The Wildhearts

I don't know if anyone read or heard about this yesterday, but a band called The Crimea (featuring ex members of The Crocketts) will be releasing their next album on the net completely free of charge.
Even though they will be making big financial losses, they hope the interest and the increased fanbase coupled with future merchandising sales will more than make up for it.

I'm wondering if there is any way The New Flesh could theoretically be made available as a free CHART REGISTERING download at the same time as the commercial CD version complete with B sides is available in the shops?

Surely it would chart much higher. We'd all go out and buy the cd's for the b sides, whilst at the same time, any casual fans could check out the free download, and we could all download it too for a serious bit of chart rigging!

Any thoughts?

Nice idea....I'd go for. Would be interesting to hear the Ginger one's views.

By the way, I used to live in Belper near Derby. I've noticed quite a few boardees from the Derbyshire area

I think I read somewhere theres certain price ranges something has to fit between to be counted as a single and an album charts wise, dunno if that still counts with downloads and all now though...

Free downloads don't count towards the chart. They have to be paid for.

There's all sorts of rules about what and what can't be used as a sweetener, including what you're allowed to give away to make the product more attractive. Giving the whole song away as a free download is a definite no-no.

Giving away free MP3's certainly generates intersest in a band. Carbon Silicon (Mick Jones and Tony James) new band have given away 3 albums worth of MP3's over the last year or so on their site (www.carbonsiliconinc.com). They are well worth checking out......................

They built up a fanbase and are about to release their 1st proper commercial CD release.

Methinks The Crimea are panicking somewhat. They're on a major who want chart results. Last time round they had a top 40 hit so they were under pressure to follow it up with the next single ("White Russian Galaxy") - and it didn't chart.

It's sad that these things happen - such are the pressures of being on a major. Nice of them to do this though. They did a 25 date tour last year with Clearlake (the band whose website I run) and seem like good people...

Keith Richard wrote:
By the way, I used to live in Belper near Derby. I've noticed quite a few boardees from the Derbyshire area

Not too far from me then from Ashbourne area!

Damian wrote:Methinks The Crimea are panicking somewhat. They're on a major who want chart results.

Not any more they're not. They didn't get the required chart results so they were dropped. Their manager was on 5 Live the other night having a good (justified) moan about it all.

New flesh is such a good tune they should give it away as a free download anyway, it'd let everyone know that they're back and sell sh1tloads of albums

Bloggers love bands that give away free albums. I doubt The Wildhearts would be up for it though, Ginger seems apprehensive even to put up streams on myspace.

Giving away albums for free is all well and good but bands still need to claw back the cost of studio time from somewhere.