Jack White Pioneers New Music Distribution Channel: Balloon Launched Flexi Discs

Three weeks before the “Blunderbuss” album release date, Jack White and his Third Man Records have released the track “Freedom at 21” exclusively as a flexi disc attached to helium balloons. They set 1000 records free from the label’s headquarters in Nashville on April Fool’s Day. Part fun and part real experiment, White has always explored non-traditional forms of record distribution to get records in the hands of people who don’t visit record shops.
Third Man used biodegradable latex balloons and all-natural twine to minimize environmental impact . Accompanying each balloons was a custom post card with instructions for the finders to submit photos, discovery location and the date on which the record was found.

According to the label, statistics for similar balloon launches show a recovery rate of approximately 10%. So it’s possible that less than one hundred of the one thousand records launched will be discovered.

Weblink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=szoIcNykCc0

Source: Hyperbot