Pearl Jam fans have another way to purchase its wares, thanks to a "bootleg program" that will see the band selling recordings of its 2008 shows to fans either digitally or on CD – both cases without digital rights management (DRM) that would inhibit further trading amongst fans. The program, which launched last week, also includes added access for subscribers to one of Verizon's cellphone service plans. We decided to kick the tires to see how Pearl Jam's Verizon partnership is working so far, now that the recordings are starting to show up online.
"As we have learned from our younger fans, more and more listeners areaccessing their music through their mobile phones," said Ted Bierman,
manager of the band's fan club. "With ourproven track record of delivering high quality bootleg downloads andCDs, we feel this new approach will not only benefit our fans, butprovide an exciting opportunity to share Pearl Jam's music in a moreinteractive setting."
Regardless of whether they're Verizon subscribers or not, fans can buy show recordings
in one of three formats, each with its own price: MP3 ($10), FLAC ($15)
or, if there's enough demand for a particular show, the CD format ($17,
made at least partially from recycled material). If you know you'regoing to attend a certain show, you can pre-order the bootleg to saveyourself the trouble of taping it yourself. An added bonus: some fanswill likely sync up their crappy cellphone videos with theseprofessionally made recordings – a combination we have appreciated in the past.
Verizon says it's offering free previews
of three full-length track per show, plus one free download per show. However, all I'm seeing is song snippets and zero functional downloads, despitethe words "Free download" appearing underneath the snippet of"Daughter" as performed on Thursday in Tampa Bay. Maybe they're still working out the kinks, on the web side anyway.
On the other hand, PearlJam.com's pre-orders seem to be running smoothly (full recordings are not available until two weeks after a given show occurs, so it would appear that Verizon gets to post the material first).
Overall, this looks to be a step in the right direction, especially if you're into the idea of buying shows from Pearl Jam to share with your friends.
The band's current tour includes 12 dates, all on the eastern seaboard.
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