Jack White Releases Single... By Launching 1,000 Balloons With Flexi Discs Attached

from the ah,-the-amazing,-flying-flexidisc dept

Mon, Apr 9th 2012 1:21pm — Mike Masnick

The tacocopter may be necessary if you want to take to the local skies to deliver a product to a specific location, but what if you just want to distribute a product semi-randomly? Famed musician Jack White -- who has quite a history of doing cool experiments with new business models that make use of unique scarcities -- has released a new single from a forthcoming album by tying 1,000 flexi-discs with the single on them to 1,000 giant blue balloons, and launching them into the sky. Yes, this was done on April 1st, and the whole thing was done somewhat tongue-in-cheek (it was described as "an experiment exploring nontraditional forms of record distribution and a way to get records in the hands of people who don't visit record shops"), but it's still pretty cool.

Third Man Records, the label White created, admits that "the typical recovery rate on similar balloon launches... is around 10%", making these flexi-discs pretty likely to be extremely rare for those who find them. As the Creators' Freedom Project points out:

It’s super unique, the balloon distributed discs will be a hot item when they’re eventually recovered, and the instructions on how to tell the rest of the world via social media will help to spread the word about the record since the actual release of the album is the next week.

Indeed, the label is already tracking where the balloons are being found and reported.

I know that some of our usual critics will come up with ways to mock this, but it's yet another example of an artist doing something fun and creative that is a unique way to connect with fans.

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Filed Under: balloon, distribution, flexi-disc, jack white, single

38 Comments

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Machin Shin (profile), 9 Apr 2012 @ 1:28pm

Oh, but won't someone please think of the environment!

/sarc
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Capitalist Lion Tamer (profile), 9 Apr 2012 @ 1:29pm

Sure, this works for the guy with 1,000 balloons, but what about all the other, balloon-less artists?
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2012 @ 1:30pm

Nice job supporting pollution and eco-genocide Mike Hussein Masnick. Maybe TechDirt's new logo should be a picture of you taking a dump on a spotted owl while ejaculating into a bald eagle's eye.
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Capitalist Lion Tamer (profile), 9 Apr 2012 @ 1:36pm

Competing with free
Now the artists are giving away scarcity! How the hell are we supposed to compete with that?

Sincerely,

the Concerned Representatives of Various Legacy Industries
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jupiterkansas (profile), 9 Apr 2012 @ 1:48pm

This isn't about distribution. It's about publicity. Pretty good publicity too.
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Gwiz (profile), 9 Apr 2012 @ 1:54pm

Re: Competing with free
Now the artists are giving away scarcity! How the hell are we supposed to compete with that?

What you lose on each sale you can make up in volume.

But that only works for artists like Jack Black who sound much better when it's really, really loud.
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anonymous dutch coward, 9 Apr 2012 @ 1:56pm

turntable
but but but i dont have a turntable.......
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Scote, 9 Apr 2012 @ 1:57pm

Yes, it is fun and creative, but it is also littering on a fairly large scale. And who still has a record player? And of those who do, who wants to risk their needle on a flexi disc?
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Machin Shin (profile), 9 Apr 2012 @ 1:58pm

Re:
Amazing how often those two things can go hand in hand though. If you come up with cool ways to distribute you will get good publicity.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2012 @ 1:58pm

Re:
This. It's a great stunt and if the wind decided to blow north-east a LOT, I'd be going out in search of one right now.

But this isn't a distribution system that makes any sense, I mean who would spend money to create all this, have a 10% success rate, and hurt the environment with all the failures?

(oh, I guess all the major publishers would do basically that)
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2012 @ 1:58pm

Meh, who cares is not CC-SA, it can land on my porch and still it was going to the garbage can.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2012 @ 2:03pm

Re:
That would be a heck of a memorable logo
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2012 @ 2:06pm

"I know that some of our usual critics will come up with ways to mock this, but it's yet another example of an artist doing something fun and creative that is a unique way to connect with fans."

Fun? yes. Amusing? yes. Connect with fans? Not really unless the fans happen to have a balloon fall on their heads.

It a way mostly to connect with random people who don't give a crap about your music. Amusing, nice pictures, but does it really do anything beyond that in marketing?
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Mr. Smarta** (profile), 9 Apr 2012 @ 2:07pm

Hmm...
I wonder how many times he'll be cited for littering... One for every record/balloon found in the forest/swamp areas? Other ones will fly all the way out to sea where the poor dolphins will find the balloons and inhale the helium to make their squeaks so loud it'll break glass.

And what of the children walking to school and a balloon falls from the sky and they inhale the rubber and suffocate.

