With the recent announcement of Neil Young Archives Membership Tiers: Rust & Patron, more details have been forthcoming on the "Timeline Concert of the Week" feature.
The "Timeline Concert of the Week" feature is now available to members at the Rust tier level with streams of live concerts from Neil Young's entire career. "Rust" subscribers can also exchange memories and stories with other subscribers. Some concerts are already accessible via the timeline, more will be added over time. Subscribers can send inquiries and express requests.
Timeline Concerts -- previously 320kbs mp3’s -- are now in full 24/96 resolution.
The 1st Timeline Concert is Neil Young + Promise of the REAL @ SSE Arena - Belfast, Northern Ireland on Jun 7, 2016 from 2016 Rebel Content Tour USA & Europe.
While all of this is fantastic news for so many Neil fans around the EARTH, there are some who feel that this is yet another "cough up the buck$" move. A comment by Aer:
All these tiers do is find a way to suck more money from those that are already buying all the physical product, going to shows, and buying the merch. 150 million and counting. He could just keep improving his passion project without the tiers. He's gonna do it anyway, even if it doesn't pay...... but it looks like Neil is still gonna go for that extra Benjamin each year, too, for as long as he lives longer than we do, unless he thinks he can get more in years to come. It is, after all, the United States of America.
Yes, Aer, as you say: "It is, after all, the United States of America." And Neil -- while always an artist first -- seems to have very carefully plotted all of this over the past 5 decades. Never selling his song and publishing rights (until just 2 months ago), retaining every lyric scrap, every tape, every mix, literally everything. He's had this vision and has achieved it practically single handed in terms of the driving visionary force.
As a longtime fan who practically lived with the 1977 Decade retrospective album for years, expectantly awaiting Decade II, this is all a dream come true. In our lifetime and Neil's. Too many artists and fans have died before they could get their due or celebrate the history.
Uncropped Image for Neil Young's Decade
by Tom Wilkes
(See Neil Young's Decade: The Images Behind The Album Cover )
Which brings us to the TW Comment of the Moment: MAJOR NEIL YOUNG ANNOUNCEMENT - New NYA Membership Tiers: Rust & Patron by the "Inextinguishable Scotsman", in response to Aer's criticism above:
Aer Stephen: Appreciate your comment.
We have to remember there are a lot of fans out there who aren't really active on forums, blogs etc. And so the online buzz you get is often from an echo chamber of fans with a particular worldview.
There is a whole community of fans who grew up trading tapes, collecting them, going to gigs etc. And the website can begin to connect these people who may not have been enthusiastic subscribers up until now.
No, there probably isn't this huge base of new fans out there...but there are plenty of "old" fans who haven't fully been engaged yet.
(Fair point - some of these people have either lost interest or are now dead).
But the beauty of a higher price, of course, is that Neil doesn't need many more fans: because each one is contributing more.
I have no objection to (optional) higher prices, as long as the website delivers more than it has been delivering. Better things tend to cost more money...and why not?
If, in a year's time, we are saying to each other "well, we paid extra - and it was so worth it", then it will have been a success.
(And yes, that is a big "if".)
You hit on another great point. The danger of a tier system is that it can become a vertical show of status that alienates anybody who chooses anything other than "top tier". Fine if you want to sell luxury products, but not good for building a grassroots community.
But the upside of a tier system, when handled well, is it allows different offers to target different sorts of people more precisely.
The "patron" option allows people to feel good about contributing more without the people in the other tiers feeling unfairly discriminated against. And I think that's a good thing.
Do I think *some* of the marketing for Neil Young products recently has been an outrageous cash-grab? Hell yes.
But overall, I think trying to make the the NYA website stand on its own two feet is a worthwhile idea.
Neil says he wants NYA to be an example that other musicians can follow. Well, Neil, it's not much of a great example if (with all your extreme wealth and power) you can't actually make a profit!
That's not very encouraging for those of us without a few hundred million in the bank, is it?
The *best* example NYA can set is by making a sustainable profit that is re-invested into making the experience ever more powerful for its subscribers.
And the way to make a profit isn't to be greedy. It isn't to rip people off with false promises of scarcity, or to treat the customers as wallet-happy idiots to be fleeced.
(Sure, that approach makes a profit; and then everybody leaves and you're left all alone, with your money and your greed).
No, the way forward is to offer a damn-good experience that is easily worth paying extra for. An experience that builds and builds and builds until it simply can't be ignored.
No,this isn't the sort of stuff they'll teach you in the 1983 record company handbook. What else is new?
Scotsman.
Thank you both Aer & Scotsman. As you both know, our reader comments are vital and we love to hear directly from our fellow rusties.
We'll leave all of this right here. As always, we all make choices under our own true free will. It is our divine right as sovereign individuals to choose and make informed decisions that is most paramount to us, as a citizen. And as a consumer., as well. Yeah, there's a lot of crap and bullshit for sure everywhere you look. And no one likes to get ripped off.
As long as the marketplace of ideas is open,unfettered and uncensored, then the choice is yours to buy, hold or sell.
TW promotes the open free exchange of information amongst fans. If this helps someone make a decision, then we feel we have done our job and separated the wheat from the chaff.
peace to Aer, Scotsman and all.
