it through streaming albums and offering several free mp3s (even whole free albums). And why do they want to own it? They want it to illustrate to others their taste and identify who they are as a person. I also believe they want to be part of something bigger than themselves, they want to belong.
Our job is no longer to sell folks things they want to hear. They want an experience and to identify themselves as part of a community. Ownership then becomes a way of them supporting your community through investing in that community. Fostering that in an honest, transparent and "non-gross" way takes a combination of gracefulness, creativity and not taking oneself too seriously, while still taking art and music seriously.
Apparently, however, they do resent Amazon for making music available cheaply. Reader Colin points us to a recent article about how Asthmatic Kitty has sent out a letter to fans of artist Sufjan Stevens, complaining that Amazon's pricing is too low and asking people to go to Bandcamp and pay more instead. They do admit to being somewhat conflicted about this, at least:
"We have mixed feelings about discounted pricing," the label explained.
"Like we said, we love getting good music into the hands of good people, and when a price is low, more people buy. A low price will introduce a lot of people to Sufjan's music and to this wonderful album. For that, we're grateful.
But we also feel like the work that our artists produce is worth more than a cost of a latte. We value the skill, love, and time they've put into making their records. And we feel that our work too, in promotion and distribution, is also valuable and worthwhile."
While they're certainly not attacking Amazon or fans, the whole email does feel a little off. The simple fact is, if people want the music (as the label seemed to recognize last year), they can find it somewhere for free. Amazon's prices are meaningless when it comes to the "value" of the music. Price and value are not the same thing. Rather than complaining about the price that Amazon sets on the album, why not give people additional reasons to pay directly at Bandcamp -- such as providing valuable extras if they do. Or discounts on other merchandise. There are all sorts of positive ways to get people to find it worthwhile to spend money without making them feel guilty and bad for paying a price that is legitimately offered by a retailer.
47 Comments | Leave a Comment..
President Obama and the Democrats are making a rather odd ploy for votes: Attacking the Chamber of Commerce and insinuating that it’s secretly funneling money to Republican campaigns.
The White House intensified its attacks Sunday on the powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce for its alleged ties to foreign donors, part of an escalating Democratic effort to link Republican allies with corporate and overseas interests ahead of the November midterm elections. The chamber adamantly denies that foreign funds are used in its U.S. election efforts, accusing Democrats of orchestrating a speculative smear campaign during a desperate political year.
President Obama, speaking at a rally in Philadelphia, said “the American people deserve to know who is trying to sway their elections” and raised the possibility that foreigners could be funding his opponents. “You don’t know,” Obama said at the rally for Senate candidate Joe Sestak and other Democrats. “It could be the oil industry. It could even be foreign-owned corporations. You don’t know because they don’t have to disclose.”
The remarks are part of a volley of recent attacks by Obama and other Democrats on alleged foreign influence within the Republican caucus, whether through support for outsourcing jobs by major U.S. corporations or through overseas money making its way into the coffers of GOP-leaning interest groups.
The comments also come as Democrats attempt to cope with an onslaught of independent political advertising aimed at bolstering Republicans, much of it fueled by donations that do not have to be revealed to the public. The spending has added to a political environment in which Democrats are in danger of losing control of both the House and Senate.
David Axelrod, a top Obama adviser, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that secret political donations to the chamber and other groups pose “a threat to our democracy.” Axelrod also took the unusual step of calling on the chamber to release internal documents backing up its contention that foreign money is not being used to pay for U.S. political activities. Democrats have seized on a report by a liberal blog alleging that dues from chamber-affiliated business councils could be used in that way. “If the chamber opens up its books and says, ‘Here’s where our political money’s coming from,’ then we’ll know,” Axelrod said. “But until they do that, all we have is their assertion.”
Of course, all we have the other way is the Democrats’ assertion. And will Americans otherwise predisposed to vote Republican in November really change their mind on vague assertions that the Chamber is funneling foreign money into their campaigns?
Apparently, the impetus for all this is last week’s reporting from Think Progress that I’d missed until now. It’s rather convoluted — making its likely impact on next month’s voting even more unlikely — but, essentially, the argument goes like this:
- The Chamber is the chief outside group buying ads for Republican candidates
- These ads are paid for out of the Chamber’s general fund
- The Chamber accepts foreign donations through its overseas Business Councils
- Thus, foreign money is used for the ads
- Additionally, a 527 called American Crossroads, which Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie are affiliated with, is coordinating spending with the Chamber. And who knows where American Crossroads is getting the money? Maybe it’s from foreigners!
For their part, both the Chamber and American Crossroads have denied that foreign money is going toward these ads, asserting that they have firewalls in place. Absent strong evidence to the contrary, I’m inclined to believe them. After all, money is fungible. So, the Chamber doesn’t need to use foreign money to fund political advertising — which is presumably still illegal — when all they have to do is use the foreign money to finance legal activities and shift the domestic money that would have funded said activities over to advertising. (Now, effectively, there is no difference! Legally, though, it’s the difference between night and day.)
