Record companies have been fretting over P2P networks for the better part of the decade and for good reason. The top selling album of 2000 sold close to 10 million albums while the #1 album of 2006 sold just under 4 million. The number of file sharing individuals has nearly doubled since 2002 with 9.4 million patrons sharing all sorts of things online in 2006. Sprint is hoping they can turn things around or at least cash-in on the hype.
Sprint has teamed up with Atlantic Records and ArtistDirect’s Media Defender to release the first file-share song with a major backer. Hip-hop artist, Plies, will be the guinea pig for a three-month trial where 16 million copies of his songs will be uploaded onto file-sharing sites. When you download any Plies songs you’ll see an embedded Sprint logo along side the artist name and track title. In return Atlantic Records, Media Defender, Plies and his publishing company will share a ‘substantial six-figure’ fee. Who is Plies?
SPRINT TAKES LEAD AS 1ST SPONSOR OF FILE-SHARE SONG [NY Post]