This article was taken from the November 2011 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
You've released a new record in a world where music piracy is endemic. So how do you get your fans to, you know, buy it? Carl Cox, leading light of the 90s superclubbing boom, thinks he has an answer: the self-updating album.
Produced by Cox's own Intec Digital label, All Roads Lead To The Dancefloor comes on a USB stick -- when the drive is plugged in, it connects to a website that adds extra tracks to the device over time. "This is a statement about where we are now, technically," says the 49-year-old DJ.
The album's first update was on September 26, when buyers received the single "Nexus". More tracks follow on October 17, with the third single "Chemistry", plus remixes and video, two weeks after that. Next year the USB will self-update with live footage of Cox and his band, and will offer access to the entire Intec Digital catalogue for a year. "The traditional album is dead," says Cox. "It really is."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
