Akron/Family Knows How To Sell CDs

The Electronic Frontier Foundation last week issued a report decrying the RIAA’s strategy of suing illegal downloaders, opting to support a “voluntary collective licensing regime.” But even that report misses a larger point, that musicians should find ways to creatively market their wares to an increasingly apathetic audience.

More bands need to take a page from artists like Beck, who allowed his fans to design their own album cover for The Information. But there’s another, easier option: live DVD footage with each purchase. Akron/Family is doing just that.

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On September 10, Akron/Family release Love Is Simple, their second full-length release and fourth overall. And serving as bait, initial quantities of the album will come with a bonus DVD of live performance footage — the video of Moment is available for viewing in the embedded YouTube clip above. It’s simple, it’s smart, and the fact that everyone doesn’t do this serves as a reminder that plenty of bands and their managers don’t know shit about their audience.

• Previously on Hidden Track: Akron/Family at Bowery Ballroom

Read on in the comments for more on Akron/Family’s latest release and information on the band’s fall tour, which, like the NFL, kicks off on Thursday…