As both a musician and a social media junkie, I have always been intrigued by music artists who push the envelope in online promotion and distribution.  Like when Radiohead released In Rainbows exclusively online and asked their fans to name their own price (the average was $8) or the Arcade Fire’s release of The Wilderness Downtown, an interactive film built in HTML5 that creepily incorporates an overhead zoom of the house you grew up in. Most recently, it has been Chicago-based progressive rock band Umphrey’s McGee, who has just announced:

“In a departure from the standard “album” format, we have decided to roll out the new music in bite size pieces for your prolonged enjoyment.”

Pushing the Envelope

From a social media perspective, Umphrey’s McGee is a band that is on top of their game.  Their Facebook Page has a loyal following of 85,000 fans and features a multitude of custom tabs with share functionality.  From the page you can easily RSVP (via Facebook event) and buy tickets to a show, sample dozens of songs available for purchase, or read the setlist of the latest show (posted almost daily as a status update).

On top of this, they have www.UMLive.net , a live recording archive that allows fans to buy any live show of their choosing for $10 (MP3), and The Floor, an intimate blog with art contests, exclusive video, and weekly updates from band members.  I should also note a highly-customized myspace page with a built-in Twitter feed.

My point is, Umphrey’s McGee will be releasing new material to an extensive and virally-enabled online community.

The Bite Size Album

This fall, the band is planning on releasing a set of new material (and studio takes on familiar favorites) as a series of digital EPs.  Fans will have the option to buy the EPs individually as they come out, as a bundle, or as a complete box set.  To kick off the campaign, the band has released a new studio single, Wellwishers, that is free for download and can be easily embedded as a widget on Facebook and the web.  This tactic is sure to get the experiment off to a great start.

This creative distribution method makes the entire release a collection, one which dedicated fans will be eager to stockpile.  It allows fans to get the rush of finally hearing something new while also constantly building on the suspense of what might come next. Every release stands alone as a new event that the community will be excited about and naturally share with like-minded friends.

A New Era of Distribution?

The band’s strategy is one built for the fast-paced, viral world of the social web; a place where quantity is not better than quality, but it is of equal importance.  By releasing a large amount of new material in small sections, Umphrey’s McGee are giving fans both quality and quantity.  They will be able to sustain the hype that usually surrounds the release of a new album for not days, but months.  This will allow the campaign to fully mature (through viral sharing) and anticipation will remain high. Most importantly, it will further unite a thriving social media community around timely and interesting content, a surefire way to increase an online following.

I predict that the band’s bite size experiment will result in a colossal success.  Do you agree?  Will the “bite size album” be the start of an industry revolution or a creative but failed attempt at innovation?

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