Marillion might not be a big name among rock fans any longer, but they’re hoping to increase their fan base by giving away their new album through file-sharing sites. All they ask for in return – in a pop-up box that appears before the download – is for your e-mail address so they could contact new fans with ticket offers and news.
Tag Archive: Album
Rock Band Launches Full Album Downloads
MTV has announced is will make good on its promise to offer full albums for use with its popular Rock Band video game: beginning next week, the game will begin offering albums that can be played along with the game. First up: Screaming for Vengeance, the widely-known 1982 album by Brit metal band Judas Priest, featuring the band’s radio hit "You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’." Coming in May: the 1980 self-titleds debut album from The Cars. June will bring the album Doolittle from alternative darlings The Pixies.
R.E.M. Launches Album via iLike
Super-group R.E.M. has announced it will debut its new album Accelerate via the social networking service iLike beginning March 24, six days before th album is due to hhit retailers. The entire album will be available for streaming and sharing between iLike users in a “worldwide listening party” through March 26; in addition, R.E.M. will record an exclusive video message for fans introducing and discussing the album.
“Collaborating with iLike, and debuting Accelerate across the Web is in keeping with the spirit and immediacy of the album,” said R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe, in a statement. “We wanted to do something superfast and super real. Music, art, and pop culture are about right now, and nothing else matters. Accelerate is our turbo-charged response to the times we live in.”
Bon Jovi Breaks Digital Bundling Ground
Still love the ‘80s, but want it with a contemporary twist? Then you’re in luck. The New Jersey hair-rock band, Bon Jovi is going to give you the chance to book your tickets to see themin their home state online. There’s nothing new there, but in a first, they’re bundling a digital copy of their new album with your purchase. The tickets are for the group’sfive-day stand in Newark. Initially the digital album – concert package will be available to Amex members, then the general public, via Ticketmaster. Purchasers will receive a code, allowing them to download the album, Lost Highway, from Apple’s iTunes after its June 19 release. It’s the first time such a bundle has been offered. Previously, programs have worked with acts like Bob Dylan butsold tickets and albums via separate sites. Prince came closest when his Musicology tour offered a copy of his album with the tickets. However, that was aphysical copy that had to be collected at the venue.
iTunes Adds Complete My Album Feature
Recent figures on U.S. music sales tend to indicate the digital single is exerting a strong influence over the online music industry, as online music stores offer consumer the ability to cherry-pick albums and pay for only their favorite tracks, rather than buying the whole thing. Maybe albums are on the way out, but Apple’s iTunes has rolled out a new “Complete My Album” feature which enables consumers to purchase and entire albums’ worth of tracks without having to pay again for individual tracks they have already have purchased. iTunes will offer a 99 cent credit towards the purchase of an album for every track a customer has previously bought from that album.
U.S. CD Sales Down 20 Percent
New figures from media research group Nielsen SoundScan claim that U.S. sales of music CDs declinedby 20 percent in the first quarter of 2007 compared to the sale period a year ago, underscoring the music industry’s sentiment that digital music downloads are undermining their business. SoundScan also offered figures for digital music sales, noting that while sales of digital albums fell during the same period, the sales of digital music singles actually rose. The numbers may indicate a fundamental shift in the music industry away from album-based sales to a singles-driven, digital market.
Music Sales Strong Despite Digital Piracy
Overall U.S. music sales
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