The band partnered with technology company Music Glue to prepare and distribute the downloads by way of P2P networks.

When downloading a track, a window appears containing a video of the band telling the downloader about the new album as well as band news and merch available on the band’s Web site. Once the video concludes, the user may listen to the track and join the band’s e-mail list. Then the user gets access to a DRM-free version of the track.

“While we don’t condone illegal file sharing, it’s a fact of life that a lot of music fans do it,” said Marillion’s keyboard player Mark Kelly. “We want to know who our file sharing fans are. If they like our new album enough, then we want to persuade them to pay something for it or at least come and see us on tour.

“Music Glue is the means to achieve this goal and to give us back something positive from the dire situation most artists find themselves in today.”