Jack White Subverts Streaming by Encouraging Fans to Download and Distribute His New Album for Free

Jack White quietly released his sixth solo album on July 19 by secretly slipping an unbranded vinyl into the purchases of shoppers at his Third Man Records locations in Nashville, Detroit, and London. The album, aptly titled No Name, is meant to bring further attention to creativity and artistry by not bringing attention to itself at all.

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Now, White is bringing us all back to our Napster days by encouraging those in possession of the album to rip and distribute it to other fans. It’s not available for streaming, but there are recordings uploaded to YouTube. Additionally, the entire album was put on Google Drive for fans to download and share for free.

It’s an interesting move, but one that makes sense for Jack White. He cares deeply about artistry and creativity over celebrity, so instead of rolling out a huge album campaign, he does this. The album has no cover art, tracklist, or marketing. It doesn’t even have Jack White’s name on it. However, longtime fans will know this for the genuine subversion of the current music industry that it is and not a backhanded marketing ploy.

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Jack White Goes Against Streaming Norms With Secret Album Release

On the Third Man Records Instagram, the label posted a photo of the No Name vinyl with the simple caption “Rip It.” In response, the radio station WDET in Detroit played the record in full over the air. Subsequently, a recording of that broadcast has been uploaded to YouTube for fans to enjoy.

Jack White’s official Reddit page also provided the link to a Google Drive featuring various formats of the album for fans to download and distribute. White is going against the grain with this new album, essentially protesting the flat digital landscape of the music industry and the culture of huge album releases.

Indie-folk-rock artist Beth Bombara previously did something similar, in that she sent her 2017 album Map & No Direction in the mail for free. Fans who submitted their mailing addresses simply paid for shipping and taxes, and the whole thing came out to about $5 for an entire album, plus four exclusive digital downloads. When was the last time you paid $5 for a physical album?

While Bombara’s music is still available on streaming, this is still a similar act to White’s—she encouraged the connectivity aspect of physical media, of sharing her work with others through the mail. Additionally, both White and Bombara are going against digital streaming by offering their work physically. White is doing it exclusively because he has the means to do so, but Bombara is turning fans into friends through the power of a physical CD.

Featured Image by Larry Marano/Shutterstock

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