Coldplay has been trying really hard to convince fans it's hip. Last spring, the band allowed free downloads of its new single, "Violet Hill," and then offered two free concerts in New York and London. Then, at its first free show, in London, the band reminded the audience three times that the concert was on their dime. In an interview with Reuters, lead singer Chris Martin hinted at the need to satisfy the convention of selling through a label while looking altruistic: "All that other stuff we have to do because we're in contract"—presumably a reference to the chore of selling CDs through their label EMI—"that's all going to happen, of course." The British stadium-pop band had joined pop icon Prince, who gave away the album Planet Earth to around 3 million people in the U.K. in 2007 through the Daily Mail. "It's direct...
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