Mae is releasing their new tracks one at a time. One each month for 12 months. And they are available for free streaming on their website, and also for download for a minimum donation of $1. Rather than me attempt to explain what they are doing, here is the excerpt from their site:

"Finding new answers to these questions has lead to a redefinition of ourselves and our mission for this next chapter. The one thing that has always been most vital to our band is you. Our fans have always mattered most to us as you are responsible for breathing life into us on a daily basis and we thank you for that. Inspiring you and igniting your passions gives us purpose.
In this 2009 venture, we will bring about this purpose ourselves, as we have decided to offer our music directly to you without the partnership of a proper label. Absent a label, we have found ourselves with no limitations, continually inspired with creativity to approach the whole of our course with this direct connection in mind. With our desire to impact the world being the forefront of our mission, we have decided to donate all of our profits from digital downloads to fund humanitarian projects that MAE and you will be a part of all year long. Our new goals have become to reach new fans through you, our fans, and to reach out to those in need through the MAE community.
With this new creed, success will be redefined over and over again as we meet our goals and set new ones to change the lives of those in need, and spread this message through our music and through our community of fans and friends.
So how will we impact the world together?
When we decided how we would be sharing our music with you, giving you one song each month for the duration of 2009, we wanted to make sure that the first song we released shared our common goal and illustrated our vision to show you how to play your part in it. "THE HOUSE THAT FIRE BUILT" is not just another MAE song or even the first new MAE song. "THE HOUSE THAT FIRE BUILT" is a mission statement. This song sums up how we intend to work with you to build a greater community and a better world. Starting today, we will be reaching out our hands to you and asking that you grab them and hold on. Once you are locked in, we are going to ask you to help us make the chain longer and stronger. Just like a fire that spreads without boundaries, our goal is to ignite a change in this world that is worth being part of. Every profited dollar raised will go directly to the current humanitarian based cause we are funding. Through our website you will be able to follow our progress as we work hard to impact the community locally, nationally, and globally together. We have provided a custom MAE MP3 player for you to embed on your personal sites, profiles, and blogs, so that you can spread the word about our goals and the new music.
Each month during 2009, we will be bringing you a new Mae song.
When you visit whatismae.com, you will be able to hear the music for free.
Every song will be available as a digital download for a min. donation of $1

-MAE”


I personally think this is an amazing idea. The things they will be able to do without a label are infinite. Check it out, the album will be officially available in stores and online on September 22nd.