Trivia

Hard

The First Major-Label Recording Artist To Release A Digital Album Was?

R.E.M.
Radiohead
Prince
They Might Be Giants
The cover art for the album Long Tall Weekend by They Might Be Giants.
They Might Be Giants/eMusic

Answer: They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants, an American alternative rock band formed in the early 1980s by John Flansburgh and John Linnell, have long been known for embracing new technologies and integrating them into the making, and promotion of, their music. Between 1983 and 2008, for example, they ran a service for fans called Dial-A-Song wherein fans could call a phone number in Brooklyn and hear snippets of songs, demos, jingles, and other sound bites from the band (a service that was revived in 2015). They also used the Internet, via Usenet, long before blogs and social media took off, to post updates for their fans.

With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that in 1999, They Might Be Giants became the first act from a major label to push out a completely digital album. Their album, Long Tall Weekend, had an exclusive initial release through the digital music service eMusic. Also, unsurprisingly, the fame of the band combined with their willingness to jump into early digital distribution made They Might Be Giants the most downloaded band of 1999.

More Trivia Questions

Trivia

Hard

“Blood Rain”, Described By Multiple Accounts Throughout History Isn’t Tinted With Blood, But?

Trivia

Easy

The Fattiest Organ Of The Human Body Is The?

Trivia

Hard

One Of The Hills Of Rome Is Composed Almost Entirely Of What?

Trivia

Hard

Alcohol Is An Antidote To Poisoning By What?

Trivia

Hard

The First Book Sold By Amazon.com Was A Tome About?

Trivia

Hard

Magic Smoke Is A Tongue-In-Cheek Term For Smoke Produced By?

Trivia

Very Hard

When Employees Are Encouraged To Experiment And Develop On Company Time, It’s Called?

Trivia

Hard

What Is The Tallest Structure In The United States?

Trivia

Easy

Which Of These Animals Are Able To Effectively “Pause” Their Pregnancies?

Trivia

Hard

When You’re “On Cloud Nine” What Type Of Cloud Are You On?