Arista recording artist Avril Lavigne’s Try To Shut Me Up Digital Download EP, her first official commercially released live concert tracks, became the #1 best-seller overnight following its July 15th launch on the Apple iTunes Store, it was announced today by Antonio “L.A.” Reid, president and CEO, Arista Records. This is the first live digital-only album released by a major artist on legitimate digital distribution services.
The 5-track digital-only album is currently available exclusively (for 30 days) on iTunes for $4.95 download. On August 15th it will become available on all legitimate digital distribution services, including eCast, LiquidAudio, Musicnet, Pressplay, and Rhapsody – but no physical CDs of the EP will be pressed, distributed or sold in North America. The digital EP release is backed by an online marketing campaign that includes e-mail blasts, grassroots activity by Avril Lavigne’s digital street team, and video features on major online destinations as well as on Avril’s website, http://www.avril-lavigne.com.
The EP includes live versions of four tunes from LET GO, Avril’s 6-times platinum debut album – “Sk8er Boi,” “Nobody’s Fool,” “Unwanted,” and “Losing Grip” – plus a cover of Green Day’s 1994 classic, “Basket Case.” The tracks were recorded at Avril’s March 23rd concert in Dublin, during her “Try To Shut Me Up” world tour, performing in front of a frenzied crowd of 10,000 at The Point – an arena-size venue chosen to replace a much smaller one that had sold out instantly.
Avril is off the road and working on her second studio album for Arista, as fans look forward to the October release of MY WORLD, her first live CD and DVD counterpart. Performance footage from The Point as well as Avril’s concert at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York on May 18th, will be the centerpiece of the DVD. Bonus material will feature behind-the-scene glimpses into Avril’s life and on-the-road antics with her band and their fellow Canadian opening acts, including Arista recording group Gob and Simple Plan.
Meanwhile, MTV VMA and VMA Latin America winner Avril is nominated for three Teen Choice Awards – Best Female Artist, Best Album and Best Single (“Sk8er Boi”) – the results to air August 6th on the Fox network. At Canada’s 32nd annual Juno Awards in April, Avril was the top winner, taking four awards for Single Of the Year (“Complicated”), Album Of the Year and Pop Recording Of the Year (both for LET GO), and New Artist Of the Year. In May, at the second annual MTV Japan Awards, Avril won Best New Artist In a Video for “Complicated.”
