CDNow.com Taking Notes - Marketing - Brief Article

Brandweek, June 4, 2001 by Kenneth Hein

After years of million-dollar losses and an inevitable take over by Bertelsmann, CDNow.com is looking for ways to maximize its marketing budget. As a result, it is birthing creative initiatives such as its CDNow Musicologists" tour.

Hitting seven cities, including Atlanta, Detroit and Los Angeles, the tour will see representatives visit bars, nightclubs and concerts throughout the month of June. There, consumers can ask musicologists questions pertaining to their favorite bands or music genre. The staffers record the consumer's e-mail address and contact them the next day with a message that includes a hyperlink to the specific section of CDNow.com where they can purchase relevant music.

U.S. Marketing & Promotions in Los Angeles created the program.

Ultimately the site is looking to build its e-mail database, which currently has three million customers. It can then inexpensively market to these lists in the future.

"This phase of the campaign is more of a test," said Samantha Liss, vp-marketing and promotion at CDNow.com, Fort Washington, Pa. "If it works, we'll go to other markets this year,"