RollingStones.com – a fan Web site that rocks

The Rolling Stones kicked off their 2005-2006 World Tour this week in Boston. I was lucky enough to score great seats for both shows at Fenway Park (14th row for opening night and 4th row last night).

So how did a mere mortal get access to great seats without having to mortgage the house to pay a scalper? Because I had seen the Stones on the last several tours, I had automatically gotten a membership to the fans-only section of the RollingStones.com site and I registered my email address three years ago. So when the current tour was announced this Spring, I received a special pre-announcement email alert and an opportunity to purchase pre-sale tickets. How cool.

The Stones understand that their most loyal fans should be allowed to buy tickets before the general public. And the band uses the site to facilitate the process. Once the tour kicked off, the site has a neat Virtual Ticket section where you can free stuff like images, audio and video, set lists and more.

Aerosmith is another band that uses fan communities to great success. I profiled the Aeroforceone.com fan site in my book Cashing in with Content. Any organization that wants to cultivate a base of fans using the Web can learn from these two bands.

In a new twist, the Stones now allow cameras in their shows. Possibly this is because so many mobile phones have built in cameras that you just can’t stop photos anymore. But quite possibly, the band understands that when fans take photos they share them with friends and post them on blogs and photo galleries which creates a viral marketing effect.

Here’s a photo I took at the show last night. You can’t get much closer than this. Yeah, the Stones rock – but their site does too.

Comments

[colin bryson]

new cd fucking fantastic keih back 2 his snakeskin licking best ron griding away charlie like a steam train with his fills @ mic u havet lost your touch like a jim morrison spitting spainish virgin lol good c u get back grass roots the slide sends shiver down my spine hutch wood loved track14 as well as the rest

[veronica robles]

son mi pasion son unos capossss!!

[Lori]

i've been listening to the stones since day one..never seen them live..this tour, i went online to see ticket purchases and prices for a friend that wanted 2 tic's for himself and his girlfriend..i could'nt beleive thr prices of these tickets..no offense to all u stones fans but i would never pay that high price to see anyone..really who the hell do they think they are..i seen zeppelin several times since 1974 till they stopped touring..and my honest opinion is zep blows the stones away by far..theres alot of people that would love to see the stones live..but in today's world who the hell can afford it..i feel that the stones made enough money off their fans but what about the fans that don't have that kind of money to spend on their ticket's..i guess they mean shit to the mighty stones so really do the stones care about their fans or just getting rich off them..i think thats awful and inconsiderateof the stones..i would'nt go see their show if they paid me to go..i would love to zep again..they're the real stars..

[PAMELA BUCKINGHAM]

the rollingstones arnt the worldsgreatest rockinrollband for fuckin nothin they are the greatest because they earned it and they are worth it.they also do bennifit concerts like the one in tronto canada for sars i absouelty love the rollingstones espicaly mick.

[donniehobbs]

I think the Stones are Great , the most exciting concert I've ever seen. The most rememerable event of my life. It really touched my heart and Im very thankful I've had the chance to see them live in concert. I think Mick is very handsome and he's still going full blast. Hurrah! STONES FOREVER !

[donniehobbs]

STONES FOREVER!