For crying out loud, think of the children...
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2012 @ 2:08pm

Re: Re: Competing with free
oohhh punny
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Zos (profile), 9 Apr 2012 @ 2:11pm

wtf is a flexidisk?
just one question. What the hell is a flexi disk, and what would you need to even read one?
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:Lobo Santo (profile), 9 Apr 2012 @ 2:11pm

Re: Hmm...
Ahem:
Biodegradable Latex Balloons
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illuminaut (profile), 9 Apr 2012 @ 2:19pm

Re:
Actually, that's a valid point even without the /sarc. There's an interesting precedent of a balloon launch stunt that didn't go over too well (then again, that was in SF, not Nashville): http://news.discovery.com/earth/balloon-stunt-blows-up-in-gamestops-face.html
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PRMan, 9 Apr 2012 @ 2:20pm

Cost?
I know that Disney in Anaheim, CA actually gets fined by local communities for balloons that they have to clean up. This could get expensive in California, where we have a lot of people that really care about the environment.
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BentFranklin (profile), 9 Apr 2012 @ 2:26pm

Re: wtf is a flexidisk?
The Wikipedia article has some very interesting information I would never have guessed.
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That One Guy (profile), 9 Apr 2012 @ 2:37pm

Re:
Look, you may have some... odd fetishes, but really, please try not to get other people to act them out for you. And trying to get them to do it in public no less...
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Mr. Smarta** (profile), 9 Apr 2012 @ 2:47pm

Re: Re: Hmm...
What about the flexi-discs? Are those biodegradable too? ;)
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Chronno S. Trigger (profile), 9 Apr 2012 @ 2:49pm

Re: turntable
I got my mom to buy me one for Christmas, but I live in PA. :(
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Nigel (profile), 9 Apr 2012 @ 2:50pm

Oblig. Airborne Marketing Reference
http://www.kewego.com/video/iLyROoafYtDe.html

First thing that popped into my head lol..

N.
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Torg (profile), 9 Apr 2012 @ 3:50pm

Re: Re:
This needs to be made. Is there anyone here with decent drawing or photoshopping skills?
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Torg (profile), 9 Apr 2012 @ 3:53pm

Re: Re: Re: Hmm...
Dolphins are an underrepresented demographic in music sales. Maybe this'll help fix that.
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Donnicton, 9 Apr 2012 @ 3:58pm

Re: Re: Competing with free
Headline: Jack Black sues Jack White for use of the name 'Jack', and infringement on a trademark for a "color-based last name".
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Rekrul, 9 Apr 2012 @ 8:11pm

Considering the state of today's technology, maybe he should have used SD cards with an MP3 file on them.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Apr 2012 @ 12:26am

lol Too many people crying you're hurting the environment. I highly doubt their 1000 balloon project is going to have any noticeable impact. It's just something new to get seen nothing more nothing less. It's obvious this would not be a reliable way of mass distribution.

They're not out to kill the planet with balloon warfare. Then again I could be wrong they might all be packing a few pounds of anthrax.
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Schmoo, 10 Apr 2012 @ 2:30am

Re:
Helium, if priced by availability, should cost approx �75 (GBP) to fill a balloon. We're currently running down our last reserve of it by pissing it into the atmosphere in small rubber packages. Who needs super-conduction when you can have gimmicks for the famous? What fun is an nMRI machine anyway?
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Apr 2012 @ 4:36am

Re:
You do know they still make phonographs and needles for them, right?
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Apr 2012 @ 4:54am

"I swear, I thought turkeys could fly."
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Apr 2012 @ 8:35am

Re: Re:
you do know that nobody is going to go out and buy either of those just to play this one disc, right?
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Palidd, 10 Apr 2012 @ 10:14am

Re:
lol I like this, I may use it for my company
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Mike Raffety (profile), 10 Apr 2012 @ 12:22pm

Record players?
Really, who still has a record player? They could've just sent out 8-track cartridges, but I suppose they'd be too heavy for a balloon, and less bio-degradable.
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Coyote, 11 Apr 2012 @ 3:43am

Re: Re: Re:
You do know that people often do just that if they happen to find a really nice disc they want to listen to because they happen to find it interesting?
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charlotte (profile), 11 Apr 2012 @ 12:53pm

Coolest. Release. Ever. and have yall seen Jack White's new music video, "Sixteen Saltines"? The man is a genius! www.jackwhiteiii.com
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amy, 17 Apr 2012 @ 11:06pm

Response to: Machin Shin on Apr 9th, 2012 @ 1:28pm
Jack has already stated that he used 100% biodegradable balloons and natural twine
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