The online music distribution method is gaining ground among artists, as musicians who declared themselves agains selling their music over the Internet have now turned to the popular share service. Kid Rock is one of these musicians and his recently closed deal with Rhapsody will offer fans his new Rock N Roll Jesus album which will have to be bought in its entirety, as the artist refused to have his material broken down into individual tracks for sale. Also, the deal will ensure a carefully planned and heavy promotion.

The partnership was possible do to Rhapsody’s flexibility, as other online services, such as Apple’s iTunes to not offer artists any options on how their albums are sold. “The real issue here is flexibility in terms of artists being able to do what they want,” said Ken Levitan, the singer’s manager.

Rhapsody, which is a joint venture between MTV and Real Networks, signed an exclusive four-month deal with Kid Rock, and only after this period will the album be found in other online music stores.

The company’s services offer full albums for $10, while single songs can only be played through streaming, using a Rhapsody subscription that starts at a monthly fee of $12.99.

Still, the artists admits that over the next several months his music will also be featured on iTunes. "I will be on iTunes eventually because I can't avoid it," Rock told the BBC, "but I like to always stick to my guns and prove a point and do something original and because I believe in it."