Sananda Maitreya, a Grammy-winning artist, has revolutionized the music industry by becoming the first major artist to fully embrace peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing with his own branded software. This innovative approach allows fans to share, try, and purchase his latest music directly, fostering a closer connection between the artist and his audience.
On October 6, 2004, Sananda Maitreya introduced a groundbreaking initiative for his "Angels & Vampires" project. This launch featured a customized version of TrustyFiles P2P file-sharing software, enabling fans to access his music in a novel way. The campaign also included the distribution of Weed format files across major P2P networks, with exclusive access to two new songs and a video available only through P2P channels.
Sananda Maitreya emphasized the importance of maintaining a direct relationship with his fans. "It's not enough to just create protected files and say ‘here’s my music, please download’,” he stated. “We have a fantastic group of fans. I owe them my success. RazorPop’s P2P Street Team captures the spirit of fan support and extends it into file sharing."
Marc Freedman, founder and CEO of RazorPop, highlighted the success of previous P2P promotions with artists like Heart and Steve Winwood. "The power of P2P for legitimate music is clear. The Heart campaign outsold iTunes. When Sananda Maitreya came to us, we decided to take P2P marketing to the next level."
TrustyFiles software is highly customizable, featuring a P2P promotions channel that provides a permanent presence for artists to encourage file sharing, showcase promotions, and display breaking news. This feature is particularly valuable, given that 50% of Internet users share music and other files (source: Pew Research Center).
TrustyFiles is designed with user security in mind, offering a blocklist to protect against invasive users and virus scanning support to block infected files. The software is free, easy to use, and devoid of spyware and bundled software.
Sananda Maitreya, formerly known as Terence Trent D'Arby, won a Grammy Award in 1989 for Best Male R&B Vocal. His multi-platinum album "Introducing The Hardline According To" sold over 12 million copies and topped the Billboard R&B Chart in 1988. His hit single "Wishing Well" achieved global success, along with other popular tracks like “Sign Your Name” and "Delicate" featuring Des'ree.
Sananda Maitreya has continued to innovate in his music career. His album "WildCard" was made available for free download from his website in 2001, and his latest project, "Angels & Vampires," is being released in chapters, allowing fans to listen to new music as soon as it is recorded.
RazorPop, founded in January 2001 by Marc Freedman, is an Internet marketing, technology, and entertainment company based in Dallas, Texas. The company develops innovative software and services for digital entertainment consumers and businesses. Their primary product, TrustyFiles Personal File Sharing software, is a leading multi-network product with access to Kazaa, Gnutella, Gnutella2, and BitTorrent networks.
RazorPop also operates several other properties, including:
RazorPop is a member of the Distributed Computing Industry Association (DCIA), which promotes the adoption of distributed computing technologies and the development of business models based on them (source: DCIA).
Sananda Maitreya's innovative use of P2P file-sharing software marks a significant shift in the music industry, demonstrating the potential of digital distribution to enhance artist-fan relationships. By leveraging TrustyFiles' customizable and secure platform, Maitreya has set a new standard for how music can be shared and monetized in the digital age.
For more information, visit Sananda Maitreya's official website and RazorPop.
