In a groundbreaking industry first The Charlatans have joined forces with Xfm to give away their latest album completely free right here on xfm.co.uk. The revolutionary move which suitably reflects the changing way that music is made, distributed and listened to today, The Charlatans have decided to give their entire new album to fans for the bargainous price of absolutely nothing. Yes, you heard us right, an entire album from one of the UK's premier bands for free! And who better to help them realise this exciting new move than Xfm - whom The Charlatans have signed an x-clusive deal with - with the first single 'You Cross My Path' available as a free download on xfm.co.uk from Monday October 22. Lead singer Tim Burgess said "We want 'the people' to own the music and we want the artist i.e. us, to own the copyright. Why let a record company get in the way of the people getting the music? We reckon the people who listen to Xfm are the people who love The Charlatans and we're excited at releasing our forthcoming singles and tenth studio album online free of charge through xfm.co.uk." The first radio play of the new single along with exclusive interviews with the band and management can be heard on Xfm's Music: Response shows shortly after 8pm on Thursday October 4. Xfm's head of music Mike Walsh commented "Xfm is a proudly innovative brand and we are very excited to be involved with The Charlatans new material in this way. Providing our listeners with such great exclusive content was an offer we couldn't refuse." The rest of the album - which is currently having its' final touches put in place - will be available in its entirity as a download early in 2008. The Charlatans and Xfm started discussing the idea a few months ago, both equally excited by the prospect of creating an industry first. The band - out of contract with their record label Sanctuary but backed by Alan McGee and with access to their own recording studio - realised the potential of getting their material out to fans for free. Alan McGee commented, "Why would you volunteer to join the army for ten years unless you had no choice? Record companies are a kind of army; very regulated. We were really excited when Xfm got behind us and were as enthusiastic about the download as we are - they are the first people to embrace music for the people." Whilst live music and merchandise sales are booming, physical sales are steadily decreasing with more and more fans simply burning tracks from friends or free download sites. McGee continued, "The band will get paid more by more people coming to the gigs, buying merchandise, publishing and synch fees. I believe it's the future business model." The Charlatans - who've already played alongside The Who and The Rolling Stones this year - recently announced new tour dates in London, Glasgow and Manchester which unsurprisingly sold out immediately.