Now here is something amazing – Coldplay, one of the best selling, record breaking rock artists of the current decade, a huge money-maker for their record label, EMI, has released a completely free live album, without any DRM in it this past week.
I’m pretty sure some pigs just touched down in a nearby airfield, but then again, the media has been telling us about swine flu for sometime, hasn’t it?
All puns aside, this is truly an amazing and progressive move from a label that has traditionally been rather litigious. Is this a sign that record labels are truly ready to stop treating file-sharers as ne’er-do-well pirates and start treating them like fans and customers?
Truth be told, I’m not a huge fan of Coldplay. I tend to like music that’s much edgier and a lot less progressive/less suited to clear channel radio. That said, I did download this album and am giving it a good listen. Perhaps Coldplay will even gain another fan from this?
The “cd” is a live album and comes as a zip download with 9 tracks and album art. All you have to provide in exchange is an e-mail address, which they promise not to spam or sell.
The album is 192 kpbs mp3’s and sound really crisp and clear, actually. Ideally, I would have liked to have seen some more download options, specifically some kind of lossless audio, but let’s not forget – a major label just released an entirely free album.
This just goes to show that the record industry is finally beginning to embrace the future instead of fighting it. The likes of Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead clearly blazed a new trail and now traditional media is beginning to follow. The future is looking a little brighter.
Download Coldplay – LeftRightLeftRightLeft
Tags: Coldplay, Free Music, LeftRightLeftRightLeft
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