In a major coup for social networking site MySpace, both rock band Guns N’ Roses and Sir Paul McCartney (in his experimental guise as the Fireman) have opted to debut their albums on the site before they’re available for sale, either physically or online.
The tracks will only be streamed and can’t be downloaded. In the case of G N’ R, the album is the long-delayed Chinese Democracy, which cost a supposed $13 million and arrives a mere 15 years after the band’s last release. However, fans might well have already found most of the tracks, which have sneaked out illegally online here and there, and even – legally – in a video game. The CD will appear on November 23 exclusively through Best Buy.
McCartney has issued two previous CDs as the Fireman, an alter ego that allows him to be more experimental. Although the new album, Electric Arguments, can already be heard on MySpace, the CD is issued on November 25.
Whether this will draw a lot more people into MySpace remains to be seen.
