Carl Barat has criticised the decision by Coldplay this week to release their new single for free online.
'Violet Hill' has been available to download completely free from Tuesday at coldplay.com, and will be withdrawn on Tuesday, when it goes on general sale. The band had hoped following in the footsteps of Radiohead and Nine inch Nails, both of whom released music for free in recent months, would drum up interest in their forthcoming fourth album 'Vida La Vida'. However, Dirty Pretty Things frontman Carl says it simply makes the climate a tougher place for smaller bands.
He says, "You could say they (Coldplay) were jumping on the bandwagon a bit. You can't escape the fact that big name, big money bands who release their stuff for free are harming the scene.
"The industry is struggling financially and this is like missile after missile. How do new bands compete?"
