Possibly? While there are a great number of bands — Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails immediately spring to mind — that have ditched the traditional means of working with record labels in an attempt to harness the powers of the interwebs to engage their fanbases, it’s safe to say that the direction that Public Enemy is taking with their new album is without precedent. Rather than trying to sell their fans on an expensive box set that’s filled with exclusive goodies like bonus tracks and merch, Public Enemy has partnered with the newish website Sellaband in an attempt to get fans to foot the bill for the entire production of their new record. Their goal? To try and raise $250,000 in $25 increments. While it’s not entirely clear if fans who pony up will get a copy of the record for their troubles, Sellaband’s policy is that “proceeds are split between the artist and the believers.†Again, the terms of this deal have not been released, so it’s tough to say exactly what that split will be, but this much is certain: Those huge clocks that Flavor Flav wears around his neck don’t come cheap.
Sellaband teams up with Public Enemy [TechCrunch via This American Scene]