BB Video Groove Armada Contest: Download Some MP3s, Win a 16GB iPod Touch
Boing Boing Video is teaming up with acclaimed big beat techno music stars Groove Armada for a contest around the duo's new release -- which they're offering online, using an interesting experiment in digital promotion and distribution. The tracks are DRM-free. The new EP will be delivered through a sharing system called Bacardi B-LIVE Share, and Bacardi is basically serving as the band's record label.
Groove Armada's Andy Cato explains the thinking:
Sharing music has always gone on -- it's giving music away that's the problem. We wanted to come up with a 21st century version of what we used to do with cassette tapes. When you give music away for free it's disposable. When you share it, it's done with love. The online sharing application will be available until March 2nd, when the EP becomes available via commercial digital release.
HOW THE FREE DOWNLOADS WORK
When you register at the B-Live site, you receive one track off the new EP for free. To get more, you share a unique link for that first track (which you receive via email) to a number of friends. You can do this via Facebook if you like. While you do have to provide an email address, and you must be of legal drinking age (Bacardi's the sponsor, after all) you can opt in or out of receiving promotional emails from the band. You don't have to provide other personal information. The more times the track you share is downloaded by your friends, and their friends, the more additional tracks you're given access to. And if you sign up via BB, you're automatically entered in... (drum-machine roll, please)...
THE BOING BOING VIDEO CONTEST (prize: a 16GB iPod Touch)
The contest begins today, and ends on February 25. It's simple: register for the Groove Armada free music downloads via this unique link (which traces the fact that you came through us), and winner will be chosen randomly from users who click through from here. That's pretty much it. The prize: a 16GB Apple iPod Touch. Use it to store all of these GA tracks you download, with an awful lot of gigs left over to store whatever else you want to carry around -- games, photos, more tunes, perchance some Boing Boing Video episodes, hmmmm?
ABOUT THE MUSIC:
Some of Groove Armada's better-known tracks from past releases include "Superstylin," "My Friend," and "Tuning In."
Here's a blurb from the band's website about the new material:
The four track EP sees the band moving into exciting new musical pastures, with some of the material being recorded live with their band for the first time. This is demonstrated on tracks 'Drop the Tough' and 'Go', both songs featuring new vocalist Saint Saviour from electro-pop outfit The RGBs. 'Pull Up (Crank It Up), with much-loved UK-based MC Slarta John, takes the EP up a gear and looks set to become their 'Superstylin' of 2009. 'El Padrino' makes up the 4, an instrumental that showcases the true talent of the live band in Balearic style. Remixes of 'Drop the Tough' come courtesy of Australian Electronic/Rock group Van She and Brazilian dance duo The Twelves.BOING BOING VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH GROOVE ARMADA COMING UP!
Groove Armada's Andy Cato and Tom Findlay are scheduled to join us on an episode of Boing Boing Video sometime soon. I'll update the blog when we've firmed that up with their tour schedule. For now, below, I've embedded one of my favorite earlier tracks by the band -- "Tuning In." Once again, here's the link to register for the GA/Bacardi free download thingie, which also enters you in the aforementioned contest. Enjoy, and happy downloading.
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People who like the "share the music to hear the music" model of this might want to look into noisetrade.com, which is an indie-music service that started a few years back. Derek Webb spread out about 80k copies of his record this way - with no corporate sponsor behind it!
It's interesting to see that the commercial world has caught up with the grassroots again.
do they own their music? or are we going to hear about another case of pulled videos by a studio?
Whoa, interesting prize....
wanna join, guys?
I'm involved.
This mechanism for sharing files is a well trod path for... well... porn. It's usually something like someone's ex-girlfriend... nevermind.
Point is it kinda works for spreading the word.
Who doesn't love free music? I've paid for it - a bunch!
This mechanism for sharing files is a well trod path for... well...
I think you're taking 'iTouch' too literally.
@Blaine, do you mean you've signed up after reading this post, or you were involved in the project itself? Either way, I'm interested.
This is really cool. Also, Groove Armada's "Another Late Night" DJ mix is absolutely fantastic: Roy Ayers, Al Green, Aretha, etc.
Neato. Here's to hoping I can get free music and maybe even replace my laundry mangled shuffle.
but they were never really interesting in the first place...
you must check your email and verify within one hour of signing up or the link will be invalidated...
@10 - Agreed. IMO, there's plenty of other amazing electronic musicians you've probably never heard of.
I'd rather have that than questionably talented media whores.
Xeni:
Sorry if that was mis-leading. I mean I signed up for it...
I know you watch The Mighty Boosh. Ever since Vince offered Howard some candy by saying "Come on! Get involved" it's become my autonomic response for participation.
@1:
Groove Armada.
ww, hw ffrmtv. t mks my hr blch ll by tslf. ywn.
Shame on the people who are being snide in the comments! It doesn't matter if you like of dislike Groove Armada, what's important here is that they're trying a different model that could be better for both the customer and the musicians.
Or, maybe you'd prefer DRMed iTunes? If not, you should STFU.
@Blaine, cool! I signed up also. It's an interesting experiment. All the complaining from some here is silly -- at least give these guys credit for (a) going DRM-free! (b) giving it away! (c) doing something other than the traditional label model. Also, I really do dig their work.
That's way too confusing and complicated, plus I have no intention of spamming my friends.
I'll just get it off BT, thanks all the same.
Put yourself and enough of your friends on a marketing database and over the next three weeks you may get up to four tracks that you're not legally permitted to share! AND you could win a device that's defective by design!
Focus on the phrase "DRM-free", and don't look at that man behind the curtain!
If an artist really wants to share their music, they can release it under a permissive license and upload it to archive.org or Jamendo. This is spam promoting proprietary culture.
@mjd, point by point:
(1) you, or the friends you send the link to, can choose not to receive any emails at all from the system. I signed up myself, and tested this. THey're not lying. So, you can opt out of any emails at all, you're not in a "marketing database" with consent to be marketed to via email.
(2) you're legally permitted to share the tracks.
(3) We're giving away an iPod touch because I happened to have an extra one, unopened, lying around the studio. I'm sorry you don't like iPods. Nobody's forcing you to enter the contest, or participate in the band's promotional experiment.
(4) The tracks are truly DRM-free. There are no hidden trojans, no layer of evil. It's pretty simple. You opt in, or you don't, but the rules for both sides are honestly stated.
@xeni
(1) Are you saying they're definitely not storing your email address, country, date of birth, or any other info collected during the registration process?
(2) Under what terms? I see no reference to a license. Sending someone a link that will allow them (before a cut-off date) to register to receive a zero-cost MP3 from Bacardi's website != sharing. You're saying that once I've registered and received all four tracks there's no barrier to me sharing them via whatever medium I want? And I'll be able to keep sharing them after "March 2nd, when the EP becomes available via commercial digital release"?
(3) Celebrating the "release" of DRM-free music by giving away a device that enforces DRM is a little contradictory, isn't it?
(4) DRM-free is not by itself a revolutionary new form of music distribution. Every record and CD I've ever bought is DRM-free (yes, I've checked the CDs). Unless I'm wrong on point (2), this whole venture seems about as revolutionary, and worthy of promotion on BoingBoing, as releasing some tracks via a magazine cover disk.
I'm getting a 404 on the BB-specific link, FYI. Too bad, wouldn't mind a chance to win an iTouch ...
@ lkkinetic, ah thanks for the heads up! We're pinging the folks at Bacardi who manage the link/sharing stuff, and I'll update the post as soon as there's word. Stay tuned, and I'll do another post next week about this with an updated link. Bummer!