How to Fight Piracy? Include Free Concert Ticket with Album

Skint Records’ Little Man Tate includes free concert ticket with their latest album, "I Am Alive," in an effort to disuade fans from downloading the album illegally using P2P.

Many artists are starting to get creative in how they offer their albums to music fans. NIN had a two pronged approach of offering the album for free along with pricier deluxe versions. Radiohead, as everybody is well aware, did the same. Now Skunk Records’ Little Man Tate is trying a new approach and it involves a free ticket to an upcoming live show.

In a bid to deter illegal file-sharing, copies of their new release "I Am Alive" will include a free ticket to the band’s March 28th show at Rotherham’s 4000 capacity Magna venue.

“Skint will always support the band in their pro-active approach in trying to tackle illegal downloading and file sharing issues," says Skint Records’ Managing Director JC Reid. "Little Man Tate work hard to ensure that it’s the band’s fantastic, loyal fans that get to own the new tracks first.”

As an added precaution to ensure fans buy the entire album, it will also not promote the album’s single on the radio or with the press until its official release date. Why? Because the single inevitably leaks and appears online, and fans then merely buy the remaining tracks they haven’t yet heard.

“When we sent out promos of the album back in October,” Reid says. "It was made available on file-sharing websites almost immediately. So when we released it for sale, people only bought the tracks that were not on the promo."

Kudos to Skint Records and Little Man Tate for thinking outside the box. I’d definitely buy the album if I was a fan, and of course, didn’t live across the pond.

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