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.
