Are Little Monsters the same as Trekkies?

Playing off of the ideas of Star Trek re-releasing the episodes on different formats, offering new special features and additional cuts, the same can be seen in the release of music.

Take Lady Gaga for example;
Her first album, The Fame, was released October 30th, 2008 with thirteen songs. November 4th, 2008, just five days later, the first remix of her song Just Dance was released. Just like Star Trek episodes being released with different cuts – like the directors cut – a new version of the same song was released. Three weeks later, remix number two was released, and this time a second artist, Colby O’Donis, was featured as an addition.

After three releases of the same song, all different versions, the next song, LoveGame started the same rotation. Another three new versions were released between May 2009 and July 2009. This same rotation of releasing new versions of one song, brings in the revenue for the artist, and gets grabbed up and purchased immediately by the die-hard Gaga fans, just like the Trekkies did for Star Trek.

Then came her next album, The Fame Monster, released November 23rd, 2009. With it, came two versions (on iTunes at least); Deluxe and Regular. The deluxe version contained both the full-length album, as well as an additional eight songs. It wasn’t until January 26th, 2010 that those eight songs available on the deluxe record were available for purchase separately.

Now that is just the release of her music – singles, remixes, full-length CDs. Let us not forget though, about radio rotation, where callers can request a song or the weekly top 40 countdown. The remixes are played, as well as the original song, allowing for the fans to listen, as well as giving new audiences the opportunity to find new artists. Or, how about concerts – watching an artist like Lady Gaga tour the world, buying up merchandise with her face on it, using it as advertising. Or how about Magazine articles, Music Videos, DVDs of concerts and behind the scenes – everything an artist could possibly do to get a fan interested and devoted, they are doing.

Just as an artist begins to fade, they release a new single or a new CD, and the wave of popularity comes crashing all over again. It is exactly like how Star Trek re-released different versions of the same episodes. Whether it is a boxed set, a full collection of CDs, or a set of remixes, the popularity created by the fans does not die down.

As a consumer, or just insanely devoted fan, do we really need to buy every remix of a single? What about every version of a CD that is released? We can pay upwards of hundreds of dollars for a concert ticket, and we can call and request the song on the radio for free, but how far is too far? Star Trek is a great example of this, because Trekkies buy every new format (DVD, VHS) and they continue to watch reruns on TV. Music fans are the same way though, and with consumer demand, how much of change is little enough for the fans to want to buy the newest released item?

Laura Snape

An iTunes screen shot of Lady Gaga's Releases