So, the group Barenaked Ladies (BnL), whose music is very decent, are joining what seems to be a trend these days…self publishing albums. They’ve released their latest studio release album, “Barenaked Ladies Are Me”, for download on their website. Not very unique, right? Well, here is the kicker…there are two types of downloads…mp3 at 192kbs, or for a couple dollars more, lossless FLAC. Also, there is no DRM at all. Rumor has it that they are selling a lot of these while going around the RIAA, Apple, and the other Juggernauts in the DRM space. Here is the link to the shopping page to buy this album, and if you look around, you can even get a whole bunch of live performances, not just the studio releases, since they are recording their shows and making the tracks available. Great job, BnL! Don’t get me wrong…I’m all for protecting intellectual property, it’s just nice to see some of the content owners trust their fans a little bit, and give them a good consumer experience in the process.
And, for good measure, here is a fan-produced video for “Wind it Up”.