AfterDawn: News

Kinks singer to give latest CD away for free

The former Kinks singer Ray Davies has agreed to a deal that would give his latest album, the "Working Man's Cafe", free with the Sunday Times newspapers.

The deal is very similar to the one Prince did last month when he gave his CD away free with The Mail on Sunday.



Davies said he was "truly excited that 1.5 million copies will be distributed to people who'll hear it organically... the way it was intended".

The deal calls for the album to come free with the paper on October 21st and a track from the album, "Vietnam Cowboys", will be available as a free MP3 download from the newspaper's website.

"It's an exciting opportunity I couldn't resist," Davies said. "Personally, it's about reaching as many people as possible."

This peice of news follows the decisions by Radiohead, Oasis, Jamiroqui, the Charlatans and Madonna to release music in new ways, usually cutting the record industry out.

Source:
BBCNews

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Oct 2007 22:30

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• 11 comments

• Solo_Tek

  He must be short on cash and needs a legit lawsuit to steal the money from working middle class people like Prince did so he can sit back and do nothing.
  
  He can keep the CD!

  16.10.2007 02:49 #1

• c1c

  Never heard of this singer. Organically? Interesting.... Maybe Madonna will follow suit and give away her new album this way..... ha. Glad to see artists swaying from their labels to do their own thing. very cool.

  16.10.2007 09:43 #2

• emugamer

  Originally posted by c1c: Never heard of this singerYou've heard the Kinks. You probably just don't know it.

  16.10.2007 12:14 #3

• ThePolak

  This is supposed to be something new and exciting?!?
  In Poland, basically every magazine and newspaper comes with a music cd or full movie dvd or even a dvd of a couple of popular pc games. Sometimes you even have a choice what "gift" you want to receive. They've been doing it for like the last 10 years. Completely legal and very cheap for whoever wants to buy it. I was able to buy Bad Day LA for about $5 with a 200 page magazine one month before the game's world premiere, where it cost like $50.

  16.10.2007 19:15 #4

• Mez

  Solo_Tek, maybe this is a scam or maybe it is the real deal. I suspect he does not need the money. He was WAY more successful than Prince. My guess is he has made his and does not appreciate all the 'head cracking' the industry is doing in the name of the artists. I am sure he is only making a tiny piece of the pie the industry is protecting. Artists were robbed more back then than they are now. The Beatles made their own record company just so they wouldn't be raped by Columbia? Artists should all be insensed by the Media Maffia claiming to be protecting the artists. Their greed is laughable!

  19.10.2007 13:32 #5

• john107

  Ray Davies has sold more records than all these 5 minute wonder "stars " we have nowadays put together - and he certainly doesn't need the money.......he was a real bolshie git in his day - and probably still is come to that, but he's up there with Lennon/Macca and Elton John and I think he should be applauded for giving something back.FFS don't compare him to Prince........

  19.10.2007 13:48 #6

• zorb43

  Originally posted by john107: Ray Davies has sold more records than all these 5 minute wonder "stars " we have nowadays put together - and he certainly doesn't need the money.......he was a real bolshie git in his day - and probably still is come to that, but he's up there with Lennon/Macca and Elton John and I think he should be applauded for giving something back.FFS don't compare him to Prince........ Exactly, Well said John ... I think what we have here are a bunch of 20 something "kids" who seem to know zilch about great musicians and their contributions to society. That said, Davies is lucky to be alive after being shot in the leg last year in the old Fauberg Marigny neighborhood right out side of the French Quarter in New Orleans. I live on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain now and don't like to go into the crime ridden city anymore unless I absolutely have to. You can bet he will never run after one of our "purse snatchers" again .....

  20.10.2007 23:16 #7

• Steve83

  Ever hear of something called "heavy metal"??? Ray & his brother Dave invented it.

  21.10.2007 00:36 #8

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by ThePolak: This is supposed to be something new and exciting?!?
  In Poland, basically every magazine and newspaper comes with a music cd or full movie dvd or even a dvd of a couple of popular pc games. Sometimes you even have a choice what "gift" you want to receive. They've been doing it for like the last 10 years. Completely legal and very cheap for whoever wants to buy it. I was able to buy Bad Day LA for about $5 with a 200 page magazine one month before the game's world premiere, where it cost like $50.thos are called demos dear *dodge*
  LOL
  Sorry, you can find yearly subscriptions that you get free stuff with its just its rather random you never quite know what you will get.

  21.10.2007 02:13 #9

• Sebright

  Well, I was out early to buy my copy of the Sunday Times so I could get the CD. Good stuff.

  21.10.2007 09:43 #10

• borhan9

  For me the fact here is how bad is the music for him to do this or how good is it soo that he can provide it for free.

  23.10.2007 07:44 #11