The I-Doser Business Model: “Our Music Will Get You High”
Last night I heard about a company called I-Doser. I was watching the news and all of a sudden a young dude, possibly 15 years-old, comes on and happily confesses that he’s been getting high on cocaine and pot just by “listening to the I-Doser tracks.”
Let me just say this: If this company can actually trick and convince people into believing that they can get high solely by listening to their music, then you can create a business around ANYTHING in the world. This just goes to show that there will ALWAYS be some sort of following for your businesses ideas, not matter how esoteric, wacky, or out-of-this-world they may appear to be.
Now I’m not a scientist — not even close — but I have done some personal studying of the brain and neurotransmitters n’ such in the past. I believe that, theoretically, music can stimulate the sensation of being on drugs. However, there must already be a neural net, a preexisting connection somewhere in the brain (perhaps, of a previous drug experience while listening to that exact music), in order for such a firing of neurons to be triggered; hence, creating the drug experience without taking the actual drug. Well, those are just my two cents — what do I know? Thanks for listening to my scientific tangent, now let’s get back to entrepreneurship.
When I turned on the news and saw, literally, a crowd of teenagers raving about how “cool” and “awesome” these CDs were, I couldn’t help but think about The Tipping Point and how it only takes a small group of people to become evangelized about a product for it to tip and pass that threshold into a success.
And it’s funny, because for the most part, this product is bullshit. But guess what? It doesn’t matter whether or not I — or you — think that the product is bullshit. What matters? The only thing that matters is that there are people who believe in the product; people who do, in fact, believe that they are doing pot, cocaine, and shrooms when listening to these tracks.
The point is: that just because you or even the general public think that a product isn’t legitimate or doesn’t have any merit or reason for existing, all of that is irrelevant. As long as there is a spark, a fire can be made. As long as there is a drop of water, a seed can germinate. As long as there is Mind Petals, someone can start a business (ok, so the last example was a shameless plug, hah). But you get the idea… as long as there is, at least, a small following, an idea can flourish and expand.
47 Comments
Lucas
May 17th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
The idea seems to be that 1% followed by focus and spreading the word… crazy company sure, but that is cool because people love it, support it and it grows because of it.
MindPetals is a great resource and i understand your message to the public… it makes sense but hey when you take an idea and make it something real then anything is possible. Power to the business builders!
David Askaripour
May 17th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Absolutely! Power to the business! Totally
Brian
May 17th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
You know what I was just thinking? How frightening it would be if audio WERE a stimulant in the traditional sense of designer drugs. Because it’s infinitely scalable.
But then, if it’s SAFE… well that’s a different story (opportunity?).
Cool write-up Dave.
David Askaripour
May 17th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
LOL, yes it would be infinitely scalable. You know, I’m all for such a product that releases chemical reactions in the brain… all for it… as long as it’s safe and controlled. Thanks, Brian.
lawrence
May 17th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
i get high everyday on 80s music - love it
Jibber
May 19th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
You gotta stay away from this stuff…I put it on multi-track mixer, isolated the beats, and promptly killed 5 of my friends who were listening to it…the doctors said it looked like drug overdose, but were unable to find any drugs in their systems…hopefully you wont be able to find me through the inter-tubes and get me in trouble!!
David Askaripour
May 20th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
LOL
Matt M
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:29 am
We have to keep in mind that very little is truly understood about the human brain. It is the most complex assortment of matter known to man. We CANNOT make the blanket satement that the product is obviously bullshit. More tests need to be done.
David Askaripour
May 22nd, 2007 at 10:48 am
Matt, I agree: “I believe that, theoretically, music can stimulate the sensation of being on drugs.”
st4rbux
May 26th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
“You know, I’m all for such a product that releases chemical reactions in the brain… all for it… as long as it’s safe and controlled.”
Safe and controlled by whom? The government has done such a fantastic job with the War on Drugs… nobody can get or use drugs anymore…
I’m afraid of exactly the opposite — if this type of technology worked, government would feel the need to step in and “protect the children”, which would mean everything would need to have DRM so you can’t listen to digital tracks unless they’re approved. Music tracks, audio-books, podcasts — they could all be methods for moving this drug-experience, and will need to be cleansed/validated…
READ UP FIRST
May 30th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
Actually this is not a gimick, there is science behind the whole thing. Search binural beats and see that this has been a known way of stimulating the brain, Binaural beats were discovered in 1839 by a German experimenter, H. W. Dove. The studies have gone on since and proof of this working on the brain and causing euphoria, visions etc. This is widely used in europe and asia as forms of mental and physical therapy. Headaches can be taken away, you can sleep without being restless, IQ can be increased.
