If you are a Radiohead fan, you can choose how much you pay for their album. They managed to cut out the middle-man. But do you think it's a one-off attempt? Or is this a new business model that the music industry has to follow in order to survive? If you are given the choice, how much will you pay?
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BBC News Tuesday, 2 October 2007, 10:46 GMT 11:46
Radiohead fans are able to choose how much to pay for the band's next album, In Rainbows, which is available for download on 10 October.
Instead of listing a price for the music, the group's website simply states "it's up to you" - and then adds: "No really, it's up to you."
The announcement was made online by guitarist Jonny Greenwood.
Fans can buy the download or a £40 "discbox", which includes two CDs, two records, plus artwork and booklets.
Critical acclaim
Traffic to the site has made access difficult for fans at times, but the band's spokesman said it was being worked on.
This is Radiohead's seventh album, but it is their first without a record label, having fulfilled their contract with EMI following 2003's Hail to the Thief.
The band are now "talking to a number of record companies" about releasing the album in a physical format early next year, their spokesman said. EMI are among the companies they are talking to, he added.
The group have received critical acclaim for their previous albums, which have sold millions on both sides of the
They are regarded by some music critics as the world's best rock band.
The digital market is continuing to grow, with a 50% increase in digital single purchases in the first six months of the year, the BPI said in July.
But downloads still only account for 10 to 20% of the overall music market, and that figure includes formats such as ringtones.
3 comments:
I love that the group is reaching out.
Radiohead join a line of other artists who sense that the record industry is, well, thinking in terms of records. Florida's own Jimmy Buffet has bypassed the industry for a number of years. Prince has got a very eclectic and opportunistic strategy of reaching out to his fans that often bypasses the industry, Aimee Mann has been doing her own distribution for a while.
Don't get me started on an industry whose main strategy seems to be "sue your customer".
I can't agree more. Prince did something quite novel here in the UK few months ago, when The Mail on Sunday (Newspaper) revealed that it had made a deal to give Prince's new album, Planet Earth, away for free with an copy of the paper, making it the first place in the world to get the album. The date chosen was July 15, 2007. This move sparked controversy among music distributors and also led the UK arm of Prince's distributor, Sony BMG, to withdraw from distributing the album in UK stores. The UK's largest high street music retailer, HMV decided to stock the paper on release day due to the giveaway!
Here is the news link for more details.
http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2114557,00.html
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