Monday, September 04, 2006

A CD tour of your town

Members of the Duluth historical and tourism commmunities have created a CD, "Exploring Historic Duluth: 1870-1920," that can played in the car giving visitors a guided tour of town highlights.

The project hasn't been a rousing success yet, but the concept could be applied to music venues in a location. And rather than selling CDs, they could be sponsored (perhaps by the venues themselves) and then given away for free to visitors (perhaps at local hotels).

Duluth News Tribune, 9/2/06 - Tourism CD draws on Duluth's rich history: "It's low-budget: The CD cost $8,500 to produce, with $5,000 of that coming from a Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation grant. The Visit Duluth tourism office dedicated another $5,000 for marketing.

"But it's also slick: Producer Steve Horner recorded turn-of-the-last-century music behind Buehler's narration. And voice actors, all of them volunteers, portrayed pioneer newspaper editors, early settlers, Duluth's first mayor (Joshua B. Culver) and others who tell stories of the old buildings during 27 stops. ...

"The disc, according to Anna Tanski, the sales director for Visit Duluth, was intended to 'enhance the culture- and heritage-tourism experience in Duluth, to introduce people to Duluth's history.'The product certainly accomplishes that.

"'It wasn't really intended to be a big revenue generator,' she said.

"And so far, it hasn't been. About 150 copies of the $12 CD sold this summer. Even if the entire printing of 1,000 sells out, the revenue still would fall short of the investments made to produce and advertise the disc.'

"And that's OK, according to Tanski: 'Just getting it completed was a success. Hearing and seeing people taking the tour is a success.'"

No comments: