calvin harris

Rihanna unlocked at Project Lightyears

A few days ago we reached 35,000 views at www.ProjectLightyears.com and decided it wasn’t fair to keep Rihanna locked up anymore, so we released her. Click here to download your free copy of our acoustic cover of We Found Love.

Thanks to everyone who’s been sharing our content on Facebook and Twitter – it means a lot to us.

If you haven’t seen the video yet and are still trying to decide whether it’s worth taking the time to download the free stuff we’re basically lobbing at you, here’s what it sounds like:

Life as a musician – we’ve never had it better…

There was a time when it was basically impossible to launch a band without a record label. Then there was a time when everybody knew the labels were buggered, and we all felt we should probably leave them twitching in the gutter, but it wasn’t yet clear how on earth you could get anywhere without one. Then came the time when the power to kickstart and sustain a successful music career was – genuinely – handed back to the musician.

There was a time when it was basically impossible to launch a band without a record label. Then there was a time when everybody knew the labels were buggered, and we all felt we should probably leave them twitching in the gutter, but it wasn’t yet clear how on earth you could get anywhere without one. Then came the time when the power to kickstart and sustain a successful music career was – genuinely – handed back to the musician.

And that time is now.

Which also makes this just about the most exciting time in history to be a musician…

A band who exemplify what it’s possible to achieve in this new era is Boyce Avenue. There’s a very good chance you haven’t heard of this Script-esque Florida-based three-piece, but they’re a global phenomenon, and a shining example of how you can use the internet to home-grow a brand that people across the world will love.

In a nutshell, a few years back brothers Alejandro, Daniel and Fabian starting posting cover versions of hit songs on YouTube. This was at a stage when not many bands were doing it, and getting in there early gave them a major advantage over their competitors. They kept the awesome content coming, gradually expanded their fanbase over time and by 2011 had built up a big enough profile to sustain a sold-out world tour that took them across five continents. Only six years in did they sign a record deal (with Universal Republic), which they recently left in order to start their own label.

It’s an inspiring story because, at the end of the day, while The Lightyears may have been lucky enough in our careers to perform all over the world at all kinds of amazing venues, festivals and stadiums (and it’s been an awesome journey so far), when it comes to growing our fanbase we, just like anyone else, need to do it from the ground up (this is what Project LYs is all about – check it out here if you haven’t had a chance yet. There’s free stuff).

I think there are probably quite a few similarities between us and the Boyce boys. They’ve got nice hair, we’ve got nice hair. They’re from Florida, we’re from Berkshire (the Florida of the Home Counties).

Also, we’ve covered some of the same songs. Take the Rihanna track We Found Love, for example – here’s the Boyce version, and here’s the LYs version. Almost a Mexican stand-off. In fact, I propose we use this opportunity to open up the field for a kind of balladic equivalent of Eminem’s 8 Mile rap battles. We wouldn’t be rapping, for obvious reasons, but we could instead battle it out through the medium of heart-trembling acoustic balladry. So, I dunno, George would have to sing a melancholy-but-at-the-same-time-uplifting line at Alejandro, and then Alejandro would have to sing back something equally if not more poignant to stay in the game. Then, if you lose, you’re forced to sit in a padded cell for two weeks listening to Tinchy Stryder interviews. Or something.

Anyway, I guess my point is – check them out. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll be sharing a stage.

Project Lightyears has arrived…

People of the world… Project Lightyears is upon us.

No, not a NASA space initiative, but a social-media storm aimed at spreading the word of The Lightyears to all corners of this good green Earth.

It’s all go here at LYs HQ. Work is moving on apace on our new album, which we hope to release later this year along with my Lightyears novel, Mockstars. We need your support to make this happen, and that’s what Project Lightyears is about.

Click here to visit the Project LYs mini-site and you’ll find a host of video content including live acoustic performances and brand-new novel readings.

Our message is simple – we’d like you to share these videos with as many people as you can. The more our fanbase grows, the closer we will come to making this release a reality.

Our ultimate aim is to reach 10 million views, and as the counter climbs we’ll be unlocking delicious free downloads for your listening pleasure.

To kick things off, we need just over 500 more views to unlock an unheard acoustic version of “This House Will Burn”. Click here to pay your first visit to Project Lightyears.

Thank you, as ever, for your support.