Bon Jovi try to lure fans away from downloads

Bon Jovi are offering fans an incentive to buy their latest CD rather than obtain a pirated copy from the internet by including a 13-digit number inside the packaging that gives fans access to exclusive content on the band’s website. Larry Mattera, head of new media at Bon Jovi's label Island Def Jam, says the band wanted to find imaginative ways of persuading fans to buy legitimate copies of their new album. "We need to ensure there is enough value in the CD itself to drive purchases," he told the BBC's Go Digital programme. "There is value in music but that has got lost in the last few years with the advent of the internet and the ability to file-share." Whether the initiative aids sales remains to be seen - copies of ‘Bounce’ are already online and one file sharing service has admitted it is one of the most popular downloads at the moment.