Derek Webb began his FREE DEREK WEBB campaign, giving away his "Mockingbird" album free 30 days ago, and already over 50,000 people have downloaded the album.
This bold campaign started when Derek launched freederekwebb.com, a place where anyone can go online and not just hear, but actually download, keep, and share “Mockingbird” completely for free.
Due to the buzz FreeDerekWebb has created, media nationwide have picked up on the story, including The LA Times, Billboard, and The Tennessean Audiences at Webb’s concerts have also grown, nearly double in several cities, and in addition to their presence, Webb says his goal of engaging them in conversation regarding the issues presented in the songs on “Mockingbird” has become a reality. “Mockingbird” tackles many sensitive issues including poverty, war, and the basic ethics by which we live and deal with others. (Read Suite review here.)
"I'm so encouraged by the response to freederekwebb.com” remarked Webb. “It’s exciting to watch “Mockingbird” find its way out there, out into all the cracks and corners. And it's amazing to see just how far out its going. Audiences are consistently hanging around after shows for conversation about the topics on the record. It's definitely having the desired affect."
In regard to using today’s digital means to create and implement such a campaign, Webb comments, "The technology is such a huge part of making this campaign work. And this is a chance for this type of technology to really show its worth. After all, who needs peer-to-peer when you can have artist-to-fan. Basically, I think we're discovering that the same technology that we once believed could bring our industry down, may well be the same technology upon which our industry could be reborn."
