SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Fans of artist-approved digital downloads are about to claim a new hero -- Tom Petty. Even as Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers continue to sell major numbers of albums the old-fashioned way -- 1993's TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS: GREATEST HITS was recently honored as one of the best-selling albums in history when it received the Diamond Award by the RIAA for sales of 10,000,000 units -- they are now earning new and younger fans by making much of their catalog available for digital downloads.
The Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) Petty catalog is now available for digital downloading in the most significant and comprehensive artist-specific campaign of its kind for UMe. The catalog encompasses 99 different recordings spanning his career from 1976 to 1993 and heard on nine complete albums, including GREATEST HITS, plus other tracks. The first day the catalog was available cyber-wide, January 27, GREATEST HITS debuted as the #4 Most Downloaded Album on iTunes.
On March 2nd, Universal Music and Video Distribution will partner with Petty's current record label, Warner Bros., in a unique cross-promotion to increase consumer awareness of the catalog's digital availability. On that date, Warner Bros. will debut two previously unreleased live tracks by the band on Apple's iTunes site, helping to drive fans to the site's Petty catalog.
Said Bruce Resnikoff, President, UMe: "Having an artist of the stature of Tom Petty committing their catalog to this digital distribution business that is just getting off the ground says a great deal about his foresight. Along with UMe, he is embracing a new digital generation and taking a leading role in putting the music fan first."
The digital partners with UMe are Apple iTunes, BuyMusic.com, FullAudio, Liquid Audio (via music retail sites WalMart.com, Tower.com, FYE.com, etc.), Musicmatch, Rhapsody, and Napster (which launched the effort with a two-week exclusive in late January). The tracks are available for download individually, in bundles or by complete album. Petty has 11 albums in his UMe catalog; the only album not available intact 2000 two-CD ANTHOLOGY: THROUGH THE YEARS and the 1995 box set Playback is not available for purchase online.
Along with GREATEST HITS, the available complete albums are the double platinum DAMN THE TORPEDOES (1979), platinum HARD PROMISES (1981), gold LONG AFTER DARK (1982), platinum SOUTHERN ACCENTS (1985), live PACK UP THE PLANTATION (1986), gold LET ME UP (I've Had Enough) (1987), five times platinum FULL MOON FEVER (1989) and double platinum INTO THE GREAT WIDE OPEN (1991). Just a few of the major hits on those albums are "Breakdown," "American Girl," "Don't Do Me Like That," "Refugee," "The Waiting," "Don't Come Around Here No More," "I Won't Back Down," "Runnin' Down A Dream," "Free Fallin'" and "Mary Jane's Last Dance." Also included are six ANTHOLOGY tracks not available on any of the complete albums offered.
The scope of the campaign is unprecedented for UMe. The consumer awareness tools on the digital sites include Petty radio stations, feature pages (with exclusives, live video footage and more), listening parties, playlists, contests and e-mail blasts. Online grassroots marketing involves tompetty.com, an e-card, chat rooms and messaging, and viral marketing (including a MediaPlayer distributed to fan sites).
Offline marketing entails print (consumer magazines, circulars, box stuffers), radio, in-store (posters, bin cards, window signage) and street marketing, particularly on college campuses and at concerts and lifestyle accounts.
Tom's Warner Brothers catalogue has been available online since last year. The catalogue includes the Gone Gator release Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976) and Your Gonna Get It (1978). Also available are Wildflowers (1994), She's The One (1996), Echo (1999) and The Last DJ (2002). Individual songs from these albums include "American Girl", "Breakdown", "I Need To Know", "Listen to Her Heart", "You Don't Know How It Feels", "You Wreck Me", "Walls", "Free Girl Now" and "The Last DJ."
