Happiness is the Road - Marillion's 15th Album

From the Dutch Progressive Rock site, the following story. Also, see their site for a contest to put a video together using the song I've posted here.

MARILLION: The new Marillion album, Happiness Is The Road, which is due out October 20th, has been deliberately leaked to the Internet... but with a twist! Today, Marillion become the first band anywhere in the world to release their new album (Happiness Is the Road) legally using P2P (Peer to Peer) internet networks for distribution. Widely recognised as the first band to truly embrace the Internet's potential to interact with fans since circa 1996, Marillion have taken the step of partnering with Internet technology company, Music Glue to harness the legal use of P2P sites and release their 15th studio album, Happiness Is The Road. With more than 90% of all acquired music in the UK being downloaded or shared via P2P websites according to the IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry), Music Glue's technology creates a unique interactive band-to-fan interface mechanism that does not normally exist at the point of download. Having downloaded a song, an interactive window appears on the music fan's computer with a video message from Marillion speaking directly to the consumer, telling them about their new album, the band's latest news, the forthcoming Marillion tour and all the products and merchandise available at marillion.com. Music fans can listen to the track, and have the option to join the email mailing list, allowing access to a DRM-free version of the track. They also have an option to pay what they like for the album. Marillion in no way condone the use of P2P sites for the illegal distribution of copyrighted material. By giving their consent to distribute Happiness is The Road using the Music Glue model, Marillion are embracing the potential worldwide super-distribution of P2P networks to connect with downloaders, enabling an interactive dialogue rather than having no contact at all with potential new fans. On adopting this new model for distribution Marillion's keyboard player Mark Kelly said: "While we don't condone illegal file sharing, it's a fact of life that a lot of music fans do it. We want to know who our file sharing fans are. If they like our new album enough, then we want to persuade them to pay something for it or at least come and see us on tour. Music Glue is the means to achieve this goal, and to give us back something positive from the dire situation most artists find themselves in today". Music Glue founder Mark Meharry said: "Until now, fans that acquire music via P2P networks have been treated as thieves by the global recording industry. From a legal perspective it is difficult to argue in favour of the fans on this issue, however, from a commercial point of view, P2P provides access to more fans, on a global scale, than ever thought possible via traditional distribution methods. If you talk to the young, modern music fan (which we do on a regular basis) they see the situation very differently and believe that they are loyal and financially supportive of the artists they love, by purchasing gig tickets & merchandise, plus they happily consume sponsored branding as part of the overall experience. Music Glue allows creators of music to interact with these fans via P2P in a positive way that actually generates revenue. Our model requires a paradigm shift, away from the traditional legal perspective and forward to commercial common sense."