Historically, radio stations have only partially cooperated with record label attempts to control when and where an important new record is first aired. It's not unusual for a new album or single to be "embargoed" until a specific date by the labels, with stations often competing with each other to find ways to get around this restriction and be first to air a hot new song.The accepted ways to break a new record include running midnight spins or sneak peaks to gain listener attention, but there will always be the renegades who jump the gun. Once the disc is mailed (sometimes via overnight courier), anything might happen. So what labels have been looking for is a sure-fire way to control who airs a hot new song or album, and when they do it, without having to rely on the radio station's good will.Enter the Internet and satellite services. From June 21 through July 5, Warner Bros. Records says, it completed a successful experiment in collaboration with media streaming company DG Music for the simultaneous, digital delivery of all 15 songs from the Red Hot Chili Peppers' recent album By The Way to over 140 radio stations around the US. Warner says that the Peppers' streamed release marks the first time that an entire album has been digitally delivered to radio stations through a private digital network.
The music company says that by distributing the tracks via DG Music's secure network (which reaches approximately 7500 radio stations), it was able to control the timing of the release (each station receiving the tracks at exactly the same time), a well as its airplay and quality, before the official release to stores on July 9.In addition to using DG Systems' network to eliminate the risk of early airing and unreliable delivery, Warner Bros. points out that a key benefit of the system is that it also reduces the chance that pirated copies of an album or tune will be distributed on the Internet prior to its official street date. Warner's Mike Rittberg says, "DG's extensive network ensures that all the key markets received the album simultaneously while ensuring that there was no risk of piracy prior to the album's release."
