The newest version of the Linkin Park Underground – LPUXIII – launched yesterday. Here’s our review, testing all the online features, its mobile use, the different memberships and checking out the items in the package.
1. Memberships
The LPU Store
LPUXIII offers two versions of memberships:
The ALL IN ONE + CD package with all features and merch items for $57 and a digital subscription Membership for $20 with all features, excluding merch items and (this is new) the LPU pass. So, this year, the LPU pass which grants access to LPU events and early entry at concerts is not included in the digital subscription – which actually makes sense since this is a DIGITAL subscription.
In addition, the LPU offers the merch package and the LPU pass for single purchase – if you have purchased the digital subscription. I think this is a great idea, since fans who don’t have so much money right away (shoutout to all the students out there) can just upgrade their subscription gradually.
NEW or RENEWING members must purchase an LPU XIII Membership.
This can be done with the $20 Digital Subscription or via the $57 ALL IN ONE + CD Package.
Whoever joins via the $20 Digital Subscription must first complete the registration / renewal process and transaction before accessing the LPU XIII add on items.
LPU XIII add on items will live in a special section of the LPU store called “YEAR XIII” for easy access.
For me personally, the All in one package is the better solution, since it saves me $13 in comparison to the digital one plus add ons – and I like having everything in one go.
Unfortunately, the LPU has decided to separate the LPU Summit pass from the regular membership(s). From now on, we have to purchase those separately. Since we don’t know yet, how much they will cost, it is hard to criticize or praise this change. At the moment, most fans see this critically, considering that extra costs seem to be the result of this change. Eventually, we just have to wait and see, though.
The shipping costs are another critical aspect of the All in One-LPUXIII membership. Shipping to Europe costs $19 at the moment, which is a huge jump from last year’s package which had free shipping – at least in the beginning. Word is that the shipping costs will be re-evaluated so this is another wait-and-see-issue.
Edit: LPUHQ is currently working on this issue. Apparently the high shipping costs were caused by a glitch. Good news!
2. The Merch items
The LPUXIII merch package includes the following items:
Welcome Letter from Joe
LPU XIII Jersey (Available in Men’s and Women’s sizes)
LPU PlugAir (Unlock exclusive content via iPhone and Android)
LPU / HARD ROCK Poster (created by LPU member Andhika Nugraha)
[LPU XIII Lanyard + Laminate (Unlocks Early Entry Benefit)]
[LPU XIII CD (Featuring 10 demos and 2 LPU Sessions tracks)]
In my opinion, this is the most epic package ever! The jersey doesn’t only look great (it also contains my hair color red, which makes it super awesome already), but it was also made from recycled plastic bottles and can be purchased in men and women sizes! What more do you want?
The PlugAir is some funny device that we can plug into our phones. Apparently it contains some exciting content. We just have to wait for the package to arrive!
I’m really happy about the LPU/Hard Rock poster by ToolKit aka Andhika Nugraha. You might know (or not) that I’m dying for Linkin Park posters, especially the super artsy ones (my favorites are the limited edition tour posters and the one from the secret show at the Mayan some time ago), so I was hoping the LPUXIII package would include a poster – and my wish came true!
The Laminate is a bit lame…I just like the nice designs of the laminates, and the LPUXIII one just has people on it. Art > People.
For a review, I’ve asked my friend Prici to help me out. You can read her review HERE!
3. Online Features
Let’s check out the LPU’s list of all the new online features:
The LPU website is mobile-optimized and can now be fully translated in your language with the new Google Translate feature.
Pre-Sale code delivery system right in your inbox.
Instagram feed using #WEARELPU
Community feed right on the home page that captures all of your blurbs.
Verified Badges for LPU Staff, Moderators, and band members.
Your favorite links live on the home page for easy access such as Presale tickets, Meet-Ups, LPU Summit, and more.
A beautifully re-designed Community navigation.
A personalized Referral Link will be issued to each member right from your dashboard to track your LPU referrals.
The profile of LPFC Team Member An van Oppens with a moderator badge – Congrats, An! 😀
I only comment on the (in my opinion) coolest new features here!
First of all, the LPU website is now mobile-optimized. This doesn’t only mean that the site’s layout is responsive, but it also means that the LPU chat works on your cell phone! Wait, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid this only works for Android phones, since you need flash player. Androiders, just open the chat in your phone’s browser, but make sure you have enabled flash player! Just for your information: the LPU12 chat opened on Android phones as well, but while reading worked, typing in the chat just wasn’t possible.
I think, this is the biggest improvement of the LPU website!
A screenshot of the LPU chat on my phone
The Instagram feed, translation option and verified badges are nice new features. They don’t really optimize the user experience, but they make the site nicer. I’m not sure yet, how the referral links will benefit us…we wait and see?!
4. The Design
The Homepage
The chaotic LPU12 website is finally history! The LPUXIII design is cleaner, more modern and well-arranged.
We now have a white background, the new colorful LPUXIII logo on the top left and the navigation bar next to it.
The homepage has 5 columns which are next to each other – you can just drag the site left and right to see all of them – and include HQ News, Community Feed, Events, the #WeAreLPU Instagram feed and Extras. The individual articles in each column are arranged in tiles.
The navigation bar opens three – very nicely designed – drop down menus under Media, Community and the gear wheel which leads to the user’s dashboard. The different sub-pages have stayed the same, just the blogs are now called “Blurbs”. Looks like the LPUers will blurb a lot this year.
The Community Drop Down Menu
While the design looks pretty cool, there’s this one big negative thing: the small grey writing on a white background. Other than blurb, we will also squint a lot.
Here are some photos of the sub-pages:
Conclusion: The LPUXIII has improved many features, for me outstanding: the mobile-optimization, the add-on membership, the overall clean design and the merch pack. There are still some flaws, but I hope most of them can be corrected in the future, like the high shipping cost or the font color of the website, others are a total enigma at this time, and might need some getting used to, such as the separate purchase of the LPU pass, or the digital membership minus the LPU pass.
All in all, I’m very happy with LPUXIII. I already like LPU12, even though the shirt was awful and the site turned out to be a mess after a while, but LPUXIII is a big improvement and I’m already having more fun on the website. Good work, LPUHQ et al.
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