A record label featuring the likes of Henry Rollins, Elliott Smith, and Rufus Wainwright in its catalog posted a song for download in the controversial MP3 format -- a move likely to draw the recording industry's ire.
DreamWorks Records said Friday it posted a song from the band Buckcherry for free download on its Web site and on the Ultimate Band List.
"MP3 is pretty punk rock," said Justin Landskron, webmaster and site curator for DreamWorks Records. "It's like giving the bird to a lot of the paranoia out there."
Landskron said he hopes to generate a lot of grassroots support on the Net for the relatively unknown band.
The move is part of the larger battle over selling music online. Record companies know they will eventually have to sell downloadable music files over the Internet, but have resisted doing so.
MP3, or Motion Picture Experts Group, audio layer 3, is an audio format widely used by music fans online. Some smaller or independent record labels have used the format, and users love its convenience and near-CD quality. But the Recording Industry Association of America won't do MP3, claiming the format facilitates massive piracy online. So it's developing its own technology platform through the Secure Digital Music Initiative. The RIAA hopes to have a solution by fall.
But today, DreamWorks Records is testing out MP3 as a promotional tool.
"There's so much resistance in the industry to this format. Until someone gives me an alternative, I'm going to go with what the public wants," said Landskron.
Landskron said he had to lobby for a while before DreamWorks agreed to use MP3, but now "everyone here is on board." And although Buckcherry isn't widely known, the band is a marketing priority for the label. Radio ads for Buckcherry's album will start in three weeks.
Landskron said he's not trying to anger the industry, but he figures he'll hear a response soon. "I'm expecting to get slammed by [some] other labels."
