Apple regularly rolls out freebies across its range of content stores, and in an apparent attempt to promote iTunes First Play, an upcoming album by a very popular artist is already available to stream for free.
Eric Clapton & Friends – The Breeze (An Appreciation of JJ Cale) isn’t set to hit shelves for another week, but with an eventual retail price of just under twelve bucks, eager listeners can get in early and enjoy the album in its entirety.
On July 29th the album will be available to download the usual iTunes way, but in the meantime, it’s good to see this mutually beneficial promotional effort come into play.
Eric Clapton is widely considered one of the best guitarists of all time alongside some other greats like Jimi Hendrix, and this new release will surely be gratefully received by his long-term army of fans.
As implied by the “& Friends” part of the album’s title, there are many, many supporting artists featured on this compilation of tracks, and given Clapton’s longevity in a music career that has spanned over fifty years, it’s not surprising that there’s a mixed bag of well-known artists from times passed as well as some more contemporary features. From Willie Nelson to John Mayer, this album has a very eclectic mix of performers, and if your interest has been piqued by some of the big names, you’ll definitely want to check out the stream free of charge.
You can already buy a few of the songs individually, but as is often the case with iTunes albums, the vast majority are album-only, and unless you check out the stream via iTunes First Play, you won’t be able to hear them until the end of the month.
So, if you’re a big Eric Clapton fan, then be sure to give this new album a whirl, and if we do spot any more great deals or freebies relating to the iTunes Store in general, then we’ll let you know as and when they run.
Oh, and if you do give the new Clapton album a listen (from here), let us know of your thoughts by dropping a comment below.
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