Radiohead's new album . . . online?

Published on October 1, 2007 By SanChonino In Entertainment

I don't know how many of you are Radiohead fans (I'll be the first to tell you, BlueDev is not, so he's not going to care about this news), but the big news came out today - new Radiohead!

And in a very weird way . . .

Radiohead finished their deal with EMI after their last record, Hail to the Thief (2004). And they've been silent ever since. Frontman Thom Yorke put out a solo album, The Eraser (2006), that initially I liked, but with subsequent listens I've been less excited by it.

But still, those of us who remembered the grandeur of Kid A (2000) waited with baited breath.

And the news was released today. The new album, In Rainbows, will be released on the band's website as a digital album. No actual pressing of the normal album.

But here's the really weird part - you get to decide how much you want to pay for the album.

Yes, that's right, rather than charging a set price for the digital tracks (which will be released as 320 kbps mp3s), you can put in exactly how much you think the album is worth to you. Nothing? A buck? Five? Twenty? It's all on you, man.

It's innovative for sure, and they have a large fanbase that'll cough up some quick dinero to support their favorite band. But I don't like to buy an album without hearing it first. So it would be difficult for me to purchase a digital album like that.

Plus, on YouTube I heard some concert performances of some of the new stuff, and I was nonplussed. It didn't sound as innovative or inventive as their last releases have been.

So I'm sure I'll download it from another torrent site and decide whether or not I'll send them some money. (It's like with the Pax Cecilia, an independent band that I'm really enamored with. They send out their CD for free, and after I received my album, I loved it so much I donated to the band. That's basically how I feel about this new Radiohead album.)

But when artists as popular as Radiohead do things like this - pie in the face of the record companies - it kinda makes you wonder how much longer they can monopolize the industry.

Just a thought.

(Check the story out here.)

Comments

dynamaso

on Oct 01, 2007

I believe this release it will be the way of the future. The CD single is no longer relevant to the point where singles charts are now being replaced by downloads charts. Full length CD's won't be too far behind. No more having to pay for printing artwork, no more having to chase down distribution agencies or commissions from independent music stores. I'm still not sure how I feel about this. I love the artwork, liner notes and the bits that usual go with putting a piece of music in the market place. But it does make sense, particularly for a well established act such as Radiohead, to do things this way and save themselves a heap of hassle. And putting the onus of cost on the consumer is a novel approach to selling their music.

BlueDev

on Oct 02, 2007

While I'm not a fan, I agree this is a novel approach. One of these days you will have to send me their best album (whatever you think that is) and I will have to give it a serious listening.

SanChonino

on Oct 10, 2007

So.

I just finished my first listen.

I'm unimpressed. Nowhere near as mind-bendingly cool as OK Computer or Kid A.

Disappointing.

BlueDev

on Oct 10, 2007

Perhaps I will give it a listen later and see what I think.

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