"Oxygen offers island songs, CDs"

BY: Robert Morast
Section: Link
Dateline: Sioux Falls


Some critics of capitalism like to say things like, "The only free thing in this country is the oxygen we breathe."

Well, apparently the Oxygen we listen to also is free.

A melodic pop rock band that likes to harmonize, Oxygen is one of those rare bands that isn't afraid to give people its music for free.

"We give away our CDs and have from day one," says Brent Cerny, the band's lead singer.

Seriously. We're not talking about CD singles or a couple free downloads on a Web site. Oxygen actually gives people free copies of the band's polished albums - no basement mix tapes here.

The Omaha band's moves could be seen as altruistic, if it weren't such a great marketing idea.

Rather than play a show and hope their sounds are catchy enough to inspire the audience to buy a couple of discs, Cerny gives free copies of the music to anyone who wants them. The idea is that it builds a larger fan base that will be willing to come to future concerts or possibly buy future albums.

This weekend, Oxygen will hand out the free goods at the BrickHouse with 9:30 p.m. shows Friday and Saturday.

"My past experience with bands, I cut a full-length album, and we tried to sell it, but you just don't get the music out there," Cerny says from a phone in Omaha. "It's hard to get people to pay that kind of money for an unestablished act.

"The good thing about this is that it's free, and everybody wants it."

Indeed. People love free, especially when it's music that draws comparisons to Maroon 5 and Jimmy Buffett.

That doesn't mean Cerny and his mates are singing about margaritas and cheeseburgers. But Oxygen does have a number of sunny ditties that talk about the ocean. Kind of odd for an Omaha group.

"I know, that's the funny thing," Cerny says. "At least a couple times a year, I go to spots on the Gulf of Mexico and write songs."

Obviously, Cerny hasn't quit his day job if he's giving away music for free and still taking trips to tropical locales.

Thus, Cerny says some musical peers have wondered how Oxygen is able to afford its handout music service.

"Some people say, `You're selling drugs to make money for CDs,' " Cerny says. "I just figure you have to play the game. With free music on the Internet, you have to compete."