planet download

The announcement by house/band hybrid Planet Funk that they will be distributing their latest single (out next month) via mobile phone is another landmark in new media history.

After Gnarles Barclay's already annoying track reached "number 1" a couple of weeks ago through downloads alone, we are continuing to see new practises in terms of media distribution.

And apparently this is all helping the sale of cd's - something which the record companies at least are increasingly paranoid about. So presumably Planet Funk's intention on releasing through this method is just another marketing gimmick, which ultimately is attempting to draw in new "trendy" audiences and sell more of their ground-breaking music. (Well ok maybe not ground-breaking, but there does seem to be an attempt to break the "DJ’s-turned-band" stereotype – always good from my point of view!)

I just cant help thinking that the type of audience which they probably have in mind for downloading their music are children who haven't really got the means to pay for this sort of thing. I guess the responsibility comes down to parents though to ensure responsible usage.