Radiohead's Rainbow: pay-as-you-please



I love Radiohead. Always have. Always will. They're a brilliant and innovative band. Saw 'em in Philly when they played The Bends to a crowd of less than 500. OK Computer was the must-own album in Silicon Alley at the end of the 90s. They defined office space all over lower Manhattan. Sure, they've meandered and strayed off course now and again, but they've always had it. Whatever "it" is.

Whilst I have not yet heard a single track off of their soon-to-be-released album, In Rainbows, it is already one of my favourites.

Why?

Because they're giving it away online for free.

paidContent writes: In Rainbows will be available only via the band’s inrainbows.com website, where fans can place the title in a checkout basket but, on payment, are told "it’s up to you".

Here's a great quote from a a pessimistic record label exec in Time magazine, "This feels like yet another death knell. If the best band in the world doesn’t want a part of us, I’m not sure what’s left for this business."

Time also has this gem from a 2003 interview with frontman Thom Yorke, "I like the people at our record company, but the time is at hand when you have to ask why anyone needs one. And, yes, it probably would give us some perverse pleasure to say 'fuck you' to this decaying business model."

Great cover art review and images are on Creative Review. (Thanks for the link, Big Si.)

Discussion and links:
Silicon Alley Insider, Guardian Unlimited, Guardian Blog, WSJ, Mashable, Bubblegeneration, and PaidContent:UK



Technorati Tags: music, business.models, radiohead