July 03, 2008

By By Kamau High, N.Y.

MasterCard this week launched a campaign with an extensive music component.

As part of a new campaign dubbed "Roots of Rock" from New York ad agency McCann-Erickson the credit card maker is offering MasterCard holders free downloads from the entire Universal Music Group catalog from priceless.com.

While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed the card maker did say that once 100,000 songs had been downloaded the company would continue to offer the catalog at a price of .80 per track.

In addition select live performances that have aired over the past years on PBS's "Soundstage" will be available for unlimited free download to cardholders. Some of the artists available include: Heart, Counting Crows, Billy Idol, Jewel, and Ringo Starr.

MasterCard users who make a purchase with their cards up until August 31 will also be entered into a sweepstakes with a grand prize of having a meet and greet with Jon Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton or Kenny Chesney.

"Consumers' passion for their music is unmatched. Music is something that is very individual and we know that personalization is something consumers love to experience," said Amy Fuller, group executive, Americas marketing MasterCard Worldwide, in a statement. "With Roots of Rock, we've created unparalleled music experiences with three of the world's most popular artists, providing consumers with an intimate perspective on these icons that few fans will ever have."

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