OK, Radiohead release a download-only album (at least for now), but who and when released the first download-only song ever? Was it David Bowie? They Might Be Giants? Or a total unknown weirdo band? Any ideas?
― zeus, Monday, 1 October 2007 12:35 (seventeen years ago)
was it Gnarls Barkley - Crazy? (or was that just the first download-only song that did something in charts or playlists?)
― StanM, Monday, 1 October 2007 12:41 (seventeen years ago)
Yeah, it was just the first download-only no. 1.
― zeus, Monday, 1 October 2007 12:41 (seventeen years ago)
Wasn't it Bam Thwok by the Pixies?
― nate woolls, Monday, 1 October 2007 12:42 (seventeen years ago)
probably some c64 chiptune 25 years ago or something.
― max r, Monday, 1 October 2007 12:44 (seventeen years ago)
"Crazy" was released on the album though, so it's not really "download only".
― Tuomas, Monday, 1 October 2007 12:48 (seventeen years ago)
d/l only?
Didn't Westlife do that, a live version, to take the number one position on the 'download' chart the first week it existed?
Or, of course, it could be "Dogs don't kill people, wabbits do" by Chris Moyles!
― Mark G, Monday, 1 October 2007 12:55 (seventeen years ago)
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Gnarls+Barkley
Also, according to Discogs it was released as a physical single too. I assume most dance and rap singles are released at least in vinyl form for DJ use.
― Tuomas, Monday, 1 October 2007 12:56 (seventeen years ago)
(x-post)
July 19, 1999:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/TheyMightBeGiants-LongTallWeekend.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Tall_Weekend
http://docs.yahoo.com/docs/pr/release341.html
"the first album from a major artist to be released exclusively in the MP3 format."
― Whiney G. Weingarten, Monday, 1 October 2007 13:16 (seventeen years ago)
You should define your terms better. I am sure in 1965 some computer music guy hooked up two IBM 360s and transferred a series of programs that rendered a song between them, and that was the only way to access the song. And then of course all through the 80s thousands of composers were putting sidtunes or mods on a BBS. Are we looking that far back, or are you thinking digital-audio-era? The TMBG example is far far too late, I can easily name dozens of groups you've never heard that only distributed their stuff as .wav or realaudio or that liquid audio format...
― neustile, Monday, 1 October 2007 13:34 (seventeen years ago)
the first album from a major artist to be released exclusively in the MP3 format."
The TMBG example is far far too late, I can easily name dozens of groups you've never heard that only distributed their stuff as .wav or realaudio or that liquid audio format...
― Whiney G. Weingarten, Monday, 1 October 2007 13:36 (seventeen years ago)
I understand Whiney.. i was responding to the original post, which asked <I> who and when released the first download-only song ever?</I>
― neustile, Monday, 1 October 2007 13:55 (seventeen years ago)
Neustile: you're right, but of course I think to the digital audio era.
― zeus, Monday, 1 October 2007 13:57 (seventeen years ago)
I guess the specification would be "First download-only song for sale?"
― Whiney G. Weingarten, Monday, 1 October 2007 14:25 (seventeen years ago)
I'm guessing either Jane Siberry or one of the King Crimson shows sold via DGM
― Elvis Telecom, Monday, 1 October 2007 14:38 (seventeen years ago)
Whiney: yeah, it's a good specification.
― zeus, Monday, 1 October 2007 15:24 (seventeen years ago)
Didn't the Grateful Dead officially release a whole bunch of shows online in mp2 format in about 1994?
― James Mitchell, Monday, 1 October 2007 18:39 (seventeen years ago)