More on MAJOR NEIL YOUNG ANNOUNCEMENT - New NYA Membership Tiers: Rust & Patron.
Good commentary and ideas expressed. You all make a lot of sense. Hopefully the live show recordings and unreleased / alternate material will keep flowing. I have faith it will. I never bought a Pono. If I had, maybe it would have survived. I will support and continue to enjoy NYA. I bought NYA2 CDs for the same reason I bought Decade so long ago. Extra tracks I didn’t already have.
ReplyDeleteI haven’t checked how much the Rust level costs yet. $40? I will probably join at that level to enjoy the extra live shows. It would be fun to relive some Bridge School Benefit shows and donate $10 apiece to the Bridge School at some point. I have not been buying deluxe packages and won’t be. Can’t cough up the bucks. But I am pretty stoked on the NYA2 stuff, Rust Bucket has still got me over the moon. Looking forward to Young Shakespeare shortly. I still like ripping CDs for that High Res driving experience. Neil earned his money and his body of (Art) work is so impressive and extensive, I will attempt to savor it from many angles. Neil delivers. Thanks Neil! Alan in Seattle
IMO $40 is still great value for what we will get, I mean concerts at high def...... The only real issue I have is the patron level is vague.
ReplyDeleteJust a question: are you able to select and play one specific track from a timeline concert ? It seems to be one file for the whole performance...
ReplyDeleteAn improvment should be the possibility to add these tracks in your own playlist.
So far it is one track for the whole show. I recommend the Alchemy show from Ireland!
DeleteNYA and Neil are worth every penny!!!! Look at what you get...EVERYTHING!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Neil!!!!!
Put me down for $40/year. Rust Never Sleeps. And the Rust Bucket overfloweth. Alan in Seattle
ReplyDeleteCurrently the Patron tier doesn’t contain any real advantages from Rust, but Neil has insinuated that could change in the future, with no promises made. I’m okay with that position, yet I went the Patron tier regardless, because if you divide that hundred dollars into the cost per month, its an incredibly small investment. I visit the site every single day, and after all Neil has provided me with so much joy over all these decades that I will happily invest more in his vision. To be perfectly honest, I felt guilty paying so little for so much, so I’m happy to have the opportunity to help out a little more now.
ReplyDeletePeace 🙏
What all concerts are available on Rust? Have they added any that weren’t previously on the timeline?
ReplyDeleteI'm with Dan on the Patron tier. For some time now I have been wanting to show a bit of extra appreciation for all the joy NYA has given me over the last 18 months. It's also a good time to give NYA a shot in the arm as more and more features come on line. If no added benefits materialise for Patrons then maybe I'll go to the Rust tier after a while. NYA has to stand on its own two feet if its going to have a long run and the new tiers should help achieve that important goal.
ReplyDeleteNYA is essentially a rabbit hole that has the potential to open up into a galaxy of content judging by the recent short visit to archives (such a cool bonus clip). All the streaming services are essentially the gateway to Neil, but NYA is where you get the full Neil hit. And what makes Neil so very, very special to me as a music fan is that the deeper you dig, the more gems you discover. I confess that I have still not really listened deeply to the post-Sleeps With Angels albums. I will do so in time, but I am captivated by his 70s era and, in particular, the 80s, which I think is criminally underrated. The kids may all be into singles and streaming, but quality always shines through in the long-run and NYA delivers quality whether they want it or not. So, as they get into Harvest, discover Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, its then only a short journey to the Ditch and before long your rusting away in the boots. Except now all those boots will be in High Def in NYA. And shows like Rust Bucket just about do justice to what it's like to see Neil live. This is a deeply rewarding journey for any music fan past, present or future.
@Tomatron: the only concerts on the timeline are still the same for a few months. I don't find any new one.
ReplyDeletemy own complaint and its hardly a complaint, is the regarding the hardware to play and stream the music and video on..
ReplyDeletei have to iMac computers, an old 2011 version and a 2014 version.. since upgrading my package to rust my older iMac seems to struggle playing the music especially the newer added live stuff.
my 2014 mac no issue.. but and here's the problem.. i don't wanna be locked away in my office listening or watching on my own.
i upgraded my TV 2019 panasonic smart tv.. can't add app, if i go thru browser it just crashes. i bought a 4K Amazon tv cube so the kids could watch disney+.. again i can't add app, and the site just hangs going thru browser.
i want my music and video in my living room, it where my huge tv is, my bose sound system is, its where i relax..but i just cant seem to archives to play. I'm left streaming thru the app on my phone to the sound system..
so other than buy a apple mac mini and linking it thru the tv.. what ways are people listening and watch archives? coz as Archives gets bigger, i seem to be finding more technical issues with regards hardware and playback..all suggestions greatly appreciated
@ All - thanks as always for the great commentary! good stuff. moving on ...
ReplyDelete@ Hank - we hear you here loud and clear on the challenges of finding the right technology mix to enjoy NYA it all of its ragged glory.
We have been hearing about these dilemmas off & on going back to 2008 with NYA #1 and the BluRay system. While NYA does have a specific section on Listen | Times-Contrarian, even so, the options and complexities boggle many rusties minds.
Well, Don't Cry No "Tiers" Around Us.
See http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2021/03/neil-young-archives-dont-cry-no-tiers.html