As most of you know, D23 is a Disney program based on building a fan community of Disney enthusiasts. Basically, it’s a club for Disney by Disney. Basically, D23 is the first official community for Disney fans, which is a kind of amazing since Disney has been around for almost a century in some form or another (I guess there were official Mickey Mouse Clubs, but this is the first company wide fan organization). However, more amazing is the fact that I have absolutely no intent of joining D23. As you can tell by the large amount of Disney reviews and information on this site, I am a huge Disney fan. I was married in the Disney Wedding Pavilion and regularly travel to both Disney World and Disneyland both with and without my family. And anyone who has been to our house thinks that they are visiting a Disney Hotel. So, why would someone as obsessed as me with the Mouse not join this exclusive club? The answer is simple. It’s not worth the money. When the club originated, it was $75.00 per year to join. For this annual fee of $75.00 you received a four issue magazine subscription to D23 Magazine (with a cover price $15.95, which comes to $63.80 if you bought them on the newsstand—"Wow, that's a savings of over negative fifteen percent."). But wait, there is more. You also had the chance to spend more money to buy exclusive high priced merchandise from a special D23 website (which everyone can access), as well as tickets to exclusive events. I remember hearing about a Mary Poppins event on an episode of Inside the Magic where the listener got to sit in a group and see the cast for 10 whole minutes. There just aren’t enough exclusive events near me to justify the expense. I am not alone. In fact, not even Ricky Brigante, the host of the aforementioned Inside the Magic podcast and one of the creators of Orlando Attractions Magazine has not yet joined D23. (BTW, if you are in any way a Disney Fan, you should check both the Inside the Magic podcast and Orlando Attractions Magazine as they are top notch. I daresay that Orlando Attractions magazine blows D23 Magazine out of the water and is 1/3 of the price. Not only that, but if you subscribe to the magazine at www.attractionsmagazine.com/subscribe.php, you actually get a 16 percent discount off the newsstand price on the subscription—unlike the 15 percent markup in D23. But I digress.)
Well, Disney has apparently heard the concerns and has attempted to resolve the issue. They have created new tiers of membership in D23. Now, for $34.99 a year, you can buy a Silver membership in D23 (they still offer the original terms now dubbed “Gold membership” for $74.99). What do you get as a Silver member:
D23 Members in both the new Gold and Silver tiers will receive a membership card; a suitable-for-framing member certificate (for new members); opportunities to attend special D23 Member events throughout the year; access to exclusive, limited-edition merchandise and collectibles; and 2010 gift of "Disney Undiscovered: A 23-Month Calendar of Disney's Unrealized Masterpieces."
Basically, Disney is offering D23 without the magazine. So, now for $34.99, you are getting what used to cost members an extra $11.19 (and still does in the gold level.) No thanks. At $15.00 maybe I would, at $10.00 I definitely would. Instead, Disney jacked up the price 312 percent as a punishment for not buying their magazine.
Don’t get me wrong, D23 are doing some fantastic event s (which I will list later this week). And if I lived anywhere near any of them, I might reconsider. I just feel that if D23 is truly for the fans, then Disney shouldn’t be pricing it so high. I don’t know if Disney is making any money off D23. What I do know is that D23 should be a loss leader and not a profit center.
The press release and details about the membership tiers after the jump:
Well, Disney has apparently heard the concerns and has attempted to resolve the issue. They have created new tiers of membership in D23. Now, for $34.99 a year, you can buy a Silver membership in D23 (they still offer the original terms now dubbed “Gold membership” for $74.99). What do you get as a Silver member:
D23 Members in both the new Gold and Silver tiers will receive a membership card; a suitable-for-framing member certificate (for new members); opportunities to attend special D23 Member events throughout the year; access to exclusive, limited-edition merchandise and collectibles; and 2010 gift of "Disney Undiscovered: A 23-Month Calendar of Disney's Unrealized Masterpieces."
Basically, Disney is offering D23 without the magazine. So, now for $34.99, you are getting what used to cost members an extra $11.19 (and still does in the gold level.) No thanks. At $15.00 maybe I would, at $10.00 I definitely would. Instead, Disney jacked up the price 312 percent as a punishment for not buying their magazine.
Don’t get me wrong, D23 are doing some fantastic event s (which I will list later this week). And if I lived anywhere near any of them, I might reconsider. I just feel that if D23 is truly for the fans, then Disney shouldn’t be pricing it so high. I don’t know if Disney is making any money off D23. What I do know is that D23 should be a loss leader and not a profit center.
