Coldplay apes Radiohead, NIN – gives away free MP3
After NIN’s release of a free track, Discipline, last week, Coldplay’s decided to get in the news by giving away a track too. The song, Violet Hill, is their new single from their upcoming June album.
It will be available from 7.15 a.m. EDT Tuesday or 12.15 p.m. UK time at http://www.coldplay.com/song, a full week before it goes on sale at digital retailers. The download will only be available for one week at Coldplay’s official site.
Their new album Viva La Vida is due for release in the UK June 12, a simultaneous release with the rest of the world.
Metallica, former Napster-enemy, is also pondering joining the digital download phenomenon. As iTunes and Amazon find a ready market for digital music, bands are beginning to realize that MP3s are not the enemy but the evolution of music distribution of the age.
Record companies, however, are still being tight-fisted about what they’ll allow on the Internet to the extent of charging ridiculous amounts to online music radio services or making complicated prohibitions in different territories.
Radiohead’s initial foray into ‘giving away’ music generated plenty of buzz though some speculated about the profits garnered from the effort. It was certainly a brave one, though there were assuredly freeloaders who took the chance of downloading the album for free without paying a cent.
What most music buyers are looking for is freedom from DRM – tracks that can be played on whatever player or medium they want, kept on discs for backup and not have to worry about losing their rights to a song. Zune’s incredibly prohibitive digital music protection hindered its success and bought it nowhere near to challenging Apple’s iPod domination.
Expect more bands giving away a ‘taste’ of their music to keep fans interested.
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