Scarlett Johansson album debuts on Imeem
Scarlett Johansson. Now on Imeem.
(Credit: Sheryl Nields/Icon International)If you simply can't wait for Anywhere I Lay My Head, the album of Tom Waits covers as sung by sultry actress Scarlett Johansson, you're in luck. Although it isn't in full release until next week, social-media site Imeem is streaming the album live in advance.
You can't actually download it, but you can listen to the whole thing for free, and judge whether she does justice to the Waits classics or just totally botches them. As a Tom Waits fan, I'm curious to find out.
Streaming-music sites have become a hot spot for album promotions, since they offer a way for Web users to listen for free while pulling in ad revenue and simultaneously making fans wait for a (legal) physical download. Johansson is not the first artist to offer an album early on Imeem; artists like Avril Lavigne and the Rolling Stones have done the same.
Other social music sites like iLike have also been debut spots for album releases--and AOL's been doing streaming album promotions for years.
Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline. 
