Overview
The annual Improv Everywhere mp3 experiment proves we've come a long way since the Napster debacle of the early noughties. Interestingly, the New York-based prank collective started in 2001, around the same time Napster was given a court injunction to stop the distribution of copyrighted music on its network. But the eighth installment of the annual prank has made good use of mp3 downloads, casting aside any former copyright stigmas for the convergence of thousands of people in one picturesque setting.
This year's prank took place along New York's Hudson River with over 3,500 participants downloading two types of mp3s, each with instructions that culminated in a mass 'silent disco' at Nelson Rockefeller Park during sundown.
The participants of this year's prank began as two groups and were asked to wear two different coloured shirts, representing the theme of two tribes coming together. Once the two groups were instructed to meet at Nelson Rockefeller Park, on-the-spot jumping, indiscriminate high-fives to random passers-by, handshaking, slow dancing and linking of the arms took place.
The Improv Everywhere prank collective has orchestrated over 100 pranks since 2001, and are behind the now iconic Frozen Grand Central flashmob which has been viewed by 27,513,992 people since 2008.