The press release and details about the membership tiers after the jump:
Here is the official press release from D23.com
D23 Announces New Tiered Membership Levels
01.07.10 - D23, which celebrates its first anniversary in March, has grown to encompass tens of thousands of members from more than 30 countries around the world. To mark the occasion, the only official Disney fan community introduced two tiers of membership, Gold and Silver, for the 2010 calendar year.
D23 Members in both the new Gold and Silver tiers will receive a membership card; a suitable-for-framing member certificate (for new members); opportunities to attend special D23 Member events throughout the year; access to exclusive, limited-edition merchandise and collectibles; and 2010 gift of "Disney Undiscovered: A 23-Month Calendar of Disney's Unrealized Masterpieces."
"D23 Members are the most passionate, excited — and exciting — Disney fans in the world, and D23 wants to constantly change, grow and expand to meet their needs," said Steven Clark, head of D23.
D23 Members in both the new Gold and Silver tiers will receive a membership card; a suitable-for-framing member certificate (for new members); opportunities to attend special D23 Member events throughout the year; access to exclusive, limited-edition merchandise and collectibles; and 2010 gift of "Disney Undiscovered: A 23-Month Calendar of Disney's Unrealized Masterpieces."
"Disney Undiscovered" presents rare and never-before seen images from Disney theme-park, live-action and animation projects that were not completed, many of which have achieved legendary status among Disney fans. The calendar features art from never-built project like the Mineral King ski resort and Walt Disney's St. Louis Project, theme park lands such as Discovery Bay at Disneyland and the Switzerland pavilion at Epcot, and unproduced films, including a watercolor from the original Little Mermaid that Walt had in early preproduction in the late 1930s.
In addition to all of these benefits of D23 Membership, Gold members will receive a one-year subscription to Disney twenty-three, a stunning, oversized collectible quarterly publication that brings new perspective and insight into Disney's past, present and future.
New in 2010, D23 Members will enjoy new discounts and offers. Members who show their valid D23 Membership card (with a photo ID) will receive discounts at many locations in the Downtown Disney® District at Disneyland and at ESPN Zone locations across the country.
Gold membership is $74.99 a year, and Silver membership is $34.99 a year.
D23 Announces New Tiered Membership Levels
01.07.10 - D23, which celebrates its first anniversary in March, has grown to encompass tens of thousands of members from more than 30 countries around the world. To mark the occasion, the only official Disney fan community introduced two tiers of membership, Gold and Silver, for the 2010 calendar year.
D23 Members in both the new Gold and Silver tiers will receive a membership card; a suitable-for-framing member certificate (for new members); opportunities to attend special D23 Member events throughout the year; access to exclusive, limited-edition merchandise and collectibles; and 2010 gift of "Disney Undiscovered: A 23-Month Calendar of Disney's Unrealized Masterpieces."
"D23 Members are the most passionate, excited — and exciting — Disney fans in the world, and D23 wants to constantly change, grow and expand to meet their needs," said Steven Clark, head of D23.
D23 Members in both the new Gold and Silver tiers will receive a membership card; a suitable-for-framing member certificate (for new members); opportunities to attend special D23 Member events throughout the year; access to exclusive, limited-edition merchandise and collectibles; and 2010 gift of "Disney Undiscovered: A 23-Month Calendar of Disney's Unrealized Masterpieces."
"Disney Undiscovered" presents rare and never-before seen images from Disney theme-park, live-action and animation projects that were not completed, many of which have achieved legendary status among Disney fans. The calendar features art from never-built project like the Mineral King ski resort and Walt Disney's St. Louis Project, theme park lands such as Discovery Bay at Disneyland and the Switzerland pavilion at Epcot, and unproduced films, including a watercolor from the original Little Mermaid that Walt had in early preproduction in the late 1930s.
In addition to all of these benefits of D23 Membership, Gold members will receive a one-year subscription to Disney twenty-three, a stunning, oversized collectible quarterly publication that brings new perspective and insight into Disney's past, present and future.
New in 2010, D23 Members will enjoy new discounts and offers. Members who show their valid D23 Membership card (with a photo ID) will receive discounts at many locations in the Downtown Disney® District at Disneyland and at ESPN Zone locations across the country.
Gold membership is $74.99 a year, and Silver membership is $34.99 a year.
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