I love David Byrne

While the RIAA tries to lynch Muxtape.com in the public square, others are finding the true meaning of Christmas by making public music work for them. The latest album from David Byrne - a collaberation with Brian Eno that's been in the works for the past 5 years or so - doesn't hide itself from the online community, but celebrates it. Right now:

• All songs are available streaming on their website
• You can embed a player on your blog or site (as I have done above) to share the album with others
• The album can be purchased now, with the files available for download now while you wait for the disc to show up in the mail

There are so many ways this model is better than the old way of buying records. Right now, I am listening to the album, and I know from listening that it is good and I want to buy it. Years ago, though, I was easily burned by bands that turned out a crap album with one good song.This is the real reason music sharing became so big: Not because people are thieves, but because they knew they only wanted the one good song. Artists and recording executives started to panic because they could no longer make their money from a single encrusted in bad studio product. So I am thrilled to see Byrne's new album, but even moreso his embracing of streaming music. Because guess what, everyone - sharing something for free CAN STILL GET YOU SALES. Just watch. :)

About the Author: Eric Reid

I am the Social Media Services Manager for Off Madison Ave. I've been with the company since 2006, when I was hired to do SEO, and link building in particular. When social networking sites started cropping up, at first I started using them to create backlinks - but they weren't the best for that, given all of the "nofollow" attributes. However, I did see the potential for all of the direct referral traffic they represent. Since then I've been actively pursuing both tactics for clients: Links that can help them for search, and social postings that get them involved in the conversation. It's about the coolest job you could ever get. ;)

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