Madonna releases new film exclusively via BitTorrent Bundle

Madonna has released her new anti-persecution SecretProjectRevolution film exclusively via BitTorrent Bundle. It’s a major endorsement of BitTorrent’s new file format, which combines content, community, and — if desired — commerce.

“My goal is to show by the example of SecretProjectRevolution my creative commitment to inspire change in the world through artistic expression,” Madonna said in a statement. “I hope my film and other submissions to Art For Freedom will be a call-to-action and give people a place to voice their own creative expression to help fight oppression, intolerance, and complacency.”

The film will be available starting at 2PM EST at BitTorrent’s new “storefront.”

BitTorrent Bundles can be any size and any media type. They typically work by allowing artists to offer something for free — a song or two — and then place a pay gate over more content, such as the rest of the album. But while that pay gate could be cash, it could also be a like on the artist’s Facebook page, or a re-share to other BitTorrent users, or a tweet, or a donation to a charity. Or, as Madonna chose, it could also be the submission of an email address.

In other words, BitTorrent Bundles is a very flexible file format.

Above: Linkin Park is releasing art via BitTorrent Bundle

Image Credit: John Koetsier

“It’s options not rules,” BitTorrent’s head of marketing, Matt Mason, told me last week. “It’s a media format that’s really designed for the Internet, and it lets you distribute a piece of content the way your content works.”

Artists such as Linkin Park, Corey Taylor, the Pixies, and Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart are already releasing content in BitTorrent Bundles, which will publicly launch out of beta on September 24.

Madonna’s SecretProjectRevolution is an online public art project that is intended to fuel more videos and artwork that will become part of the Art For Freedom global digital initiative. Submitting artwork is as simple as publishing it with the hashtag #artforfreedom.

Fans who download the Bundle will automatically get stills from the video and three high-def trailers. After passing the pay gate by submitting their email addresses, they’ll get the full movie in both high-def and 2K format, plus an exclusive interview with Madonna, and “a special handwritten message from Madonna.”

“The Internet drives creativity, democratizes information, and allows people to connect with one another”, Shahi Ghanem, Chief Strategy Officer for BitTorrent said. “The new BitTorrent Bundle format captures this ideal by giving artists and publishers an entirely new, people-driven distribution tool that is limitless in quality and versatility — enabling them to connect with fans however and wherever they want. Using the Bundle format to help an iconic artist like Madonna share expression freely with the world is a perfect showcase for the technology, and we’re thrilled to support her efforts.”