I simply think you should research something before you just bash it. Look up the http://www.monroeinstitute.com/ and see what they say. Enough on the narrow minded…
A.Quinny
June 1st, 2007 at 4:05 pm
Oh really, the product is bullshit? How about you try it before you write a completely bias POS article like this. I’ve done it, and after doing it and reading this, you really seem like a ignorant ass.
Read up First
June 2nd, 2007 at 11:58 am
I have tried it and other binaural beat software and they do work. If you’ve done it then there are a few things that you probally didn’t do, use good quality headphones, turn the lights out, relax, and take to whole dose. Then if it doesn’t work you are in the two thirds of people whose brain is so small it can’t process the information. So Quinny I think you probally should get a brain transplant so you can move beyond pre-school level of brain activity.
alex
June 6th, 2007 at 11:20 am
you know i heard this from my friend and then he had some on his mp3 i listned to one of them and i got really light headed out of no where and started to laugh but it scared me because i dident believe him
Myz
June 6th, 2007 at 10:10 pm
…and isn’t it amazing what the human race can do to itself these days? Science is an incredible thing as is the mind…but if we start to play with the mind too much…and bombard it with different tones in each ear…
while in the wrong ‘mindset’…what might happen? What if we are scared of failure? What if we are so highly stressed out that we have this tiny seed of a thought - when ’sober’ - that grows and grows into an absolute…when we’re ‘high’ - not on drugs but on binaural beats….and all of a sudden the way out is right there in front of us….it’s the best for everyone….I’ll never fail again…I won’t have to make any decisions….
The next thing we know, we’re watching our own funeral and wondering what the Hell happened? The last thing I remember is listening to my mp3 player and getting high.
Drugs aren’t safe; no matter how we ‘take’ them.
Bad state of mind mixed with bad drugs leads to bad results. Think about it…….
Kaizer
June 7th, 2007 at 8:34 am
How about imusic?
http://www.getimusic.com/imusic/
anyone tried that?
Jimmy
June 25th, 2007 at 10:50 am
Dave, you’re a big close-minded ignoramus. Seriously, I agree with those out there who actually did the research. Not you ranting and raving like an upset nine year-old about how “PEOPLE ARE SO STUPID!!!” Stop crying and start reading.
Agnes
July 2nd, 2007 at 2:11 pm
Last week I used I-Doser for a week straight. Hours on end. I listened mostly to stimulant “doses”. Then one night everything felt great. Suddenly I went into convulsions, began experiencing severe auditory distortion as though every sound were synchronising into binaural beats. I had closed-eye visuals and hypnogogic hallucinations for days. Convulsions, tremors, shaking and trembling, as well as tension in the jaw, strange rushes like off drug comedowns but not quite (worse and more disturbing and random), exhaustion, weakness, insomnia, mental confusion and disorientation, terror and fear of dying. I felt and still feel a loss of appetite, nausea, sensitivity to smells, strobing / flashing vision, and very dilated pupils. It’s been four days since the onset of the overdose symptoms. My legs keep seizing and convulsing even as I write this.
I POSTED A WARNING TO THE I-DOSER FORUM, WITH ALL OF MY EXPERIENCE. IT WAS DELETED. I POSTED ANOTHER WARNING AND SOON AFTER IT TOO WAS DELETED AND I WAS BANNED.
This is no joke. Be careful or stay away from this stuff altogether.
I still don’t quite understand what happened and is still happening with my brain and body.
jimmy
July 2nd, 2007 at 10:10 pm
Agnes, did you bother to go to the hospital or a doctor? Wouldn’t that be the rational thing to do?
Erin
July 12th, 2007 at 9:07 am
I was sceptical until I tired it, I-Doser worked, you have to use headphones though. It’s not supposed to have any negative side effects, it can cause depression with certain doses. I did have minor seizures from it, but nothing serious.
