Sweepstakes

Sweepstakes are a type of contest where a prize or prizes may be awarded to a winner or winners. Sweepstakes began as a form of lottery that were tied to products sold. In response, the FCC and FTC refined U.S. broadcasting laws (creating the anti-lottery laws). Under these laws sweepstakes became strictly "No Purchase Necessary to Enter or Win", especially since many sweepstakes companies skirted the law by stating only "No Purchase Necessary to Enter", removing the consideration (one of the three legally required elements of gambling) to stop abuse of sweepstakes. Today, sweepstakes in the USA are used as marketing promotions to reward existing consumers, and to draw attention to a product. By definition, the winner is determined by luck rather than skill.

Marketing

Sweepstakes with large grand prizes tend to attract more entries regardless of the odds of winning. Therefore, the value of smaller prizes usually total much less than that of the top prize. Firms that rely on sweepstakes for attracting customers, such as Publishers Clearing House and Reader's Digest, have also found that the more involved the entry process, the more entrants.

Plastic Beach

Plastic Beach is the third studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 3 March 2010 by Parlophone and Virgin Records. Conceived from an unfinished Gorillaz project called Carousel, the album was recorded from June 2008 to November 2009 and produced primarily by group co-creator Damon Albarn. It features guest appearances by several artists, including Snoop Dogg, Gruff Rhys, De La Soul, Bobby Womack, Mos Def, Lou Reed, Mick Jones, Mark E. Smith, Paul Simonon, Bashy, Kano, Little Dragon and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble.

Plastic Beach debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, selling 74,432 copies in its first week. In the United States, it debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 112,000 copies, and it also charted within the top ten in several other countries. Plastic Beach received mostly positive reviews and was named one of 2010's ten best albums by several critics.

Background

Carousel

Sweepstakes (clipper)

The Sweepstakes was an 1853 clipper ship in the California trade. She was known for a record passage from New York to Bombay, and for a race around the Horn with three other clippers.

Record set, New York to Bombay

Sweepstakes made a record passage from New York to Bombay in 1857, of 74 days, between May 9th and July 22nd. At the time, it was "one of the fastest passages on record between the two ports."

California clipper

The Sweepstakes was built at the height of the clipper ship boom, in 1853, when there was a high demand for quick transportation to the California Gold Rush. Forty-eight clipper ships were built that year. Sweepstakes was the last clipper ship built by the Westervelt shipyard.

Just the year before, in autumn of 1852, "four splendid new clipper ships put to sea from New York, bound for California" in "the most celebrated and famous ship-race that has ever been run": the Wild Pigeon, the John Gilpin, the Flying Fish and the Trade Wind. "All ran against time; but the John Gilpin and the Flying Fish for the whole course, and the Wild Pigeon for part of it, ran neck and neck, the one against the other, and each against all. It was a sweepstake with these ships around Cape Horn and through both hemispheres."