As legal music sharing becomes ever more integrated with social networks, are experimental releases like The xx’s viral freebie a sign of an industry loosening its shackles and welcoming new ways to deliver content to the web generation?

“I'm not a businessman, I'm a business, man,” raps Jay-Z. Collaborating with Samsung for the release of his new album, he's becoming a media empire – making money for himself, kudos for Samsung, and social currency for his fans.

For Arcade Fire's latest music video, the viewer's smartphone is linked to their computer via webcam, transforming it into a visual effects controller: from echo trails to halos, wireframes and reflections. It's open source, so users can alter the web code, too.

SSENSE, a luxury retail company based in Montreal, has recently introduced 'the world’s first interactive shoppable music video'. When viewers click one of the artists in the video, a bubble pops up featuring links to purchase the clothes they're wearing.