:etocon
July 13th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
Agnes sounds like he overdosed on the software.
Jeremy
July 14th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
I think it’s funny how the stupidest things become battles if you don’t like it, stay away from it, if you do, more power to you but saying that it sent you into convulsions and seizures to keep people away from it is rather close-minded and similar to something a 9 year old would do.
burton
August 18th, 2007 at 10:59 am
has anyone read snowcrash? if so do you remember the scroll that displayed the static in the metaverse…….just a thought.
Mike
September 4th, 2007 at 1:27 am
I have tried out the Marijuana I-doser one while stone cold sober. That one puts me to sleep, and I wake up after a couple hours later with headaches and feeling like shit. Not for me.
lauren
October 1st, 2007 at 4:41 pm
ok i just tried the TRIP one on Idoser…it worked for the first time. i dont think its a drug..i think its just like some sounds making you feel good. its prob all the same for everyone sound they play.
oh, and every track you buy is 1-5$
manny
October 6th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
does anyone else think its a placebo effect? like, you think about it and believe in it so much that it just happens?
orangejuice
October 7th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
I-Doser is great. I listen to various doses on an almost daily basis for fun, relaxation, concentration, and mind-expansion. The first time I used it I didn’t really believe it could work, so I tried 3 all one after the other, not quite listening to all of them, and I got these crazy convulsion-type tremors all over and had paranoia and fear of insanity or death and stayed awake until about 4 in the morning. After that, I figured something was definitely happening. When I smoke weed, I usually get a couple of shakes or tremors, and whenever I listen to the marijuana dose I get these crazy tremors and I feel pretty good, but the tremors become too much so I don’t finish it. But other doses I’m crazy about; I love the psychedelic ones like LSD and Trip and Peyote and my first love with I-Doser was the opiates; Morphine, Opium, and Heroin. Recently I’ve gotten into the Vicoden dose for relaxation, it does produce a pleasant body feeling. Absinthe brought a strange sense of warped reality to my perception, as though I was looking at everything through constantly moving water. Cocaine in the morning gets me going for school, as does the French Roast dose (it simulates a cup of coffee, or at least the caffeine in it). The psychedelics are wonderful and definitely do have psychedelic effects, not quite as powerful as the drugs they simulate, more a unique feeling, but pleasant none the less. I will admit that the doses seem to lose power with frequent use for me, but when that happens I just switch up my regimen for a few days and come back to the old favorites.
If you didn’t at least look up the science behind binaural beats, you should do that before bashing this stuff. And even if this is just some placebo scam to make money, you can just download the torrent for free anyway and say fuck the moneymakers. Try it out and see how it works for you.
orangejuice
October 7th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
Oh yeah, and it’s not music you listen to, it’s two frequencies, one in each ear. I won’t get too into the science of it, but basically the two frequencies are different, and when they are interpreted by the brain they mix to become one different frequency that sounds pretty much within the brain itself.
MindBender
October 10th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
I’ve only listened to the “French Roast” track which is like coffee. It worked. It woke me up.
But what is the implication of this technology? A few people mention health problems. I have no doubt that if you proceed with caution you’ll be fine most of the time, but the government will blow it out of proportion like it did with drugs. Imagine a government with the power to ban sound waves? It could use this to censor free speech. If there’s a song it doesn’t like it will just schedule a certain beat within the song by coming up with false evidence that it gets you high.
And then how much can sound alter our brain waves? Could you have binaural weapons that shut down vital parts of our brains? What if the terrorists, foreign governments, or even our own government played a fatal soundtrack in the middle of a populated area. It’s a scary thought.
MindBender
October 10th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
And I just thought of something. What if a binaural wave could be created that enables brainwashing? The government could use this to keep people in line like Project X in Atlas Shrugged.
st4rbux
October 11th, 2007 at 8:04 am
re: binaural weapons; the whole binaural effect is dependent on separate frequencies in each ear, requiring users to wear headphones… I don’t see how broadcasting it to a crowd would have any effect. but brainwashing people one at a time (iPod nation)– sure, I could see that.
the military has worked on other audio ‘weapons’ — one I read about used highly-focused low frequency waves that would induce nausea and dizziness. nothing I’d want to try recreatoinally, though.
georgia
October 18th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
Re:The government could use this to keep people in line like Project X in Atlas Shrugged.
didn’t project X use sound waves that broke molecules apart essentially ripping apart anything with in range?
