David Byrne and Brian Eno did it right when releasing their new Everything that Happens Will Happen Today, I think. Even though 20+ years have elapsed since their last collaboration, this one was announced and then made available to fans just three weeks later -- no time for record industry leaks to pop up on the internet but enough time to score feature coverage like the piece in the Sunday New York Times. A free song was provided at the end of July in return for your email address. Today, the record's release date, an email went out reminding you to check out the site where you could find the record in three formats. There's an $8.99 all digital version, 320kbps MP3s with no DRM and a 17-page PDF lyric book. (I bought this one.) For $3.00 more you can get the digital version plus a CD version that will be mailed to you at the end of November. And if you want to drop a cool $70 you can get the digital version plus a deluxe version with four more songs and a short film about the album by Hillman Curtis. Of course, copies are probably flying across the torrent sites by now, but the range of options appealing to fans and collectors, no DRM, good file quality, and the personal touch given to the whole endeavor (you download from Byrne and Eno's site, and the email from Byrne ended with a friendly, "I hope you like the songs") made this release seem like something you want to be apart of it if you've ever liked either of these artists.
# posted by Scott Macaulay @ 8/18/2008 09:46:00 AM
