Another band is offering free music as part of the marketing strategy for their new album. Angels and Airwaves announced that they will put up free downloads of “Love” their newest album, online at Fuel.Tv. You can even download “Hallucinations”, the first single, right now. But, why the free music?
It is well understood by both indie and major label bands that music, no matter how bad you try to stop it, will be downloaded and shared online. The trick, however, is how to use this truth as an advantage. Angels and Airwaves use very direct social media web sites, such as Fuel.Tv and Modlife.com to reach out to devoted fans… these are the same devoted fans that will buy CDs, exclusive memberships, and t-shirts to show their support… the same fans that regardless of free music, will buy the album from stores to hold the artwork in their hands.
With this assumption set in place, you now take the opportunity to share your music with the devoted fans and create buzz and hype for the music. If you can exponentially grow your fan base you may be able to win some extra ticket purchasers along the way and progress your band’s music further. Another key point to observe is the access to free music and the road to obtaining it.
Angels and Airwaves is giving away free downloads of their album for only 2 days. This guarantees two connections with potential consumers. First of all, a fan will need to be engaged with Angels and Airwaves to know that free music is coming, and secondly, they will have to visit the web site during a certain window of opportunity to grab the downloads. With increased web traffic and consumer engagement, Angels and Airwaves can poke and prod with other promotions, intriguing merchandise, and inviting tour dates.
Now, of course, a pessimistic outlook on this type of advertising can fuel some fans to take just a few more comforting steps towards peer-2-peer music sharing and Angels and Airwaves could take a small hit. More importantly, band leader, Tom DeLong is reaching out creatively with the Valentine’s Day launch of “Love”. Just as he says in the promo video “What I want to do with our band… I want to change how music is made, I want to change how music is marketed, I want to change how music is delivered, and I’m going to do it.”
Download Angels and Airwaves Album, “Love”, Free
Visit Angels and Airwaves at Modlife |
