They Never Drew First, But They Drew First Blood: Not-So-Young Guns Universal and MasterCard Join Forces in Downloading Initiative

When you're number one, you have to flaunt it. If we didn't get the tips of our fingers cut off by grisly henchmen for not paying up on our "Hell's Kitchen" bets (we thought Petrozza had it in the bag!), we would blow on our nails and rub them haughtily on our chest like the brazen boasters we are. In our opinion, TMT runs classier industry news stories than anyone, period. We newsies certainly love to grab them, mangle the facts so much that they don't even resemble news stories anymore, then post them to a bewildered audience who smile politely at our inanities, but roll their eyes when we're not looking. Our attempts lately have focused primarily on the uneasy future of the music industry, the difficulties of competing in this modern download-reliant world, and the newfangled ways the big record companies market their product.

This story is no different because Universal Music Group is hooking up with wallet-controlling superpower MasterCard to deliver free downloads to their already crippled-by-interest customers!

The imaginatively named "Roots of Rock" could have only been devised by a turret-dwelling wizard or by hotshot New York advertising agency McCann-Erickson, who did indeed concoct this scheme to provide free songs to customers under the card's Priceless umbrella. Financial terms of the deal were not specified, but MasterCard said that once 100,000 songs had been downloaded it would continue to provide the Universal catalog at the very reasonable price of 80¢ per song. Apart from the large number of artists available for download, some live video performances that aired on PBS's Soundstage concert series will be available free to cardholders.

Additionally, every time a consumer uses their MasterCard until August 31, they will be automatically be entered in a sweepstakes competition to win a meet-and-greet with either Jon Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney, or Eric Clapton and get a historical tour of each of these artists respective home towns (New Jersey, Nashville, somewhere in England). Who wouldn't want to wistfully stroll through this with Jon Bon Nob Noj?

Amy Fuller, group executive, Americas marketing MasterCard Worldwide, had this to say about the contest: "Consumers' passion for their music is unmatched Music is something that is very individual and we know that personalization is something consumers love to experience. With 'Roots of Rock,' we've created unparalleled music experiences with three of the world's most popular artists, providing consumers with and intimate perspective on these icons that few fans will ever have."

That may be true, but if this means more slowhands will be making me wait by using their MasterCard to pay for two items in the express checkout at the grocery store, then I'm not all for it!

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