Mass Sponsorship: Incentives for Sponsors
What Is Mass Sponsorship?
By mass sponsorship we mean letting anyone who can pay online, anywhere in the world, any time they feel like it, for any reason, easily sponsor any number of copies of a particular song, video, poster, investigative article, or other digital content distributed this way. There is no upper limit to the number of copies prepaid (sponsored).
This sponsorship is not just an announcement, like the corporate-recognition ads on public broadcasting. It actually makes that number of downloads, streamings, or other copies free to end users, who just click for them (with no need for any registration, payment processing, account, or other advance preparation). The end user only needs to be able to get online. The sponsor also needs to be able to pay online (with a bank card, PayPal, or anything else that works). The free end users and most sponsors never even need to hear about RepliCounts, let alone have one, or know anything about how to use it.
To download music or other art distributed this way, the free end user clicks a smart URL (which is a clickable name for a RepliCount). The user then reaches a public dashboard of the smart URL, in which the account owner (the artist[s], basically) provides his or her choice of information and controls for the end user.
If a sponsorship runs out, it will stop providing free copies. However, anyone can purchase more sponsored copies at any time -- either to refresh the existing "smart URL" (and gain access to the social networks worldwide where it already circulates), and/or to start an entirely new sponsorship, giving the sponsor total control over its distribution. The public dashboard will always include a form to purchase more sponsorship (unless the artists decide they don't want it). As long as there is public interest in the song or other content, sponsorship need never run out.
People often have a special love for or commitment to a particular song, news article, video, etc. -- not necessarily including all work by the same author, in the same genre, or supporting the same cause. Mass sponsorship will let sponsors (anybody) support their passion accordingly (whether or not that passion is advertising and selling products).
Incentives for Sponsors
Some people doubt that anyone will pay for music to be heard by others (for example). But sponsors have many potential incentives, beyond the access that motivates free users. For example, someone might buy 1,000 prepaid downloads of a song at a 30-cent quantity-discount price set by the band ($300 total), to reach 1,000 people, because the sponsor:
- Wants to address a uniquely targeted audience -- those who care about the particular song, etc., chosen by the sponsor, and also are members of informal or other social networks chosen by the same sponsor. The sponsor can send a personal or commercial message to those who download one of that sponsor's paid copies. (Sponsors can change their remaining outgoing messages at any time -- or send no message at all.)
- Is a friend or family member of someone in the band;
- Loves the song and want to thank the band for it;
- Wants to support that song's statement;
- Wants to support that particular genre of music;
- Wants to be recognized as a supporter of music in the community;
- Wants to meet other people who like that particular song;
- Wants to promote a cause related to the band or the music;
- Wants to promote a different cause or project entirely;
- Seeks volunteers for a project or cause;
- Supports a nonprofit that set up a revenue-sharing arrangement with the band;
- Wants to let people know about the sponsor's church;
- Has a website or blog, and wants to attract visitors by giving them free access to music that would otherwise cost money;
- Wants to sweeten or distinguish an email or tweet by adding free access to premium content;
- Wants to create a gift of the music, which their friends can listen to and also share freely with anyone -- while the artist(s) get paid for all of the use that results;
- Wants to support the artist(s) through word of mouth, as well as with money;
- Sees that free copies of popular content have run out, and wants to play the hero by instantly turning access back on, at all copies of the smart URL throughout the world (simply by purchasing a new sponsorship) -- hopefully gaining good will for the sponsor's name, project, or cause;
- Wants to support a political candidate or cause in an election;
- Wants to compete against other sponsors in a hard-fought election -- by paying a lot more for priority to get their message out first. The higher rate benefits the artists, which is the purpose of this system;
- Wants to advertise a product;
- Just wishes to put out a friendly greeting to anyone;
- And this list could continue without limit.
Page updated 2010-06-16
This RepliCounts software design by John S. James is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
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A Typical RepliCount
Each oval represents a different, modular service that this account can provide; the uncolored ovals represent services currently turned off. In practice, an account might have several hundred services available, with about 90% of them turned off at any given time.
Account Replication:
In this example the owner of parent account (on top) had it create 3 new "child" accounts -- and the current owners of two of the new accounts have made changes. The owners changed what payment methods the accounts will accept.