Free Coldplay for web users
2008-04-28 16:09
London - Coldplay will give away the first single from their new album for free over the
internet, the British band said on its website.
A note posted on www.coldplay.com says that fans can
download Violet Hill, from the album Viva La Vida or Death
And All His Friends, free for one week from 11:15 on
Tuesday. The album will be launched in Britain on June 12.
Coldplay also announced two free shows - one at London's
Brixton Academy on June 16 and another at Madison Square Garden
in New York on June 23.
The giveaway is the latest attempt by musicians to win fans
and media exposure through new marketing initiatives.
Last year Prince gave away his album Planet Earth for free
with copies of a weekly newspaper, angering retailers and the
record label which had a deal to distribute it.
A seven-inch vinyl version of Violet Hill will also be
given away on the cover if the music weekly NME on May 7.
Radiohead topped the album charts in Britain and the United
States after initially offering listeners the chance to pay what
they wanted to download the album In Rainbows.
As bands seek new ways to sell their music and connect with
fans, particularly over the Internet, record labels are
struggling to keep pace and have lost a number of top acts from
their rosters as a result of the industry shakeup.