To bring attention to a vanishing animal, rock band Portugal. The Man releases a disappearing record

Mark Koibe/Getty Images

To bring attention to a vanishing animal, rock band Portugal. The Man releases a disappearing record
(Image credit: Mark Koibe/Getty Images)

To draw attention to the plight of the endangered Sumatran tiger, rock group Portugal. The Man has released a limited edition record that literally disappears after repeated listens.

The band collaborated with the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park Conversation Biology Institute and ad agency DDB to release "Sumatran Tiger," inspired by the beautiful animals that inhabit the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Because there are only an estimated 400 tigers left in the world, the band pressed only 400 numbered vinyl albums and sent them out to "influencers from all walks of life," including politicians, journalists, bloggers, and conservationists. To draw a parallel to the tiger, the records are also endangered, having been specifically designed to degrade over time. The receivers are urged to upload the song online to keep it around before it's gone forever.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.