The XX’s Word-of-Mouth Networking Experiment
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2012/sep/11/the-xx-shared-coexist-release
In 2009, the xx, an English indie band, achieved international fame through its hit debut album of the same name. After their album was released, songs from it were played on many a station, picked up for commercials, and awarded titles as a top hit. Recently, the xx came out with a new album, Coexist, and released it in a unique and interesting manner. By sharing the album with one fan, henceforth referred to as the superfan, and tracking the sharing of the album, the xx generated a “sharing map” that recorded the viral effect of the album by documenting each individual share.
Because the album was not announced to the public, its sharing was strictly based on word-of-mouth. According to the information gathered, the superfan first held on to the album for an hour or so, then began sharing it with others. The album’s existence remained within xx fans for the first twenty-four hours, until social media sites picked it up. From these small sites, the album eventually moved into bigger hands, such as the front page of Reddit.com, a social sharing site that boasts a population of tens of millions all around the world.
The xx’s sharing data is still available in a visually fascinating representation at http://coexist.thexx.info/
– Roo