A colleague accidentally clicked on a promotion while we were discussing YouTube’s video UI, and when I saw Aimee’s name it caught my eye. I’m a big fan, some of her songs are on my best “rip your heart out, despair, and keep going” list. No one does bittersweet like Ms. Mann. I mean, she played a nihilist in The Big Lebowski.
The Aimee Mann Freeway Video Contest promotion calls for fans to upload videos of themselves singing the song Freeway from her new album @#%&*! Smilers. The winner gets to perform the song with Aimee live.
The teaser shows Aimee playing her brilliant anthem Save Me and after a moment, a cross-fade reveals another musician playing the song, and another, and so on… Beyond the fact that the song itself is absolutely stunningly beautiful, this treatment is itself simple and open – raw and vulnerable. Direct participation is one step beyond the spate of mix-your-own multi-track Internet releases. Aimee actually elevates her fans into a position of equality. And the result is an amazing expression of the power of music and how much it connects us – a glimmer of hope, and an acknowledgment of our interdependence. Step aside music business, Aimee Mann is in the house, and she’s bringing her fans with her.
This project also underscores the transformative power of interactive media when used to foster a conversation rather than to sell a product. It is a true expression of human interconnectedness, not a transaction. Sing it, brothers and sisters! Thanks Aimee.
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