Do Coldplay have the balls to release their new album Viva La Vida pro bono, like their fellow Brits Radiohead? No. But Chris Martin and Co. are doing their best to keep fans happy while bringing the bread home by treating the world's internet users with a free MP3 of the album's first single "Violet Hill." It ain't no free record, but at least Coldplay are attempting to keep up with the evolution of the record industry since the release of their last album, 2005's X&Y.
Beginning this Tuesday, April 29th, the same day "Violet Hill" hits radio, the single will be available as a free download off the Coldplay Web site The song will be obtainable for a full week before it gets to every record shop's arch-nemesis, iTunes. The rest of Viva La Vida, which sports some Les Misérables-esque artwork, will be released in North America on June 17th.
Coldplay will then viva la vida loca with two free shows celebrating their comeback to music's front lines. On June 16th the band will preview their new material with a show at Brixton Academy in London, with another free show following at New York City's Madison Square Garden on June 23rd.
Is it good marketing for bands to give away the first single off their new album? My Morning Jacket did it last week with the title-track off their June 10th release Evil Urges, sending a link to fans via newsletter. Do you think giving away the first single will be the norm for all bands?
My Trusted MOGs
I think it's a good move - the first single always seems to be the one that's the most pirated, or at least the most publicly pirated. This circumvents it without screwing things up for fans like Sony's copy protection software fiasco.
Whether it becomes the norm or not... again this will help. I don't know if Coldplay are generally seen as radicals (their 'Make Trade Fair' activism notwithstanding), and I think it needs a 'normal' band (if you get my meaning) to take up an alternate distribution method for it to catch on.
My Trusted MOGs
If it came with a 50 oz. bar of platinum, I'd give some thought to downloading a Coldplay song....
But I used to work in the record business, and I'm glad I got out when I did. Seems like at least twice a week there'd be a conversation of one sort or another about how the industry was going to survive, and in eight years, not one of us had a real clue. Giving away singles online was one of the adaptations that came up; someone with better business sense than I explained why it was doomed, and it made sense when he said it, but I can't remember it now...
"How they're going to make money by dumping water, that I don't know." --Jake Gittes, Chinatown
My Trusted MOGs
To quote the commercials in "Robocop," "I'll buy that for a dollar!"
My Trusted MOGs
My question is why are they waiting over two months to release the full album? Building hype? Then the band and the labels will be whining about how the album got leaked on line. If it's done get it out there now. The old model is dead, either in two months or next week this album will be number one. You want to make the fans happy, don't make them wait, or they will go get it themselves.