Pretty Lights & BitTorrent Release Free Media Bundle
(UPDATED) Rising electronic dance music star, Pretty Lights, has partnered with BitTorrent to release a specially designed media bundle to distribute to the platform’s worldwide user-base of millions. Pretty Lights, real name Derek Vincent Smith, has already released a total of three albums and three EPs – all of which have been made free of charge to fans, and this latest media bundle with BitTorrent is no exception.
“I’ve experienced the benefits firsthand of letting anyone and everyone download my music at no charge, which is, primarily, a momentous growth in the attendance of my live shows,” Smith said.
Pretty Lights’ unorthodox distribution methods have played a large role in earning him performances in front of massive crowds at Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Glastonbury, Wireless Music Festival, Ultra Music Festival and many more.
“I believe that the recipe for my success has been three-fold: one, producing fresh and original soulful music; two, continuing to always invest back in the production of my live show/experience; and three, pushing the envelope in the way that I distribute my music online to new listeners. The third is why I’m so excited to be partnering with BitTorrent.”
This strategic partnership, coordinated by Pretty Lights' digital marketing manager, Michael Fiebach, for Fame House LLC, reflects efforts to lead fans where it matters most for the electronic superstar: the stage. As touring and merchandise sales continue to be the primary revenue generators for Smith and his team, BitTorrent is an optimal distribution partner due to the fact that they already have users in every part of the globe and can reach new audiences in areas that Pretty Lights may not be touring anytime soon.
"These live experiences are at the core of Pretty Light's success," said Shahi Ghanem, chief strategist at BitTorrent. "As the Pretty Lights phenomenon continues to win over the world, we are very happy to offer a platform to directly distribute his music."
This unique partnership between an artist and a media sharing platform is a prime example of not only the freedoms that go along with being an independent artist, but also of how one artist is embracing the chaos.
By choosing to partner with a company who, some would say, has been a determent to the music industry, Pretty Lights and his team have been able to build and perform in front of massive worldwide audiences by choosing to focus on what matters most – creating high quality music and delivering superb live performances. You can download the media bundle here.
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Full-Disclosure: The author of this post is employed by Fame House LLC, and while he's not directly involved in any dealings of this partnership, he felt that it was a notable and valuable thing to bring to the attention of Hypebot readers.
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This post is by regular Hypebot contributor, musician, and music business professional Hisham Dahud (@HishamDahud)
I love Pretty Lights, and though most artists should be wary of giving up too much leverage to a service like BitTorrent, this seems like a really good fit.
The stars really aligned for this guy, and best to him. He shows a perfect example of success in the new industry. But the “recipe” does not mention his early beginnings with a successful event promoter in CO, which rapidly launched his successful touring career. Most of us are not playing Coachella taking home 5 figures per show. My album was downloaded over 60k times on Demonoid in the last year, and i struggle to keep my rent paid. So, as exciting as PL’s success is, it should not be mistaken as a universally applicable formula for DIY success.
That goes without saying. If there were ever a universal formula for success, it would no longer be universal, because everyone would be doing it, the landscape would be overcrowded, and consumers would no longer respond to it. Of course there are different factors affecting everyone. That disclaimer could be appended to every success story. I think it’s implicit at this point.
The only thing universal about success is the traits that embody the people who achieve it: persistence, follow through, thoughtfulness, etc.
To give an update on this story:
This special media-bundle between Pretty Lights & BitTorrent has reached #1 on Pirate Bay’s Top 100 list – meaning that it’s presently one of the most downloaded pieces of media on the entire Internet right now!
Some very useful comments Glenn, about as useful as the article itself.
Bottom line: giving away all of our music is not a solution to any problem.
If you are PL, making sample based copyright-infringing music, making a nice living as a DJ, then it would appear to be the right solution.