I suppose that, given the polling numbers, Obama and company have to try something. Certainly, “We’re doing a great job and you should give us two more years” isn’t going to cut it. But this is not only desperate but it’s the kind of inside baseball that will just irritate voters. I guarantee you that if I’m just now getting wind of this week-old blog story, nobody at that rally in Philly had any idea what the hell Obama was talking about.
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Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
This Week in Credit Card <b>News</b> - MoneyBuilder - making sense of <b>...</b>
Discover Says US Antitrust Settlement Won't Help Consumers Discover says US consumers may not benefit from an antitrust settlement that lets merchants offer rewards and incentives to people who pay with lower-cost credit cards.
Fox <b>News</b> Hits Ratings High With Rescue Coverage Of Chilean Miners <b>...</b>
Some 7.1 million viewers tuned into Fox News at 8 PM last night to watch the last trapped Chilean miner, Luis Urzua, making it safely to the surface. That was not only the cable news channel's largest audience in the hour this year but ...
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Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
This Week in Credit Card <b>News</b> - MoneyBuilder - making sense of <b>...</b>
Discover Says US Antitrust Settlement Won't Help Consumers Discover says US consumers may not benefit from an antitrust settlement that lets merchants offer rewards and incentives to people who pay with lower-cost credit cards.
Fox <b>News</b> Hits Ratings High With Rescue Coverage Of Chilean Miners <b>...</b>
Some 7.1 million viewers tuned into Fox News at 8 PM last night to watch the last trapped Chilean miner, Luis Urzua, making it safely to the surface. That was not only the cable news channel's largest audience in the hour this year but ...
benchcraft company portland or
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
This Week in Credit Card <b>News</b> - MoneyBuilder - making sense of <b>...</b>
Discover Says US Antitrust Settlement Won't Help Consumers Discover says US consumers may not benefit from an antitrust settlement that lets merchants offer rewards and incentives to people who pay with lower-cost credit cards.
Fox <b>News</b> Hits Ratings High With Rescue Coverage Of Chilean Miners <b>...</b>
Some 7.1 million viewers tuned into Fox News at 8 PM last night to watch the last trapped Chilean miner, Luis Urzua, making it safely to the surface. That was not only the cable news channel's largest audience in the hour this year but ...
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Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
This Week in Credit Card <b>News</b> - MoneyBuilder - making sense of <b>...</b>
Discover Says US Antitrust Settlement Won't Help Consumers Discover says US consumers may not benefit from an antitrust settlement that lets merchants offer rewards and incentives to people who pay with lower-cost credit cards.
Fox <b>News</b> Hits Ratings High With Rescue Coverage Of Chilean Miners <b>...</b>
Some 7.1 million viewers tuned into Fox News at 8 PM last night to watch the last trapped Chilean miner, Luis Urzua, making it safely to the surface. That was not only the cable news channel's largest audience in the hour this year but ...
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Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
This Week in Credit Card <b>News</b> - MoneyBuilder - making sense of <b>...</b>
Discover Says US Antitrust Settlement Won't Help Consumers Discover says US consumers may not benefit from an antitrust settlement that lets merchants offer rewards and incentives to people who pay with lower-cost credit cards.
Fox <b>News</b> Hits Ratings High With Rescue Coverage Of Chilean Miners <b>...</b>
Some 7.1 million viewers tuned into Fox News at 8 PM last night to watch the last trapped Chilean miner, Luis Urzua, making it safely to the surface. That was not only the cable news channel's largest audience in the hour this year but ...
bench craft company reviews
I am one of the many moms who is involved in the direct sales industry. This means that I sell products through a company (after much research) that when sold provide me with a commission just like stores make money when they sell the stuff they have on the shelves. A major difference is that I make more of a commission based on sales because of the way money is spent to get the product to market. With the company depending on people like me for marketing and sales they do not have to invest in that, instead that money in the case of Arbonne goes to product testing, development, and compensating me for the work that I do. When I mention to people that I am an Arbonne Independent Consultant I'm entertained at the wide variety of responses that I get. Before I get into the widely ranging reactions I have typically encountered, let me tell you a bit about how I got involved in this kind of opportunity as we like to call it.
Just For Fun
The first company I signed up to work for in direct sales was for adult toys I was young (about 22) when I first decided to try this out and was thus a bit shy to promote the business hence it's failure. I was attracted to the business for it's flexibility, profits based on my effort, and the experience of having my 'own' business without having to worry about where to get the products and so forth. This was before becoming a mother but I do think this would be a lot of fun for the right mom. I enjoyed this because being a young woman the stores where one goes to guy toys were intimidating to me, and I felt very silly walking around looking at stuff, the anonymity of shopping online or at a small house party was much more appealing.