CrazyBlackWolf
October 19th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
I just used I-doser’s Hand of God,and it’s now 20 mins. after it finished and I’m still feeling the effects. Believe me or not….it works!!
chris
October 21st, 2007 at 2:44 pm
i just downloaded a bunch of the shit off limewire. i have forty dollar headphones and im gonna try it. i dont know if it will work cause limewire usually doesnt transfer that great of quality. i have a feeling it is all placebo effect, but, as long as you think you are high who cares?
Kassie
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:25 am
it’s pretty cool that you can do that idoser thing. it gets me excited…in my pants.!
MindBender
October 26th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
re: st4rbux I was not even wearing headphones when I listened to French Roast on youtube and it worked. I’ve also tried QuickHappy and that works too. Headphones might prevent interference by other soundwaves, but that doesn’t mean binaural beats will have 0 effect without them. If they broadcast a fatal or mind-controlling sound wave and it was intense enough that interfering sound waves can’t weaken the effect it might work. However, the effect could probably be prevented if you were wearing headphones and listening to something else.
re: georgia my point was that the government could use all sorts of sound waves to keep the population in line. Some would be fatal to intimidate the population. Others would be mind-controlling so people will just be more agreeable in the first place.
st4rbux
October 27th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
Mindbender, you need to read up on binaural concepts/science (google it) — it is supposed to key your brain into a certain frequency by playing different frequencies in each ear and your brain compensates for the difference. That’s what i-doser claims to do.
If you aren’t wearing headphones, it was probably just placebo effect. Of course, if you can get yourself jacked up just pretending to use binaural beats, more power to you. I should be so lucky.
anon
December 10th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
This is to
Agnes
July 2nd, 2007 at 2:11 pm
“I still don’t quite understand what happened and is still happening with my brain and body.”
I’m experiencing this at the moment also for i have done i-doser for a week or so … i felt effects when listening to the i-doser , but i stopped doing it thinking it was retarded ..
after i stopped the next time i went to sleep i got the effects of i-doser when i wasnt listening to it..
i heard of a I-Doser Reset , that resets your brain back to a normal level , i have been searching for it for a while now .. hope this helps .. hope you find it
Siren Siren
February 3rd, 2008 at 12:33 am
So I tried “hand of god” last night, and had a friend spot me, as I had heard that it will really mess you up. Before that I had done ecstacy (sp?) coke, weed, and a couple of other ones. Hand of god is by FAR the best one. About half way into it, I started getting really scared, and kind of having twitches. Then the beats sped up, and I got even more scared then I already was. By this point, I was 13 min into a 30 min track. My heart rate went out the roof, and I lost almost all of the feeling in my arms. I really don’t remember the rest, except being really disconnected and REALLY scared. I would not recommend it for a first, but it is good if you have done a couple. I just thought I would throw this into the blog.
skaterguy3126
March 9th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
ok if done these audiotracks and I’m not saying they work but I did reserch on hand of god wick is one of them and alot of peoples side effects were fear but they would get flash backs of their life. So I decided to try it when I went to bed……. I feel asleep to it and when I woke up I was experiencing a fear that I have never had before I have no recolection of having any flashbacks but I had the side effect of fear……. Once again I’m not saying it works but I did experience something wile listening to it
Cat
March 12th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
I have tried the I-doser on three different doses thus far: cocaine, morphine, and opium. Believe me, they had a big effect. My entire body went numb, i felt at ease (which is very rare for me) and i felt as if i were floating. My mind was also racing but it felt slow at the same time.
As for everyone freaking out about the government getting their hands on it, chill out. They arent out to get us. And if you quit listening to those crappy hit singles on TRL they wont have a chance to!
Barrt
March 16th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
IDoser interests me to no end. I had to do extensive research on binaural beats for a psych class, and they are real.
It is amazing what the mind can do. Just think of more realistic dreams you’ve had - dreams where you experience things you’ve never done before, yet it was real, and instant, and amazing.
There is potential in the brain that can be unlocked. Unfortunately, the average person can’t do this.
I’m not saying IDoser is it, but binaural beats can be very influential.
