radiohead

[tyler]

there is so much to talk about, right now.

i don't even know where to begin.

http://www.radiohead.com

[Big Bob]

oh my. Available for download on October 10, and you can name your own price.

"It's up to you. No really, it's up to you."

Wow, is that cool 'er what?

It also says that there is a discbox option for those who want solid cds/records/what-have-you.

I have a feeling that this album is going to rock some serious sock.

http://www.inrainbows.com

[magpie]

just found out about that too...

very



very






cool.

[putty]

werd

[diesel]

HOLY SHIT

[bitchtits]

its about time this came out and maybe when it does i can catch a show or two and ive been wating a couple of years now to hear some of these songs on albums, im definitly going to buy the discbox that comes with that extra disc and a vinyl, but the other option to name your own price is really crazy...oh the freedom you have when not releasing and album through a record lable..

[diesel]

this is just nuts top to bottom. first they always tease people with their cryptic messages on their board. then they say the album wont come out till next year. and then, whamo! they drop this out of nowhere. no leak, no buzz, nothing. its awesome. they totally went guerrilla style. and you just give them what you want for the download. its almost comedic.

[harrymcq]

What an awesome idea! I am only a casual Radiohead fan but I am definitely going to buy this one. And they sure have gotten a lot of free press out of it! It also allows them to track sales more accurately in this digital free-for-all age.

I wonder if BAM would be into trying this model out. I know I would gladly pay them $15 for the next record, though I'm not sure if Bar-None would be into that.

[Colin]

i was expecting it to be called LP7.
o well, in rainbows is much better

[Phrazz]

just look at all the free advertising they're getting.

[bitchtits]

haha i didnt even think about that

[diesel]

interesting article

http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/ ... radiohead/

Is this real?

I’m standing in Gelson’s, shopping for dinner, and my BlackBerry starts to go wild. All with the above link. About a new Radiohead record.

Then I get in front of a computer and I read that there’s been a hoax. That the site purporting to count down to Radiohead’s release is fake. But now everybody is saying the story at the ABOVE link is REAL! That the new Radiohead album comes out in ten days and you can pay whatever you want. It’s even on the Record Of The Day site.

Huh?

I got a call from the AP just last week. Asking me what Radiohead would do. I said they’d use the English indie model. License the record to a major for a limited period of time for a ton of bread. You see majors OWN physical distribution. And that’s where the lion’s share of recorded music revenue still is, in CDs, at Best Buy/Wal-Mart and the other brick and mortars left. The majors can get the product in the store and you can get paid. They need the billing. You still can’t do it alone, even though it’s been thirty plus years since the Dead failed with "Wake Of The Flood". Hell, PEARL JAM made a deal with a major.

But what if they’re not? What if RADIOHEAD is giving the major labels the middle finger? What if they’re saying WE’RE RICH ENOUGH! That the Net allows you to go straight to your audience. FUCK the middleman who says he’s so necessary.

R.E.M. went for the cash They could have gone indie. Turns out re-signing with Warner was a good move, for they never sold tonnage again, despite getting PAID for selling tonnage. Springsteen went for the check. As did Neil Young.

But none of the foregoing acts are in their prime. They’re riding off into the sunset. They don’t have a hold on the younger generation. Boomers in Bimmers are the fans of these acts, none of whom can sell big numbers anyway. They’re all on victory lap tours, raking in the dough for retirement. Radiohead doesn’t have their dough…shouldn’t they be going for the CHECK?

Isn’t that the majors’ advantage, they’ve got the money, they can write the CHECK?

Who leaves money on the table. Certainly not the agents. They don’t want StubHub to steal a single dollar from their bottom line. Fuck image and credibility, THAT’S MY MONEY! I’m gonna make a deal with Cadillac. I’m gonna whore my product out on TV. Radio won’t play my music, I can’t get it on the Top Forty, MY HANDS ARE TIED!

It’s not like Radiohead’s living in a different world. But they’re playing by a different rule book. One that says the money flows from the music, that people have to believe in you, that you’ve got to treat them right.

Shit, you can barely get a ticket to a Radiohead show. The venues aren’t big and the demand is incredible. They’re doing it all wrong, don’t they see??

Well, obviously they don’t.

This is big news. This says the major labels are fucked. Untrustworthy with a worthless business model. Radiohead doesn’t seem to care if the music is free. Not that they believe it will be. Because believers will give you ALL THEIR MONEY!

This is the industry’s worst nightmare. Superstar band, THE superstar band, forging ahead by its own wits. Proving that others can too. And they will.

This is what happens when you sell twenty dollar CDs with one good track and sue your customers for trading P2P. This is what happens when you believe you’re ENTITLED to your business. This is what happens when music is a second-class citizen only interested in the bottom line.

There’s no testimonial to Jimmy Iovine on inrainbows.com. No thanks to Rick Rubin, never mind Lyor Cohen. Radiohead doesn’t need those stinkin’ badges. They’re THINKING FOR THEMSELVES!

What did that button say back in the sixties? "Question Authority"? That’s what Radiohead is doing here. They’re not holding back, saying their hands are tied, but are forging into the future.

You can’t make a TV show by yourself. Certainly not a movie. Not that anyone can see. But you can make a record all by your lonesome, it doesn’t cost that much. And you can say exactly what you want, you don’t need to clean it up for Wal-Mart. And, you can distribute it yourself online. That’s what Radiohead is doing.

Will they make a deal with a major for physical distribution? Will they do it themselves? Or will they leave ALL that money on the table? Shit, that would blow MY mind.

[magpie]

what's up with this part though:

Here's the really interesting part. If buy the DOWNLOAD by itself (which comes without the content on the enhanced CD), you can choose the price. And yes, the price can be 1p, although when we chose 1p and Mastercard, a 45p credit/debit card charge was added.

?

[tyler]

If you get the download for super cheap, credit cards still charge a transaction fee. can't get completely free of the man.

but if you put in 0.00, then it is 100 percent free.

[harrymcq]

Only bummer to this which I see is that the discbox is 40 pounds and there is no other way to get a lossless version. I am guessing the download is an mp3...