Idolator
The hip-hop artist Plies—best known around these parts for his terrible album cover—is planning on seeding peer-to-peer services with files from his upcoming album, The New Testament. Sixteen million files, in fact, to be distributed over the next three months. But that move is actually being sanctioned by his label—because the files are sponsored by Sprint, who have paid a six-figure sum to have advertising embedded into each file that's displayed when the files are played.
Here's the plan, according to the New York Post:
Well, as business plans go, it's more well-thought-out-than the underpants gnomes', although the idea of 16 million Plies files being unleashed on the world seems a little bit, well, excessive. Anyone want to bet on when the embedded-ad code will be cracked? The Idolator line is on one week, tops.
SPRINT TAKES LEAD AS 1ST SPONSOR OF FILE-SHARE SONG [NYP]
Earlier: Plies Ready To Close The Book On Ugly Album Covers
Comments
I'm still not sure how this actually generates any money. I mean, if you're playing the mp3 on your iPod, or better yet your iPhone, how does that translate into new $$ for Sprint? Everyone who downloads mp3s probably already has a cell plan anyway, and a Sprint logo in the metadata of a free mp3 isn't going to sway a single person.
This sounds like a branding experiment (where Sprint is the brand). Why do companies pay to advertise on television, or on the radio, magazines, etc.? To get their name out. With this, Sprint has its ad seen by up to 16 million eyeballs. That's far more than one 30 second spot on a major TV network.
Oh yeah, I get that. I just think it might be slightly misguided placement. People with iPhones are locked into lengthy contracts with AT&T, so that's a whole demographic that's already lost. Which leaves...other people who are already tech-savvy enough to know Sprint exists. They'd be better off just dropping stickers from a helicopter over a couple major metro areas. Who doesn't love FREE STICKERS?!
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