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Spike · September 12, 2008

Marillion embrace file sharing with new album leak

by Dan Leahul Brand Republic 12-Sep-08, 11:00

LONDON - Veteran rockers Marillion are hoping to ape Radiohead's free download success by leaking their new album to a number of music download services in an effort to communicate directly with fans illegally sharing their music.

The band has partnered with internet technology firm Music Glue to harness the 'legal' use of P2P sites for the release of their 15th studio album 'Happiness is the Road'.

When a user downloads a song off the new album an interactive window will appear on the 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.

Fans can listen to the track and have the option to join the email mailing list, allowing access to a rights-free version of the track. The move is deemed legal as Marillion is the sole copyright holder for their music.

The Music Glue band-to-fan interface mechanism is unique to the struggling record industry and a storm of controversy is sure to follow, much in the same vein as Radiohead's pick-your-price digital release of their critically acclaimed album 'In Rainbows' and Coldplay's recent free release of the single 'Violet Hill'.

Marillion, which was originally fronted by singer Fish, is widely recognised as the first band to truly embrace the internet's potential to interact with fans since setting up shop in 1996. With a loyal fan base thousands strong, the band was able to produce their 2001 album 'Anoraknophobia' purely through funding from advance orders from over 12,000 fans.

Marillion keyboardist 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."

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry estimates that 90% of all acquired music in the UK is being downloaded or shared via PSP websites.

Music Glue founder Mark Meharry said that, traditionally, those fans who acquire music via P2P networks have been treated as "thieves" by the global recording industry. However, the P2P networks provide access to more fans on a global scale than ever thought possible through normal distribution methods.

Meharry added: "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."

The album 'Happiness is the Road' will be officially released on October 20 as a special deluxe edition with two CDs and two separate 96-page full-colour hardbound books.

In an email to fans who have already pre-ordered the album, the band offered this explanation for the early leak of the album: "To make sure our special 'gizmo' files are the only ones available on the internet, we need to flood file-sharing networks with the special Music Glue versions before anyone anywhere in the world has a copy."

The band urged those fans who pre-ordered to wait until the high-quality version of the album is delivered in October.

Marillion have sold more than 15m albums in a career spanning three decades and the release of 'Happiness is the Road' also sees the band embarking on a string of live dates across Europe this autumn.

The leaked version of ‘Happiness is the Road' can be found on various P2P sites including Limewire, Pirate Bay and Mininova.

http://www.brandrepublic.com/Digital/News/...igital-Bulletin

Must admit that I tend to find that downloads lead me to purchase the CD, and it's good to see a band enbracing torrents etc and using them to gravitate listeners to the wider band experience, tickets, merch etc.

pipnasty · September 12, 2008

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