From Rush and The Roots to TV On the Radio (above), The Colbert Report has serenaded music fans with skill. Now the faux news show is set to stream online full-lengths from guests like The Flaming Lips, The Mountain Goats and more.
The Flaming Lips kicks off the new sonic tradition. Wayne Coyne and crew perform Wednesday on Stephen Colbert’s show, and shortly after debut their double album Embryonic on ColbertNation.com through Monday. It’s the first time the band has digitally pre-released a recording. Next up: John Darnielle’s indie rock outfit The Mountain Goats, which lands on The Colbert Report Oct. 6 and subsequently streams The Life of the World to Come on the Colbert Nation site.
The musical maneuver is the latest chapter in ColbertNation.com’s continuing evolution. After cat-fighting with YouTube and the Electronic Frontier Foundation over video uploads in 2007, Viacom finally seized the initiative in 2008 and gave the mostly text-based fan site a video-rich redesign.
So what’s next for the show’s online odyssey? A search engine? A torrent network? An internet newspaper? Colbert could sell any of them, and sell them well. Post your proposals in the comments section below.
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