Bowie's 1996 Online Single Experiment: A Disruptive Attempt at Music Distribution
2025-05-07
In 1996, online music retail was booming, but digital downloads and streaming faced challenges. David Bowie's single, "Telling Lies," became a pivotal experiment. Bowie partnered with N2K to release the single on his website, offering various download formats, including low-quality RealAudio and Shockwave audio streams, and higher-quality but lengthy (45-minute download) Liquid Audio versions. Despite low bandwidth, slow download speeds, and server errors, the single achieved 450,000 downloads within a week, becoming a successful marketing event that foreshadowed the future of digital music distribution and demonstrated Bowie's adventurous spirit.