Personalized Version of Jessica Simpson Single to be Released
American recording artist Jessica Simpson’s new summer single “A Public Affair” is to be made available as personalized version. Simpson’s record company Epic say that this is the first time music fans have been offered the innovative opportunity to put their own name into a customized pop song so that the lyrics are literally calling out their name.
The idea – dubbed Custom Cuts – was created by Epic Records and will be up and running exclusively at Yahoo! Music starting on July 18th and then at JessicaSimpson.com and other music sites a week later.
When fans arrive at Yahoo! Music (http://music.yahoo.com/jessicaforyou) or JessicaSimpson.com, they will be able to purchase the song from a list that includes 500 names to choose from. The song contains three personalized shout outs.
If the name chosen is in the 500 pre-defined options, the custom version downloads immediately, and will play like any other track on all portable devices, including the iPod. If the person’s name is very unique, songs will be delivered in approximately 1-3 weeks.
It may be correct for Epic Records to say that this is the first mainstream single which can be personalized. However, the idea of personalizing a song is itself not new – there are many different enterprises offering music for very young children. The songs can typically be personalized with a child’s name in the lyrics.
At the other end of the musical spectrum, rock band Nine Inch Nails last year offered fans the option of downloading a track and creating their own mix using various mixing software such as Apple Garageband and Sony Acid Xpress/Pro for Windows.
Edit 22 July: A significant aspect of this personalized single is that it is being offered as a MP3 file without Digital Rights Management restrictions. David Berlind at ZD Net why this could be an important step forward for the music industry.
