Lady Gaga is turning to an unusual method to cultivate her fan base: The pop icon is releasing songs from her new album on a section of online game FarmVille before they can be heard anywhere else.

The singer, known for her outrageous styles and hits such as "Poker Face" and "Bad Romance," will allow singles from "Born This Way" to be heard within a neighboring farm in the game called "GagaVille."

Players have to complete tasks to hear one exclusive new track per day from May 17 to 19. Additional songs that aren't exclusive can be unlocked over the following three days. The album is due to be released on May 23.

It's the first time game-maker Zynga Inc. has received exclusive tracks from artists in a game and the first time it's created a whole farm dedicated to an artist. In December, Zynga partnered with Dr. Dre to release a track from his album "Detox" in the game Mafia Wars.

About 46 million people worldwide play FarmVille every month.

"Lady Gaga is as passionate about her fans as we are about our players," said Zynga's Raquel DiSabatino, director of entertainment and media, who described the relationship with the pop star as a partnership and didn't reveal the financial terms. "This really was a great meeting of the minds to create an innovative and playful experience for those folks."

The San Francisco-based company is also giving away a download of the full album to fans who buy $25 game cards through electronics retailer Best Buy Co. Inc. Buyers will also be entered into a drawing to attend Lady Gaga's next video shoot and get a virtual unicorn to decorate their farms.

The company is also offering virtual Lady Gaga goods to players who earn points in its other games, as well as offering a chance to receive concert tickets and signed albums to people who play a Gaga-esque word of the day in its game "Words With Friends."