Can I get an opinion on this distribution method? (1 Viewer)

[Rob Robinson]

Hi all-
I hope no one views this as an ad or spammy or anything; i'm an active member here, and I've worked on something recently, and I'm curious to see what people think about my methods.
OFAYS, an independant music project from New York, was looking for a way to distribute their debut album nationally. We decided that an online album, created in Flash 5 would be the best solution- the player is widely distributed, the streaming quality is lightweight without sacrificing fidelity, and it's rather secure; the full length songs can not be redistributed, which also allows the group to track their online fan base a bit more accurately.
In addition, we built in a "send album to a friend" option to encourage others to spread the word.
you can view the initial release here:
www.creativebackend.com/ofays
So what do you think?
Do you like my idea of a full length album FREELY available and shareable- just not "keepable"?
Once a CD has been pressed, there will of course be a link to purchase it on the online album.
And we are toying with the idea of having a main site that has several online albums, and unlock a track a day in MP3 for download- so that if someone comes everyday for a month, they could download the the whole catalog, but I would hope that someone who appreciates an independant label enought to visit 30 times ina row would have no problem kicking over soom loot to support the bands they like?
thoughts? oh and do you liek tha band? I think they're rather kick ass

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

I had actually being toying with a similar idea for my project, though not to the extent you have, but I haven't tested just how secure this actually is. I have no argument with the creative forces utilising whatever means they feel appropriate to promote their recordings, and if this helps support more production by the artists, and allows the fans to contribute directly to the band, rather than only highly diluted through conventional record companies, I'm all for it. The big question is whether the fans will respond and support the release, or whether someone will just try to figure out a way to extract the audio and distribute it for nothing.
Edited to say that is a really cool implementation, actually.