Cool. I'll check it out, what's the downside? I'd hazard a guess that a band makes a better living giving away their albums and making more money on tours because more people attend the show (and purchase t-shirts and other merchandise with higher percentage going to the band and not the record label). Actually, Dick Dale agrees with me.
Online: Music - WSJ.com : A new album is building buzz on music blogs for its upbeat sound, wistful lyrics -- and unusual price.
The Crimea, a U.K. indie-rock band, is offering its second album, “Secrets of the Witching Hour,” as a free download on its Web site. In the week since its release, it has been downloaded about 25,000 times. The band's plan is to use the music as a loss leader: If the giveaway expands the band's audience, it could pay off in stronger sales of concert tickets and merchandise. Starting next month, CDs will be sold from the site.
The approach has occasionally been used by other bands before, but this album has been distinguished by strong online reviews. The group, which has been compared to the Flaming Lips, expands on its Brit-pop sound. The infectious “Bombay Sapphire Coma” features lines such as, “I want to go to the white fluffy clouds and start the happy days.”
Warner Bros. released the band's debut album, which yielded a popular song, “Lottery Winners on Acid,” and sold about 35,000 copies, predominately in the U.K. But when Warner dropped the band in the fall, the Crimea decided to self-finance this follow-up.
Album available at thecrimea.net.
