WHY FAN INSIGHT AND CRM SHOULD BE THE ENGINE OF EVERY DELUXE RELEASE STRATEGY
“I know your thoughts, they’re mine as well”
In our last edition of The Superfan Formula, we explored how CRM has been misunderstood and misused, and how the Superfan Engine rewires it as a true relationship platform. Today, we bring that philosophy to life with one of the most emotionally charged (and consistently mishandled) products in music: the boxset.
““MOST FANS DON’T EVEN KNOW THE BOXSET EXISTS.””
The Boxset as Superfan Strategy
If you want to understand what ‘super-serving’ a fan actually looks like, look no further than the deluxe vinyl boxset. It should be the ultimate expression of the artist-fan bond. A physical artefact of emotional connection. But too often, it becomes just another SKU lost in the system.
The Brutal Truth?
Most fans don’t even know the boxset exists. Even diehards miss major reissue campaigns…and that's been revealed time and again in our own research. It’s not they don’t care, love, desire, it’s just they’re just too busy living their life.
So why on earth are we treating 10th, 40th and 50th anniversaries like classified intelligence? A prestige boxset for a massive landmark album can take something like 18 months to develop, design and manufacture. But all under a cloak of secrecy…why? Even the most passionate fan needs their memory jogging…reminding why. But, after all that effort and investment, that prestige boxset gets just six weeks of promo. Nonsensical?
produced by Pozzoli S.p.A for WMG
Make it, Make Sense
That 18-month window should be used to build awareness, fuel anticipation, and create meaning.
The Superfan Engine makes that possible, by activating a core community, feeding momentum from the inside out. Sure, you could try to do that with traditional CRM and socials, but good luck trying to spark discourse and managing that manually without burning out your team or your fans.
Labels Can’t Do It Alone
It’s easy to put the blame at the door of the label, but frankly that’s unfair. Drastically reduced label teams expected to deliver more, with less, vital recourses and knowledge not at hand. Management needs to step up and take ownership…because we’re only scratching at the longer term, sustainable opportunities, that extend far beyond just that box the fan holds in their quivering hands.
““WE DON’T WANT TO JUST MAKE A PRODUCT. WE WANT TO MAKE MOMENTS.””
The Sound Effects Difference
At Sound Effects, we’ve been rethinking everything about ‘the boxset’: the format, the pricing, the manufacture, the narrative, the rollout. We can use real emotional insight from real fans, to build long-lead campaigns with extended narrative arcs and community involvement (when it makes sense). We don’t want to just make a product. We want to make moments.
““...THEN MOBILIZE THEM AS THAT DIGITAL STREET TEAM...””
A Few Uncomfortable Truths (and Commercial Opportunities):
Over 50% of fans willing to buy a £250 boxset don’t know it exists.
Most can’t pay in one go, yet Klarna, PayPal, or instalment plans are almost never offered.
Boxsets are treated as one-offs, not chapters in a long-term, evolving fan journey.
Supply chains, not insight, A&R or marketing shape the product. Ludicrous.
Imagine a publisher deciding what kind of novel gets written based on the size of their remaining paper stock. “Sorry, no epics this year. We’ve only got short-format paper left. Can you make it a novella?”
This isn’t about short-term sales. It’s about connection, community, and building a stronger, more resilient business. We believe boxsets can (and should) evolve:
From Artefact to Experience:
Blend physical product with digital layers - contact us if you want to learn more.
Use those layers to extend the story: personalisation, discovery tools, evolving narrative, ongoing engagement, added utility and UX.
Uncomfortable truth - the plastic bit with the music, might be the least important part, the value lives in the ‘package’, so let’s make that multi-dimensional.
From Broadcast to Conversation:
Involve fans earlier in the process.
Use CRM (or if you’re serious, the Superfan Engine) not just to market, but to co-create.
Reward loyalty with access, recognition, and revelation.
Turn development into a participatory, unfolding story.
From Cul-de-Sac to Content Universe:
Stop the isolated moments - from product drops to rolling, evolving arcs.
Use CRM + fan insight to fuel content, campaigns, and future planning. Better still use the Superfan Engine!
Create continuity across releases, building a long-term relationship, not starting over every time.
Digital layers and Superfan Engine make this happen.
Sparks Across the Fan Eco-system
Stop thinking of Deluxe product drops in isolation - if that’s all you got…don’t do it.
Even if you’re creating a physical/digital hybrid with us at Sound Effects, it’s not enough mate.
If you’re planning strategically, mid-to-long term and holistically across the entirety of the fan eco-system, then the “box” is just part of a wider activation.
An engaged Artist Management is crucial for much of the above. No, scratch that, it’s so important, the missed opportunities so vast, that management should be taking the lead.
produced by Pozzoli S.p.A for Deftones
Final Word
The story of the boxset is really the story of the music industry’s relationship with its most passionate fans - milking them! And it’s time for that story to change.
At Sound Effects, and through the Superfan Engine, we’re helping artists, rights holders and estates create deluxe editions that are more than a box in cellowrap. They’re emotional engines. Beautiful artefacts. Participatory platforms. And the start of a longer, more meaningful fan journey.
Let’s stop treating boxsets like end points. Let’s start building worlds around them.