Pitchfork

Coldplay are all about making trade fair, and they're passing the savings on to you! In the midst of all the hubbub surrounding the band's fourth album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (due June 16 in the UK on Parlophone and June 17 in the States on Capitol and featuring the above histrionic cover art) Chris and company have lined up a pair of intercontinental free-of-charge concerts. They are also laying the album's first single on you for the low low price of zero dollars (or zero pounds or euros or whatever).

On the date of Viva la Vida's UK release, Coldplay will make their way to London's Brixton Academy, where they'll take the stage for a crowd of freeloaders. They'll hop an ocean and do the same June 23 at Madison Square Garden in New York. There's a catch, however: the band will hold some kind of contest through their website, the details of which have yet to emerge but can be expected shortly.

And while they're giving stuff away, they'll unload "Violet Hill", the first exhortation from Viva la Vida, on their website as a free download starting tomorrow (April 29). That's a full week before your digital retailer of choice will start asking you to pay for the damn thing.

Oh, and if you happen to pick up a copy of the May 10 issue of NME, you'll get yourself a "Violet Hill" 7" backed with an exclusive track called "A Spell A Rebel Yell".

Coldplay:

06-16 London, England - Brixton Academy
06-23 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
07-27 Pemberton, British Columbia - Pemberton Festival
08-09 Osaka, Japan - Maishima (Summer Sonic Festival)
08-10 Tokyo, Japan - Marine Stadium (Summer Sonic Festival)