Forums > Social Chat > New Radiohead album is FREE (or however much you want to pay for it)

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KaelGotRiceGOLD Member
Basu gasu bakuhatsu - because sometimes buses explode
1,584 posts
Location: Angels Landing, USA


Posted:
In a surprising move, (for those of you who live under rocks or in the US wink) Radiohead has put their latest album online available for download.

You can specify how much you want to pay for it, from 0 to 100 pounds. And no, you can't put a negative number to make Radiohead pay you to listen to their album tongue

What do you guys think, brilliant viral marketing or money losing strategy?

More people will listen to their music and go to their shows, but less people will pay for the cd (for example, within the last few hours one bittorrent site shows almost 100,000 downloads of the album from people who did not even want to deal with the main website of radiohead crashing due to high traffic.)

To do: More Firedrums 08 video?

Wildfire/US East coast fire footage

LA/EDC glow/fire footage

Fresno fire


Rouge DragonBRONZE Member
Insert Champagne Here
13,215 posts
Location: without class distinction, Australia


Posted:
It gets their music out there.

Maybe people who wouldn't pay for their CD will now buy it and therefore increase their fanbase for concerts and future albums.

i would have changed ***** to phallus, and claire to petey Petey

Rougie: but that's what I'm doing here
Arnwyn: what letting me adjust myself in your room?..don't you dare quote that on HoP...


_khan_SILVER Member
old hand
768 posts
Location: San Francisco, California, USA


Posted:
The thing with this strategy is, whatever people pay, Radiohead gets all the money. Whereas, with the old model, they would've only received $1 - $1.50 per CD, tops. So even if someone pays, say, $5, since it all goes to the band, they're still making more than they would've made off a regular CD sale. And even if loads of people choose not to pay, I think the diehard fans will pay enough that the net result will still be more $ in the band's pocket than they would've received the traditional way.

And these days musical acts make most of their money off live shows anyway. If this mode of distribution increases their fanbase, the net result could still be more lucrative for the band, even if not every download is paid for.

And the artists control their own distribution/destiny. This move by Radiohead as well as Madonna's Live Nation deal I think are spelling doom for the major labels. That model is clearly one the world and market have outgrown. I'm not sad about it. smile

taken out of context i must seem so strange
~ ani di franco


Fireinamember
143 posts
Location: Broomfield, Colorado


Posted:
Brilliant, but those of us with slow connections have to wait forever to get it downloaded, rather than just waltz out to the store and grab it off the shelf. I work around the corner from a great indie record shop, so I would just walk there during lunch and buy it there. Like today I waltzed over and baught Action Action...COULD HAVE been Radiohead.

"Watch those explosions in the sky and you'll go blind, but not this time. Will you live in hope or dark desire? What can I say? F*ck love give me fire." ~Cities Of Night by Blaqk Audio (Davey Havok)

Proudly MCRmy


pkBRONZE Member
Lambretta Fanatic
4,997 posts
Location: United Kingdom


Posted:
I like freestuff.

animatEdBRONZE Member
1 + 1 = 3
3,540 posts
Location: Bristol UK


Posted:
link? ubbangel

Empty your mind. Be formless, Shapeless, like Water.
Put Water into a cup, it becomes the cup, put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, put water into a teapot, it becomes the teapot.
Water can flow, or it can Crash.
Be Water My Friend.


JauntyJamesSILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,533 posts
Location: Hampshire College, MA, USA


Posted:
www.inrainbows.com

It still leaves a reason to buy the CD because the download is at 160 kbps. I'll get it when it's out in stores, most deff.

It's a great album.

-James

"How do you know if you're happy or sad without a mask? Or angry? Or ready for dessert?"


Skrytinn_QveldrigaBRONZE Member
delectatio morosa, gaudium, desiderium
160 posts
Location: furthur..., Germany


Posted:
i think that they might not have initially been considering the money when theyt decided to release it this way. i mean, they must have so much bank that it doesnt really matter all that much. then somebody prolly said "oh, well, we should allow for the possibility of some money coming in off this", and then they added the 0-100 pounds thing. imo.

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Fireinamember
143 posts
Location: Broomfield, Colorado


Posted:
^^^
Lmao...I can totally see that. "Well boys, I do say we've got more than enough cash, let's just give this one away, egh?"

"Watch those explosions in the sky and you'll go blind, but not this time. Will you live in hope or dark desire? What can I say? F*ck love give me fire." ~Cities Of Night by Blaqk Audio (Davey Havok)

Proudly MCRmy


BirgitBRONZE Member
had her carpal tunnel surgery already thanks v much
4,145 posts
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland (UK)


Posted:
I gave them money for it. I love what they do (usually, there were a few not-so-approved-of-by-me albums but generally they're brilliant), and everyone who's ever been in a band knows that it's hard work to write and record and perform, so while I can afford it, I'll show them that their work is appreciated.

