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Grateful Dead at the forefront of marketing technology

I write about strategies to turn fans into customers and customers into fans. I also share ways to use real-time strategies to spread ideas, influence minds, and build business.

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This week I had a chance to hang out with Jay Blakesberg, long-time Grateful Dead tour photographer, in his San Francisco studio.

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We discussed how the band (now called The Dead) is at the forefront of using technology for marketing. This video is about 9 minutes and includes highlights from the discussions. Please take the time to hear Jay describe what a true marketing powerhouse of a band is doing more than 45 years after they originally formed.

I suggest letting the video load before watching.
Direct link to the video here.

Details of what we discussed in the video:

Thedeadworcester :00 - 1:50 Through a partnership with Blurb, Jay Blakesberg created an official tour book for each city of the tour. At each stop, a collectible book featuring backstage and rehearsal shots is made available. A few days after the show, you go to Blurb.com and place an order and the book will include photos from the show that you attended.

1:50 - 4:00 You can get recordings of any of the tour's shows by buying from the official Dead site as a download or purchasing a CD set at the show itself which is available just 30 minutes after the end of the show.

The_dead_iphones_app Jay worked on an iPhone application called The Dead Tour 2009 – ALL ACCESS includes streaming audio from all the shows on the tour, streaming video, blogs, and photomosaic images. Jay also live tweeted the set lists as each concert was happening.

5:30 - 9:00 On The Dead being on the forefront of marketing technology. 45 years into their career, they are still cutting edge.

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Jay has some great photography books that you can order on his site. Of course, I scored signed copies of them when I was at Jay’s studio!

Jay book Between the Dark and Light: The Grateful Dead photography of Jay Blakesberg

More than 900 classic photos lead you on a journey through the colorful world of the Grateful Dead. Most of these images, shot from 1978 – 2002 have never been published before. With Jay’s back-stories, a foreword by Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, and historical essays, Between the Dark and Light is an irresistible 25-year journey through the Grateful Dead experience.

Traveling on a High Frequency: Jay Blakesberg photographs 1978–2008

A 30-year retrospective with 304 pages featuring over 1,200 photographs from the archive of Jay Blakesberg.

Top image: Jay Blakesberg photo of Bob Weir via blog.blurb.com
Second image: Tour book from the Worcester, MA shows
Third image: The Dead iPhone app