12 Gardens Live, And Clear Channel....Rocks??

I recently blogged about Billy Joel's upcoming live album, 12 Gardens Live and the myriad of songs transposed to lower keys. You can hear the entire album, or individual songs, as a stream, on Clear Channel's Sneak Peek: Hear It Here First.

Everybody knows that I will take just about any opportunity to bash the shit out of Clear Channel, but they've really done something right here. For a limited time, they're offering an entire album stream, in very good quality. To discourage piracy, every so often, a voice saying "Sneak Peek: Hear It Here First" is heard over the track. It's noticeable, but not terribly distracting. I only heard it once at the beginning and end of each track, and once in the middle.

This is the way to do it! How many of us have heard two or three good songs from an artist, purchased the entire album, and been burned? For me, it's too many times to mention. And enough with this bullshit 30-second sample crap. Nobody can make an educated decision about a song or, better yet, an entire album, in 30 seconds, despite what Gladwell might say.

If you're a record label, and you believe in your product, prove it. Let us hear the whole thing. If the majority of it is good, I will buy it. And Clear Channel's pop-up player is well done: it works with Windows Media Player, it allows you to stream either the entire album or by song, in both high and low quality, features some small (and again, unobtrusive) ads, and of course, provides you a link to buy what you're listening to.

So...stream away! Listen to all of 12 Gardens Live. Decide for yourself whether or not the lower keys work for you, or whether you need another live version of "River of Dreams." It's your choice, and you can finally make an informed decision.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but well done, Clear Channel.