I’m all for new ways for bands to connect to their fans (and creating new revenue streams in the process), but when the band in question is Mudvayne, and the new idea is so confusing and filled with corporate sponsorship that after four reads of the press release, I still have no idea what the promotion is, I’m a little worried that the motivations might not be all that genuine.

For too long, artists have had their hand out at every turn, trying to make a quick buck from their adoring fans. Mudvayne have looked at the man in the mirror, and they’re trying to make a change.

“We created ‘The Album Is The Ticket’ program to give back to the fans that have supported us for so many years,” says Chad Gray, vocalist for MUDVAYNE. “Traditionally, over the life cycle of an album, a fan purchases a CD, DVD, tickets to a show and a fan club membership, generally spending over $100 for the experience. For the launch of ‘The New Game’, fans can experience all of these elements for well under $40.00.”

Good point, artist formerly known as Chüd! So, what are they going to do about it?

To coincide with the release of “The New Game”, MUDVAYNE has teamed with Best Buy and Ticketmaster for “The Album Is The Ticket”, an innovative program that is uniting the sales of CDs and concert tickets in order to build momentum within the music industry. When a fan pre-orders “The New Game” (regular CD or deluxe edition with special packaging) via www.BestBuy.com/Mudvayne, they have the opportunity to purchase a ticket for “The New Game Tour 2008″: each pre-sale physical CD (with free shipping) will be accompanied by a code that will grant each fan access to a private fan club area on TheAlbumIsTheTicket.com where they can purchase a “The New Game Tour 2008″ concert ticket on a first-come, first-served basis (while supplies last). They’ll also receive a one-year membership to the MUDVAYNE fan club, which includes exclusive access to a myriad of added value content from MUDVAYNE, including previously unreleased video footage and a free track before the CD’s release.

So, if you pre-order the disc (which I wasn’t really aware people were still doing, as far as physical music goes), you get the opportunity to purchase one ticket to a Mudvayne concert–if they’re still available–and you get to be part of the fan club? Wow, that is quite a bargain. I would have paid up to $100 for such an experience!

Later on in the press release, Mudvayne’s drummer remarks that partnering with Ticketmaster helps avoid the horror of ticket scalpers and high prices. As far as I can tell, he’s talking about the same Ticketmaster I’m familiar with, but maybe there’s another one out there?

MUDVAYNE Creates Daring ‘New Game’ For Music Industry [Blabbermouth]