Steve Winwood and Access Hollywood use P2P for market test

June 30, 2004

Steve Winwood,former member of the band Traffic
and Access Hollywood have formed an experimental marketing alliance that hope to
demonstrate the commercial potential of file-sharing networks such as Kazaa when
paired with a broadband connection. For the
first time, sponsored downloads will be used to support commercial music on
the peer-to-peer networks.

Winwood, a founding member of the group Traffic, has made a
previously unreleased, eight-minute live version of "Dear Mr. Fantasy"
freely available to digital file swappers.

A separate video file, which is also freely circulating on
networks such as Grokster, includes footage of the Grammy-winning
musician in rehearsal.

Each file includes a commercial blurb of about five
seconds, similar to a radio ad, directing users to the Web site of
syndicated TV program "Access Hollywood," which features other Winwood
tracks and offers fans a chance to register to win an autographed guitar.

A separate link on the same Web site sells Winwood's new
independently released CD, "About Time."

If you read
the article, these are some real high rollers that are probing this concept.
NBC Universal Television, a unit of General Electric, produces and sells "Access
Hollywood." The other partner, Hearst-Argyle Television owns 24 TV
stations, along with 10 NBC affiliates.

Source: ZDNet