A little known indie band from Camden, London may be about to revolutionise the music industry.
The Crimea, who were dropped from Warner Music after one modestly successful album, will give away their second album in its entirety, reports British newspaper 'The Guardian'.
With physical album sales in freefall, they feel that by giving the album away they will significantly increase their fanbase, thus maximising their ability to make money from touring, merchandise and licensing deals.
The album, 'Secrets Of The Witching Hour', was funded by the band and is now available to download from their website, www.thecrimea.net. 
Crimea drummer Owen Hopkin told the paper, "We've always strived to get the music out to as many people as possible. We want to harness the power of the internet. If it's on there for free we'll reach more people than the orthodox route of selling the record."
The experiment will undoubtedly be watched closely by both the music industry, and other indie bands undoubtedly excited at the prospect of bypassing the increasingly archaic routine of seeking a recording contract.

http://undercover.com.au:80/News-Story.aspx?id=2018

I haven't listened to it yet (still downloading) but let me know what you think...

*Edit: WARNING! Before you download listen here http://www.myspace.com/thecrimea - apparently these guys are so shit they had to give their album away ;-)