Images courtesy
Oasis have gone all 2.0 on us for the launch of their new album. Well sort of. They have previewed their upcoming new album, 'Dig Out Your Soul', by teaching a group of New York Metropolitan Transport Authority ( MUNY - Music Under New York) street musicians and buskers to perform never-heard-before tracks from the album. On Friday, the musicians went out across New York and performed at a number of well-known subway stations including Grand Central, Penn Station, Astor Place and Times Square.
BBH NY is filming the whole thing as part of a documentary about the album launch. People can upload video footage of the street performances, or their own versions of the new songs, to Oasis’ YouTube channel, and post photos to the Flickr group.
Here in the UK, The NME is also getting in on the act with a rather neat audience participation exercise (disclosure: I work for the company that produces The NME). Tommorrows issue is covermounting the sheet music and lyrics to four tracks off the new album and inviting readers to upload their own versions of the songs as part of a competition that will see the winner land a trip to see the band anywhere in the world on their upcoming global tour. Rather neat methinks.
As Herdmeister says, "give them something to do together!"
Posted by: david cushman | September 16, 2008 at 02:21 PM
i like that this bit of 'engagement' happens both on and offline and mixes trad and new media with good old fashioned human interaction and participation.
proper integration (as opposed to 'repetition')...
wonder if the album is any cop? been waiting for an Oasis classic for about 10 years now...
E
Posted by: eaon pritchard | September 16, 2008 at 02:24 PM
loving the buskers idea a lot.
(the rest feels just a little bit "me too" to my view but it would be nice to see some fans interpreting the music)
Posted by: Asi | September 16, 2008 at 02:34 PM
impressive. well thought out. buzzzzzz
Posted by: facu | September 16, 2008 at 03:07 PM
I love the idea that you can be walking along all over a city. getting a song slowly stuck in your head. Only to realise at a later stage when you hear it on the radio, TV, online from Oasis you finally understand more about it
cool idea
Posted by: Mikej | September 17, 2008 at 03:56 PM
I'm missing the generosity. Where in this do they say without saying: we know something about you oh loyal fans and we want to do something for you.
Instead it's a very narcissistic "look what we made."
Every "brand's" dream.
Posted by: Braude | October 16, 2008 at 12:32 AM