Sire Records has announced the release of Regina Spektor’s new album ‘begin To Hope.’ Set for a June 13th, 2006 release, Spektor recently completed an 11-date sold-out warm-up tour of the states, including dates at Los Angeles’ El Rey Theatre and Brooklyn’s Warsaw Theatre. The dates in the US were the first for Spektor since her 25-date sold-out tour in the summer of 2005. In support of her major-label debut, Spektor will perform on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on June 14th. In addition, Sire launched an interactive virtual listening party for the New York City chanteuse that will enable listeners to experience her new album. Beginning June 24th, Spektor will head to Europe for a 30-date tour, which includes a sold out night at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall and performances at T In The Park and the V Festival.
The official listening party, in which songs from ‘Begin To Hope’ will be available at six different ‘listening posts’ in a virtual New York City loft, will be held in Second Life, an immensely popular 3D online world in which users, known as ‘residents,’ build and own their own content online. This is the first time a major record company has launched a virtual record release in Second Life and held a listening party for one of its artists. Anyone who logs in and creates a free basic membership in Second Life (www.secondlife.com) will be able to view Spektor’s virtual room where ‘Begin To Hope’ will be played in the background. The room will feature places for people to sit and listen to the album and talk to each other about it, providing a communal 3-D experience for users. The environment of the room will change to match the mood of each song. Second Life currently boasts over 221,000 residents, with an average of 6,000 players online at any given time. There is no fee to register and become a resident.