I thought there should be a download now - pay later thing, so you could give them how much you thought it was worth, but I guess you could always get it free and then sign up for a 2nd download if you thought it was worth your cash.

"vices are like genitals - most are ugly to behold, and yet we find that our own are dear to us."
(G.W. Dahlquist)

Owner of Dragosani's left half


pineapple peteSILVER Member
water based
5,125 posts
Location: melbourne, Australia


Posted:
(as ive been told in my school music course) most of the money that goes to the artists themselves isnt the money made from CD sales, but that made from tours.

that said, if they raise they popularity, thus boosting ticket sales.. seems like a very smart idea on their behalf smile

hug kiss

"you know there are no trophys for doing silly things in real life yeah pete?" said ant "you wont get a 'listened to ride of the valkyries all the way to vietnam' trophy"

*proud owner of the very cute fire_spinning_angel, birgit and neon shaolin*


simtaBRONZE Member
compfuzzled
1,182 posts
Location: hastings, England (UK)


Posted:
 Written by: pineapple pete


(as ive been told in my school music course) most of the money that goes to the artists themselves isnt the money made from CD sales, but that made from tours.




think this is one of the main points, bands make hardly any cash per cd sold if they are signed to a major label

bands have always made touring and merchandise the major source of income

also people havent mentioned how they have the choice between the download, and then the deluxe edition of the album, which contains the album on cd and vinyl plus other special stuff

"the geeks have got you" - Gayle


ParafinfairySILVER Member
old hand
845 posts
Location: Adelaide, Australia


Posted:
I LOVE this idea. I love Radiohead and have just bought the album. I didn't pay that much for it but because they are one of my favourite bands I paid what I could afford. I actually think its a wicked idea because like someone said above diehard fans will pay anyway - I often copy cds and people always give me music but because they are doing this I am more than happy to give them a contribution for their work. Sweet.

Slicing the Loaf as we speak.

I need it..... Trust me!


SunnySammySILVER Member
Watching the Sky
453 posts
Location: Cambridge(ish)/Bath Spa Uni, United Kingdom


Posted:
I loved the idea, put in a fiver, and loved the results biggrin

sunny
I jumped into the river, what did i see?
Black-eyed angels swam with me. wink


FireNixBRONZE Member
old hand
904 posts
Location: India/Bristol


Posted:
It certainly interesting. It seems as though the music industry is going to change dramatically as a result of the dowload revolution. This is certainly one way of combating and the loss in revenue, whilst giving the band a total slice of the pie.
I too love Radiohead and would consider paying for this rather than copying it from someones hard drive
Its a great idea....but only for a band as BIG as RH
Imagine how most any other band would fair in this sort of environment. The idea of a signing on fee and the financial Oommph to market a band drives them forward into the public domain and allows a band to get to places they almost certainly wouldnt get on the basis of selling their tracks on the net in a donation only basis.
Yeah the bands dont get much of their CD sales, but they do get alot of push both commercially and in the studio.
This would all but dissapear if the labels fold.
Im not sure which is better - what is certain is that things are changing and thats a reality the majors cant really control regardless of how they try to sue old ladies and dead people!!! Theyre scared and Radiohead are doing a proper 2 fingers - which I respect to any establishment!!!
By the way how is the album - any revues!!??

Feel the Flame
Phirenix


BirgitBRONZE Member
had her carpal tunnel surgery already thanks v much
4,145 posts
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland (UK)


Posted:
I haven't listened to it yet!! It's on my old work pc which doesn't have speakers, so I'll have to burn it or copy the mp3s on the player first...

I kind of have the hope that if many bands will do the same (https://www.ateaseweb.com/2007/10/10/nin-oasis-jamiroquai-to-do-a-radiohead/ mentions Oasis, Jamiroquai, NIN (yay!!) and the Charlatans) the record labels will have to rethink a bit. If they lose the big names they will have to make more concessions to the smaller and new bands and put more effort in keeping them on instead of just replacing them after a year or two.

It'll take a while because the big bands/artists are usually signed for more than one album, so wait for what it's like in 5 years or so smile

"vices are like genitals - most are ugly to behold, and yet we find that our own are dear to us."
(G.W. Dahlquist)

Owner of Dragosani's left half


simtaBRONZE Member
compfuzzled
1,182 posts
Location: hastings, England (UK)


Posted:
so going with this free downloadable album thing, saul williams has a new album out which either costs a fiver or is free, upto you

https://niggytardust.com/

"the geeks have got you" - Gayle



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