Marillion.com - PRESS RELEASE - 10th September, 2008


"Free" isn't free for us!



MARILLION PIONEER P2P (PEER-TO-PEER)
RELEASE OF NEW DOUBLE ALBUM


10th September, 2008 - Today, Marillion become the first band anywhere in the world to release their new album (Happiness Is the Road) legally using P2P (Peer to Peer) internet networks for distribution.

Widely recognised as the first band to truly embrace the Internets potential to interact with fans since circa 1996, Marillion have taken the step of partnering with Internet technology company, Music Glue to harness the legal use of P2P sites and release their 15th studio album, Happiness Is The Road.

With more than 90% of all acquired music in the UK being downloaded or shared via P2P websites according to the IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry), Music Glues technology creates a unique interactive band-to-fan interface mechanism that does not normally exist at the point of download.

Having downloaded a song, an interactive window appears on the music fans computer with a video message from Marillion speaking directly to the consumer, telling them about their new album, the bands latest news, the forthcoming Marillion tour and all the products and merchandise available at marillion.com.

Music fans can listen to the track, and have the option to join the email mailing list, allowing access to a DRM-free version of the track.

Marillion in no way condone the use of P2P sites for the illegal distribution of copyrighted material. By giving their consent to distribute Happiness is The Road using the Music Glue model, Marillion are embracing the potential worldwide super-distribution of P2P networks to connect with downloaders, enabling an interactive dialogue rather than having no contact at all with potential new fans.

On adopting this new model for distribution Marillions keyboard player Mark Kelly said:

While we dont condone illegal file sharing, its a fact of life that a lot of music fans do it. We want to know who our file sharing fans are. If they like our new album enough, then we want to persuade them to pay something for it or at least come and see us on tour. Music Glue is the means to achieve this goal, and to give us back something positive from the dire situation most artists find themselves in today.

Music Glue founder Mark Meharry said:

Until now, fans that acquire music via P2P networks have been treated as thieves by the global recording industry. From a legal perspective it is difficult to argue in favour of the fans on this issue, however, from a commercial point of view, P2P provides access to more fans, on a global scale, than ever thought possible via traditional distribution methods. If you talk to the young, modern music fan (which we do on a regular basis) they see the situation very differently and believe that they are loyal and financially supportive of the artists they love, by purchasing gig tickets & merchandise, plus they happily consume sponsored branding as part of the overall experience. Music Glue allows creators of music to interact with these fans via P2P in a positive way that actually generates revenue. Our model requires a paradigm shift, away from the traditional legal perspective and forward to commercial common sense.

Marillion have sold more than 15 million albums in a career spanning three decades and the release of Happiness Is The Road also sees the band embarking on a string of live dates across Europe this autumn.




- A Message to our Fans -


This email was sent on 9 September 2008 to all fans who have pre-ordered any version of 'Happiness is the Road'

Hello,

We are writing to let you in on a little secret. This isn't a normal eWeb Newsletter  this is a special private email just to those of you who have pre-ordered our next album.

So let us start with a heart-felt "Thank you!" for pre-ordering "Happiness Is The Road". It means a lot to us that you were willing to give us your money so far in advance of receiving the album and  more importantly  that you put your faith in us. The pre-order concept has become such an integral part of our business: it allows us the creative freedom to make the albums that we want to make without any outside pressure from record companies, also to OWN our music (which is still rather rare these days) AND - crucially - to continue making NEW music.

None of this would be possible without you.

As you read this, your special Deluxe Edition is being manufactured. It's a beautiful thing. Its also a big project  youre going to be getting two separate 96-page full-colour hard-bound books, both stored in a single outer case.

The printers, CD manufacturers, and teams of packers expect to have these bundled up and ready to post by the beginning of October (but well announce it officially on the website when we have more information). In short, though, youre just one step away from holding it in your hands!

Sadly, though, as soon as the album is released to the outside world it will inevitably be leaked onto the internet in some form  as has happened with our last few albums. We are sure you will agree this hurts us as a business and threatens our very livelihood. So, in what is probably a world-wide first, we have decided to take direct control of this situation.

By joining forces with a company called Music Glue we have decided to update the old beat the bootleggers approach and leak the album ourselves - but with a twist. Music Glue are able to add a little gizmo to the music files that allows us to 'talk' to the people that are downloading it through file-sharing networks. If existing fans are downloading our music for free, or new fans are discovering our music through file-sharing, at least we will be able to point them in the right direction if they want to buy THE REAL THING from us.

To make sure our special gizmo files are the ONLY ones available on the internet, we need to flood file-sharing networks with the special Music Glue versions before anyone anywhere in the world has a copy. And this includes you. As much as we respect your RIGHT to be the first to hear the new music, we do hope youll understand why weve put all this in place in a rather quiet and secretive manner... We've all agonized over this decision but it couldnt be done in any other way. The fact is that if WE hadn't leaked it, someone else would have.

Now, we do not condone file-sharing as it directly impacts our ability to continue making new albums (as well as the thousands of other artists out there); but because you put your loyalty and faith in us by pre-ordering, we feel that the least we can do is let you know about our plan - and provide you with this even-more-secret link to download the album if you want to have a listen now: [link removed]

Between you and me, we would advise you against listening to this lower-than-CD-quality version as it may ruin your enjoyment of your first PROPER listen to "Happiness Is The Road".

We like to push the boundaries, try new things, and see where they'll take us. This is just another in a long line of 'internet firsts' for Marillion. But you already know all this - you're "family" - you've pre-ordered the album.

Happiness ain't at the end of the road

HAPPINESS IS THE ROAD


H, Ian, Pete, Mark and Steve


PS - Thank you for reading this. Sorry it's so long! We hope you understand.


www.marillion.com



John -