Kaiser Chiefs fans get to choose tracks on new album
Fans of Kaiser Chiefs are being given the chance to choose which tracks they want on their new album, The Future Is Medieval.
The Leeds band have put 20 tracks on their website with any 10 allowed on their customised record. Fans get to design their own cover, buy the album for £7.50 and can earn money if they recommend it to friends who then buy it. The band's new single Little Shocks had its first play on Radio 1 on Monday. Lead singer Ricky Wilson told Newsbeat: "We wanted to give it back that feeling you had buying a record when I was a teenager, where it was that whole feeling of ownership and investment in buying a record. "I don't think you have that now. I'm not against downloading music for free per se, it's just that it has no value. "What we wanted to do is make it so that when you went on our website and you chose the tracks, you made the artwork, it gave it value to you. "Not only that, the investment of actually spending time on it, it actually has a value because you can sell it like a CD." 'Excitement' The band recorded songs for The Future Is Medieval in their own studio, which they built in the basement of their management offices in London. They worked with producers Tony Visconti, Ethan Johns and Owen Morris with drummer Nick Hodgson producing some of the tracks. A statement from the band's promotion team said: "The band's intention is to create a music experience that can be shared and enjoyed by all and at the same time revitalise and subvert the industry standard. "It can re-engage the excitement and spontaneity of offering new music immediately to fans, allowing them to hear the record at the same time as media and critics alike and hopefully giving people a fun experience at being the Kaiser Chiefs A&R department." Kaiser Chiefs released their third album Off With Their Heads in 2008. The band are playing several festivals this summer including the Isle of Wight, Glastonbury and V. They've also announced they'll be performing at Kirkstall Abbey, Leeds, on Saturday 10 September. Tickets for that concert go on sale next Friday, 10 June, at 9.30am.