TorrentFreak

Franz Ferdinand are a band from Glasgow, Scotland and were created in 2001. Since then they’ve had many musical hits and unusually for rock stars, actually became a hit with file-sharers. Their pro-piracy stance even got them on the front page of Digg. They’ve also admitted to ripping CDs and copying them to an iPod - something which them and millions of others do but is actually illegal in the UK.

At the time, singer and guitarist Alex Kapranos said: “I like the idea that, because of downloading, people are going to buy songs only if they are good. I think that’s a positive thing. It means lazy bands aren’t going to get away with giving you one hit single and an album full of filler. We like the idea that every song should stand up in its own right so you don’t have to listen to a song in the context of an album to understand it. I suppose that’s why I’m sympathetic to the download environment.”

Now, in a move which is likely to make them even more popular with file-sharers, Franz Ferdinand appear to be encouraging their fans to download their latest track (a David Bowie cover) from file-sharing networks, rather than pay for it.

An announcement on the official site reads:

“Franz have covered David Bowie’s 1977 single Sound And Vision for a new compilation marking the 40th anniversary of BBC Radio 1. The album features contemporary artistzzzz covering a song from each year since the station’s first broadcast in 1967.

edit….The whole shabang doesn’t appear to be for charity so point your browsers towards Limewire soon, kiddies!”

Although Limewire would probably be an effective tool, i’m sure Franz wouldn’t mind if their fans used BitTorrent too.

I never really bothered listening to this band before but i’m going to make a point of listening to them now. After an offer like that, it’d be rude not to.

Previously: Usenet: The Next Target in the War on Piracy

Next: SuprNova: The Legend Returns Today