Kaiser Chiefs Want You to Make Their Album

And sell it. Mostly sell it. But you'll actually earn some money too. Despite original fears that digital music downloads would kill the industry and steal artists' royalties, the new distribution channel has been welcomed by many and often brings artists and their fans closer together. Some have even experimented with the medium and how to sell music online: Radiohead let fans pay what they want, and online concerts are now nothing out of the ordinary.

Kaiser Chiefs have come up with an ingenious way of involving their fans in their new album The Future Is Medieval, asking them to create their own customised version of 10 tracks from the 20 on offer, and create the cover art. If you think your producing/artwork is pretty awesome, you can put your version up for sale on their Album H.Q. and if others buy it, you'll earn a portion of each sale.

Gimmick? Perhaps. A clever way to get fans to pay for an album twice? Definitely. But the band could really be on to something here. Giving fans a role in the creation of the album, however token, gives them a sense of ownership and connection with the band/brand; the Album H.Q. provides a space for the community; and the cash reward means that fans get to share in the band's success.

If the experiment proves a success, expect others to follow suit or push the envelope even further. The world of print media, whose death has often been falsely predicted, could perhaps take a leaf out of music's book when it comes to competing in a digital world.

[Via PSFK]