From the same folks that wanted you to write a suicide note

[TVD]

As egregious as BYT lifting content wholesale and posting it without sourcing or attribution, I can tell you from first hand experience that both WCP online and DCist have run with our content unattributed, so for them to be calling out BYT is a bit ridiculous and hypocritical. (My comment to this effect at DCist went unpublished...)

[sweetcell]

As egregious as BYT lifting content wholesale and posting it without sourcing or attribution, I can tell you from first hand experience that both WCP online and DCist have run with our content unattributed, so for them to be calling out BYT is a bit ridiculous and hypocritical. (My comment to this effect at DCist went unpublished...)

what publication/source are you from?  who is "we"?  sorry i don't recognize you...

[TVD]

The Vinyl District (TVD)

[MonkeyPants]

http://twitter.com/marissacetin/status/317116363032387586

[Unsanity]

Good! They took some accountability.

The Vinyl District (TVD)

When I saw a user called TVD my first thought was "The Vinyl District???" haha.

[MonkeyPants]

http://dcist.com/2013/03/brightest_young_things_dismisses_pl.php

[showlistdc]

this is a new BYT thing:

In an ongoing effort to bring our readers more and more AND MORE, BYT is proud to launch today:

BYT VIPERS: All Access, All The Time

This is a special monthly package deal dedicated to keeping you (even more) on the cutting edge/the envy of everyone around you.

 What?s this all about? I hear you say. There must be a catch!

No catch. Just straight up this: For $11/month (that?s less than the price of a decent sixpack), you get priority access to some of the special little things that come our way:

* Paid reserves at select (already) sold-out shows
* hugs-heavy bus trips to where-the-hell-is-that venues like Merriweather Post Pavilion
* pre-release MP3s and promo CD downloads
* members-only ticket giveaways and discounts
* priority line-jumping at BYT events
* tons of loot we get from labels and PR people that we don?t know what to do with
* exclusive pre-pre-pre-sales
* monthly secret happy hours where you can huddle amongst the rest of the VIPER elite + pick up extra schwag
* super sweet Vipers-only pow wows with some of your favorite musicians, artists and  local celebs
* and, well, anything else we can think of.
Think of it as buying a bunch of little surprises for yourself. Give yourself a gift. Don?t think about it, don?t plan it, just do it. Repeat after us:

For starters, everyone who signs up will be getting a very special MP3 zip entitled ?Our favorite Music Right Now? (which is exactly what your tortured Ipod needs right now, and already worth more than this month?s subscription price), and a special invite to our first VIPERS ONLY happy hour at one of the coolest spots in DC.
You can sign up anytime but here is an EARLY BIRD/EARLY ADOPTER BONUS:

Everyone who signs up before lunchtime today is also entered to win:

* A pair of tickets to the yet-to-be-announced-but-totally-fucking-awesome BYT Presents: PRANCIN? (A Derby Day Party) on May 4th (approx. retail value $160 ? hello, open bar & pony rides!!)
* Tickets to tonight?s opening performance of SPAMALOT at the National Theatre (Retail value: $120)
* A special promo code for 10% off all other SPAMALOT at the National Theatre performances
* Tickets to sold-out concerts this week like:
* HOT CHIP at 9:30 Club (4/10)
* COLD WAR KIDS at 9:30 Club (4/11)
* WAVVES at Rock & Roll Hotel (4/13)
* Tickets to not-sold-out but still totally worth your time concerts like
* 2 BEARS (feat. Joe Goddard of HOT CHIP) at UHall (4/10)
* JAMIE LIDELL at Rock & Roll Hotel (4/12)
* DRAG SALUTE TO THE DIVAS at The Howard Theatre (4/14)
* SWEETLIFE FESTIVAL at Merriweather Post Pavilion (5/11)
* BYT Benzen Ball T-shirts + whatever else we have laying around the office
And that is just for today. Expect a million more things like this coming at you (pretty much) all the time.

Where do I sign up? I hear you say. WHERE? Riiiiiiiiight?.HERE.

Click the PayPal subscription button below to shell out your $11/month and become a BYT VIPER(!!!!)

[azaghal1981]

It's like a post-collegiate hipster frat now.

[sweetcell]

i wonder which marketing genius came up with the name "viper".

i saw this announcement and decided against posting it here.  last thing they need is more free advertizing.

[kosmo vinyl]

because cougar was already taken... and what a way to run a business, charge people a fee to get access to stuff other businesses give you for free.  hope everyone enjoys their GEICO beer koozies swag

i'm also shocked that the most over used and incorrectly applied marketing term isn't mention here.. CURATE.

[azaghal1981]

I swear MonkeyPants sent me this announcement a long time ago. Did it fail the first time and are they giving it another go?

[MonkeyPants]

Correct. This is NOT a "new" BYT thing, although they say they just "launched" it. They actually launched it with the exact same name in 2009: http://forum.930.com/index.php?topic=13036.msg289046#msg289046

The thing is, they removed ALL of their old content after the Logan Donaldson scandal, so no one can actually see anything about the old program. It's the same, only it seems way more shady now because they should know better than to sell music they get for free and to resell MP3s and tickets. It is one thing to sell access to your own events and your own content, but this doesn't seem kosher.

I think all their past subscribers aged out of the system so no one remembers that this is an old thing. Maybe they're also trying to get some cool points and cash flow after the scandal with their former managing editor.

The best approach, as with all things BYT related, is to simply ignore them.

On the upside, at least 9:30 did start a benefit program for its own customers!

[DeathFromAbove1979]

The VIPer thing has been around for a couple years now. I didn't know it was something you paid monthly for though. Who would pay them to be a douchebag? I guess other douchebags.... I constantly tweet to them about sucking and booking me for DJ gigs and they respond real sarcastically and favorite my tweets lol. Fuckers. I tell them I want to bang all their pale, 20 year old interns.

[Yada]

The VIPer thing has been around for a couple years now. I didn't know it was something you paid monthly for though. Who would pay them to be a douchebag? I guess other douchebags.... I constantly tweet to them about sucking and booking me for DJ gigs and they respond real sarcastically and favorite my tweets lol. Fuckers. I tell them I want to bang all their pale, 20 year old interns.

link?

[DeathFromAbove1979]

I'll have to go through my tweets, I tweet like a mad man so it might be archived by now, or whatever they do.