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New Radiohead

sparkchaser

sparkchaser

Administrator and Stuntman
Staff member
I have always liked Radiohead and this is yet another reason for me to like them.

http://techdirt.com/articles/20070930/214524.shtml

Radiohead Tells Fans To Name Their Own Price For Latest Album Downloads; Gives Them A Reason To Pay


The band Radiohead is apparently coming out with a new album; the first after its original record deal was completed. It appears that, like many other musicians, they're realizing that the traditional recording industry business model doesn't quite make sense for them. While there was some buzz about an apparent hoax website about the band's new album, it turns out the real thing is a bit more interesting. That's because Radiohead is doing two smart things. It's telling fans they can name their own price for digital downloads. You just pay the band however much you think the downloads are worth and they'll be happy. But that's not all (though, that's what most folks are focused on). Rather than just offering up the content, they're also trying to give people a reason to actually buy something else. In this case, it's a "discbox," which will include the new album on both CD and vinyl, as well as an additional CD of seven extra songs and photos, artwork and lyrics. The whole thing will be packaged in a nice container. In other words, the band is following in the footsteps of folks like Trent Reznor, in realizing that the music is promotional for other stuff -- and you can still sell stuff if you make it worthwhile. In this case, Radiohead isn't really selling the "music." After all, you can get that for free. They're selling the full collection of stuff that comes with the music. Funny how it's the musicians, and not the record labels, who seem to realize that adding value and getting people to pay for it is a business model that beats suing fans.
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Their website: http://www.inrainbows.com/Store/Quickindex.html


The £40.00 'diskbox':
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Digital trade

sparkchaser said:
I have always liked Radiohead and this is yet another reason for me to like them.
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Wow,

I was waiting for this model of digital market to appear for soooo long! And I am happy that those recording companies-monsters who make LOTS of $$ on merely selling of the records (and not sharing the profit so much with the artist who actually do the whole real work) will eventually disappear. Or so do I hope - for the better world.

However, the main problem that most of the funs are teenagers, who do not have a credit card to pay with when buying in internet. I wonder how this credit card payment in internet will be solved...

As a teenage, if I had money, it would be normally either cash from my folks or (insignificant amount of) money in my bank when I was working from time to time in McDonalds and similar... But no credit card, though... Bank system should change accordingly to make it accessible for a digital trade.
 
In other words, the band is following in the footsteps of folks like Trent Reznor, in realizing that the music is promotional for other stuff -- and you can still sell stuff if you make it worthwhile.
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If they wanted to be graphic designers, they wasted their time learning to play the guitar, didn't they?

I'm all for finding new ways of distributing/selling music, and I'm looking forward to the new album, but whoever wrote that article didn't exactly make me more willing to pay for it. Any admiration I have for Radiohead is first and foremost for their music, and the idea that the music is just there to sell "photos, artwork and lyrics" is ridiculous. As much as I enjoy a nice CD cover, that stuff's all secondary, as far as I'm concerned. I won't be shelling out £40.00 for that box, and as I understand it, I won't be able to buy the new album on its own anywhere... which probably means I won't listen to it much. A pity.
 
I don't own a record player so the vinyl that is included would not interest me. The additional artwork doesn't really interest me either. It's too bad they aren't making the CDs themselves available because I'd purchase those.

As for teenagers, I am sure they will find a way.

I'll buy the music.
 
beer good said:
I might, if it's available in lossless format. I won't pay for MP3s.

And the first thing I'll do is burn it to a CD.
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90% of my listening these days is done via my iPod so I'll gladly take MP3 but I will pay less for it than if it were a lossless format.
 
The waveguide said:
Strange thing to do - to burn a CD... Not environmentally healthy. I like digital for it does not require to produce any garbage.
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Not all of us own portable MP3 players, have PCs in our automobiles, or have USB interfaces to out head units.
 
sparkchaser said:
Not all of us own portable MP3 players, have PCs in our automobiles, or have USB interfaces to out head units.
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Well, normally you can connect your MP player everywhere - even in automibile. I stopped buying CDs since I can connect my MP player everywhere. And when I did not have an MP player I was connecting my PC to the loudspeakers (at home).

Anyway, I do not believe that many will stay without an MP player in the next 5 years. So CDs will become useless, so why to produce the garbage if you can predict that it will be no more of use in the next 5 years?
 
The waveguide said:
Strange thing to do - to burn a CD... Not environmentally healthy. I like digital for it does not require to produce any garbage.
Click to expand...

Strange thing to do - to print a book... Not environmentally healthy.

I have an mp3 player and I'm very happy with it, but I also have a kick-ass stereo at home with a CD player that I paid good money for, and I'll be damned if I'm going to sit on my couch listening to music in tiny little headphones.
 
The waveguide said:
Well, normally you can connect your MP player everywhere - even in automibile. I stopped buying CDs since I can connect my MP player everywhere. And when I did not have an MP player I was connecting my PC to the loudspeakers (at home).

Anyway, I do not believe that many will stay without an MP player in the next 5 years. So CDs will become useless, so why to produce the garbage if you can predict that it will be no more of use in the next 5 years?
Click to expand...

I like my MP3s DRM free so I buy the CD and rip the songs myself. The other benefit of owning a hardcopy of your music (CD) is that when your hard drive crashes, you still have your music. I will continue to buy CDs until record labels offer me DRM free digital downloads that I can download more than once.
 
Oh i can't wait for this to be out on CD, i was gonna download it but my computer is from the stoneage so it would probably become some kind of garabge and get lost on my PC for eternity. So getting this for xmas :D I downloaded a few songs just to test the water and i heard Nude ages ago as a live version but it's even better and bodysnatchers is awesome too, reminds me a bit of the hail to the thief days though i do know other people have said it's like Kid A which i really didn't enjoy too much at all, prefer Amnesiac to that one but i adore OK Computer, who doesn't :)
 
I haven't heard any of it yet. The download was too expensive.:p
I'll buy the CD when they release it. I also like to have a hard copy of all my music since I learned my lesson the hard way and lost a LOT when my hard drive crashed on one of my computers.
 
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