Too Dependent
Eventually I found myself working a job in corporate America, and this is when I started paying more attention to what these other industries were about. I had a lot of experience in different kinds of self employment up until this point and realized how dangerous it felt to be so dependent on one source of income, feeling like if I lost my job, I'd be well, lost! This realization hit when the recession was just starting to hit and the rounds of lay-offs started, my research picked up a bit.
How I found my Match
I first tried Arbonne when I was a teenager, I remember seeing it in my moms bathroom and her telling me about how special it was and thinking she was being oh so silly. By the time I remembered all of this and was doing my research though, I realized the importance of this "Pure Safe and Beneficial" commitment to providing top quality products to those interested in only the best. It was my baby care experience that really made the switch in my head turn on to realize there was quite a range of what is good for us and what isn't when it comes to personal care products.
Pyramid Scheme
I find this response that many people have the most entertaining, especially after working in a corporate environment. When working for most of these MLM companies, any member of a sponsors downline can easily surpass the said sponsors status and level if they put real effort and focus into working the business. Comparing this to getting a job as a marketing temp in an office...how much easier does one think it would be to be promoted to CEO of this company? I really don't even understand how the real pyramid schemes have gotten people confused about direct marketing because they really don't have anything in common.
Scamming Family & Friends
Easy to get offended by this response, though if standing in ground and center one realizes the insecurity is coming from the person making this claim. Of course there are always exceptions but the majority of people who have chosen to get involved in this kind of industry are all about helping other people to succeed and profit in the same way. I find it to be much less competitive than working in an office and find it to be hugely more collaborative when figuring out how to deal with any challenges faced.
Building Community
Community was a very pleasant surprise when I got involved where I am now. I confess I was guilty of assuming people I would meet who are involved would be maybe catty or competitive but it is not like that at all. I greatly enjoy all of the team meetings and in addition to that the people who I meet outside of Arbonne who are working for other companies are another great source of support. The trick to making it with any of these companies is to not jump right in but to find the one that most resonates with you, that you are confident representing and being linked with. I have good friends working with more supplement based companies, pre-paid legal services, investments, and much more.
Family involvement
I find that I meet the most customers and consultants when I am doing something fun with my family or friends. Living life is the most important part of this and finding people who I have something in common with plus the opportunities just give us one more thing to share, and we can get some playdates, swap sitting nights and family dinners out of the deal too! My daughter also loves helping me put the little stickers with my information on the samples I usually have on me available to share with any interested parties.
Personal Growth
I was also introduced to the vast world of personal development and leadership training through my connections to this industry and this has made an absolutely huge impact on my life. Through these workshops I have learned how to better value and respect not only myself and my family but the whole world. My little musings about my life with MS will soon be in a book because of the inspiration, motivation, and expanded world view I have gotten here. I'll write another article about this at some point because this industry gets a lot of flack too.
Employment Security
I am also attracted to this kind of work because it is very difficult to get 'fired' from this kind of job, so long as I maintain contact and keep the needs of my customers met in regards to what I am supplying them I am set! If I don't work I will stop making money sure but that is my choice, there are options and lessons to be learned in all that we do and I can choose to learn from them, build on them, and so forth.
Future As I See It
I believe that if people could warm up and realize that buying from each other is a way to support each other, to provide for each other and to make the entire community stronger as a whole. I think of buying from friends in the network marketing industry as vendors at a farmers market, which for me is a much more pleasant experience than shopping at big shopping centers with underpaid staff who could care less about getting me what I need. I appreciate the personal attention I get when shopping with my friends and feel good about knowing they are compensated for their efforts.
If we can step away from the cubes and remember that we are all people and we are all in this together I believe we will be in a better place.
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Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
This Week in Credit Card <b>News</b> - MoneyBuilder - making sense of <b>...</b>
Discover Says US Antitrust Settlement Won't Help Consumers Discover says US consumers may not benefit from an antitrust settlement that lets merchants offer rewards and incentives to people who pay with lower-cost credit cards.
Fox <b>News</b> Hits Ratings High With Rescue Coverage Of Chilean Miners <b>...</b>
Some 7.1 million viewers tuned into Fox News at 8 PM last night to watch the last trapped Chilean miner, Luis Urzua, making it safely to the surface. That was not only the cable news channel's largest audience in the hour this year but ...
big seminar 14
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/15 - Arrowhead Pride
Welcome to Friday boys and girls. Enjoy today's Kansas City Chiefs news!
This Week in Credit Card <b>News</b> - MoneyBuilder - making sense of <b>...</b>
Discover Says US Antitrust Settlement Won't Help Consumers Discover says US consumers may not benefit from an antitrust settlement that lets merchants offer rewards and incentives to people who pay with lower-cost credit cards.
Fox <b>News</b> Hits Ratings High With Rescue Coverage Of Chilean Miners <b>...</b>
Some 7.1 million viewers tuned into Fox News at 8 PM last night to watch the last trapped Chilean miner, Luis Urzua, making it safely to the surface. That was not only the cable news channel's largest audience in the hour this year but ...
big seminar 14
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