Following the trend set by Prince, Radiohead and more recently Coldplay, on the 18th of April, Jack Rubinacci became one of the very first artists in the world to release a big budget debut album, as a free Mp3 download. In what can only be described as a bold move, and a huge financial risk, Rubinacci is allowing visitors to his website to download his entire debut album, including printable album artwork, for absolutely free.
Described by Nigel Gray, producer of the first three albums by The Police, as “The most exciting new singer songwriter I’ve heard in years” Rubinacci is attempting to place himself at the very forefront of the radical changes happening in the music industry at the moment.
With recording costs alone surpassing the $500,000 mark, the album features two of the most in demand and respected record producers in the business, two time Grammy winner Tchad Blake (Paul Simon, Tracy Chapman, Sheryl Crow, Tom Waits, Pearl Jam) and Ian Grimble (Travis, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Kt Tunstall) and was recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studio.
In recent press interviews, Rubinacci has explained the reasons why such an expensive album is being given away for free. “The music industry is changing, and because this is my first album, I want to be part of this change. By giving away my album for free on the Net, I’m introducing my music to lots of new people which is what a debut album is all about. We’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this.
I feel musicians have to rethink their game plan in order to financially survive in these times. What we’ve done is tried hard to create a very unique membership package, that fans of my music will want to be part of. We’ve also tried hard to create special merchandise that goes way beyond the boring T shirt and Poster rubbish that musicians have been peddling for years. We’ve spent five months working with four talented artists in London who have created visual interpretations of my lyrics through photography, paintings and illustrations. It’s scary at the moment for me, but its also very exciting.”
The risk so far seems to be paying off. He’s had over 3000 downloads in the first 3 weeks alone.
To download Jack Rubinacci’s entire debut album for free visit
www.jackrubinacci.com
