NAPALM DEATH's 'You Suffer' Immortalized In Bitcoin's Blockchain

May 3, 2018

Pioneering British independent record label Earache has launched its brand-new web site, giving it its first full refresh since its original launch in 1995. The web site serves to celebrate all that Earache has achieved over the years… from humble independent record label to international rock powerhouse with stages at Glastonbury Festival and indeed forthcoming at the 2018 Boomtown Fair.

Ironically, with the somewhat delayed web site launch, Earache is also proud to announce its latest tech adventure. Recently, legendary Earache band NAPALM DEATH hilariously featured in hit comedy show "Silicon Valley". Their 1.316-second song "You Suffer" featured as an alert for character Gilfoyle, letting him know when Bitcoin dropped below a certain price. Certified as the world's shortest song by the Guinness World Records, the track featured on the band's 1987 debut album "Scum" and has since taken on a life of its own.

To celebrate the event, Earache has created the official @NapalmDeathBot on Twitter, tweeting the price of Bitcoin hourly, letting you know if you need to remotely trigger your rig at home. Furthermore, to cement the band and song in the annuls of time, Earache has encoded "Napalm Death – You suffer but why?" into the blockchain, marketing a landmark first for an independent record label.

Owner and founder Digby Pearson comments: "Although we are positive that NAPALM DEATH aren't going anywhere anytime soon — their Glastonbury performance for us last year proved that — we are now ensuring that the band will now live on forever in the blockchain."

In an age where information and opinions can easily be suppressed and removed from online records, blockchain technology has emerged as an unlikely tool for battling censorship, prompting student activists in China to turn to the technology in the fight against government curbs. The very nature of the tech means that all transactions become a permanent part of the blockchain and cannot ever be removed or amended.

Using a method known as Base58, Bitcoin addresses are encoded as a string of alphanumeric text, where it's possible to append a comment which itself becomes a permanent part of the chain. It's here that NAPALM DEATH's thought-provoking lyrics have been enshrined for all time — a simple but poignant message to transcend the ages.

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