News

Pearl Jam Offers Boots to Verizon Customers

Pearl Jam has signed a deal with Verizon Wireless' V Cast service in conjunction with the band's summer tour. The agreement is closely linked to the band's longtime bootleg program, with three songs from each show being made available immediately afterwards through V Cast and PearlJamConcerts.com. One track will be free, and the other two will be available for a fee. Each song is a "dual download," which means it'll be sent to a customer's phone and home computer at the same time. Ringtones and ringbacks will also be available, all of which will feature Verizon's own digital rights management (DRM) system. Fans who choose to download Pearl Jam content through V Cast will also be entered in drawings for tickets to upcoming shows.

As for a DRM-free option, that'll hit PearlJam.com two weeks after each show, in both an MP3 and FLAC formats. Pearl Jam's bootleg series has been going on since 2000, but it went digital (with optional made-to-order CDs also available) just two years ago.

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
06.11.08