Jack White Pioneers New Music Distribution Channel: Balloon Launched Flexi Discs [VIDEO]
Three weeks before the "Blunderbuss" album release date, Jack White and his Third Man Records have released the track "Freedom at 21" exclusively as a flexi disc attached to helium balloons. They set 1000 records free from the label's headquarters in Nashville on April Fool's Day. Part fun and part real experiment, White has always explored non-traditional forms of record distribution to get records in the hands of people who don't visit record shops.
Third Man used biodegradable latex balloons and all-natural twine to minimize environmental impact . Accompanying each balloons was a custom post card with instructions for the finders to submit photos, discovery location and the date on which the record was found. Track the progress here.
According to the label, statistics for similar balloon launches show a recovery rate of approximately 10%. So it's possible that less than one hundred of the one thousand records launched will be discovered.
LOL Has it really gotten down to releasing records via ballons. I would think that even the Majors could get at least 10% of their labels releases into stores. Hey Jack might want to ck ou out what the independent distributors are doing #justsayin
Heh, this is where a statistics course would be useful. 🙂 The intersection of “% of people who retrieve a balloon” and “% of people willing or able to deal with playing a flexi disc” is going to be vanishingly small.
(Cool publicity move though, and I love much of what Jack White touches.)
Now, balloon-distributed USB sticks might be getting somewhere… 🙂
Definitely more of a ‘cool; idea than an effective idea. I bet if you released those balloons in NYC, you’d get a much larger response rate.
Umm…I guess I’m the only environmental wanker who sees these big ol’ balloons as floating garbage, to be deposited in various streams and woodlands.
Otherwise, it’s a very creative and cool idea.
I think that Jack White is the kind of guy that every artist wants to be. Of course he drives a Squarebird, which makes him okay in my book.
Such a creative idea!! I also just saw his new video for “Sixteen Saltines,” and now I really can’t wait for Blunderbuss to come out on the 24th. At least I know I’ll be able to get that album lol Check it out if you haven’t already: http://www.jackwhiteiii.com
mr. white. the man is a genius… a musical mad scientist… a mastermind. everything he touches becomes wanted. his music is always incredible, his ideas are always epic, and his passion for being an outcast.. always standing out in a world that constantly tries to fit in. i admire him so much.