In my experience, you have to litteraly alter your brains conscitiousness to get this to work, or any type of meditation or beats to work.
I call this thinking with the back of the brain. Pick up a speech and read it in your mind - pay attention to how it feels. It’s sort of in the ‘front’ of your brain, or as close to talking as you can get without your mouth. Now, pay attention to when you are thinking and dosing off, or day dreaming. It’s not the same type of thinking. It is like you are thinking deep in your mind, like you have sunk into your brain - I call this thinking with the back of your brain.
When a person learns to harness the ‘back’ brain thinking, amazing things happen. Have you ever watched tv and had a part that seemed to come by slow, where you took in every detail and contemplated it, even though the scene was a mere 2 seconds? This is thinking with the back of the brain.
You can learn to think clearly while ‘asleep’ to the outside world with practice. Also, you can easily become entranced in binaural beats this way.
To good techniques - one is to practice each night when you are dosing off to stay aware. Another is to hold your breath, and slooooowwwwly let it out when you can’t hold it any more. Continue doing this until your breathing small, shallow breaths. Your body will become ‘numb’, and you will feel relaxed. You are now thinking with the back of your brain. Continue sinking into it.
It takes practice, but it is not something to be dismissed.
Tim
April 24th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Wow I randomly came across this page and I read all of the comments on it. I’m interested in iDoser’s concepts and I have been using iDoser for about two weeks. I have about a 70-75% success rate with the doses, meaning about 3 out of 4 will “induce state”. My favorites so far are Ecstacy, Opium, and CalmME. Ecstacy - comes pretty close to the real thing, waves of pleasure wash over your body as your brain is tickled by the sounds to release dopamine and endorphins into your body. Opium - i remember laughing almost uncontrollably for about 5 minutes, then a warm sedation came over me for the remainder of the dose. CalmME- is perfect. I have anxiety and it puts all the out-of-balance chemicals in my brain into a state of Xanax. I doser, in brief, works if you want it to. You have a lot of control over how deep your mind will go into these beats, and the more you let go, the more your brain does too.
Happy dosing.
Scott
May 9th, 2008 at 4:35 am
Hey Dave,
I read your article on IDoser, and on your site your title is “Infinite Ideas to bloom”. Nice title for someone so close minded.
You say “this product is bullshit”. I have not used IDoser, but am familiar with binaural beats, brain entrainment, and physiology of the brain. Yes music, rhythm, and tones can produce altered states, this has been proven for over 50 years.
Have you not heard of the Monroe institute, hemi-sync? Need I continue. I am sad to think what other amazing experiences your cynical mind may have dismissed as bullshit. I sincerely suggest you re-evaluate the potential for “music” to create altered states before you tarnish your name with ignorant ramblings.
http://www.monroeinstitute.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_beats
Binaural beat stimulation has been used fairly extensively to induce a variety of states of consciousness, there has been some work done in regards to the effects of these stimuli on relaxation, focus, attention, and states of consciousness.[17] Studies have shown that with repeated training to close frequency sounds that a plastic reorganization of the brain occurs for the trained frequencies[18] and is capable of asymmetric hemispheric balancing.[19]
Sincerely,
Scott
Jak
May 30th, 2008 at 2:37 am
i have tried some of these and some of them dont work and some of them do but all i have to say is that when they work it is such a great experince but it seems that if you do one to often then it wont work on you for a while
WTF: Binaural Brainwaves Bring About Altered States — Grandinite
August 8th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
[...] at iDoser’s MySpace page, the kids really seem to enjoy it. However, comments posted on this thread describe negative experiences with the product. Further reviews at downloadsquad.com describe [...]
cha0szer0
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:08 am
well, i tried the peyote yesterday before i went to sleep… and at first i got really scared, then it felt like my head was stuck, it kept moving to the left and i couldnt control it anymore… the beat went slower and i closed my eyes. I started seeing flashing violet and red lights. they turned into really scary faces, so i opened my eyes again. i had to cancel it because i went like paranoid…
and when i tried heroine nothing happened in the beginning but later my body was like shaking, it seemed like my muscles kept movin all by theirselves…
but other doses like Trip or something likek that doesnt seem to work with me, but im not quite sure if i should keep on doind this, i mean it cant harm you can it?
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