And so the most unpredictable mainstream rock band in the world have outdone themselves again. No singles released from Kid A. Confusing messages about Amnesiac being a b-sides compilation. A general mess of marketing surrounding Hail To The Thief, and exasperation at yet another pre-release leak.
So, with new album In Rainbows, Radiohead are effectively leaking it themselves. After months (maybe years) of speculation, its out in 10 days, and can be downloaded for any price you choose from their website. That's right, any price at all. So that can be free, or anything else you can think of (plus a £0.45 debit card charge if you decide to pay), or you can splash £40.00 for a "diskbox" which includes the album on CD and as a double-album on 12" pressed vinyl, plus a bonus CD of extra tracks and all in a nice book-and-slipcase set, which comes on in December. Included in the price is a download on 10th October like everyone else.
Its a puzzling strategy that is obviously to be applauded. This is not the same as the Crimea self-releasing their second album after being dropped, nor the same as those free Bravecaptain albums. Radiohead are not an outsider group, on the fringes of a music scene that has rejected them.
I suspect this is all an attempt to move them out of the mainstream. The album will surely be chart ineligible, and I doubt there will be any advertising, and probably no singles. However, everyone likes a free album, so all this is likely to do is make them the biggest band in the world.
I can cope with that.
So, with new album In Rainbows, Radiohead are effectively leaking it themselves. After months (maybe years) of speculation, its out in 10 days, and can be downloaded for any price you choose from their website. That's right, any price at all. So that can be free, or anything else you can think of (plus a £0.45 debit card charge if you decide to pay), or you can splash £40.00 for a "diskbox" which includes the album on CD and as a double-album on 12" pressed vinyl, plus a bonus CD of extra tracks and all in a nice book-and-slipcase set, which comes on in December. Included in the price is a download on 10th October like everyone else.
Its a puzzling strategy that is obviously to be applauded. This is not the same as the Crimea self-releasing their second album after being dropped, nor the same as those free Bravecaptain albums. Radiohead are not an outsider group, on the fringes of a music scene that has rejected them.
I suspect this is all an attempt to move them out of the mainstream. The album will surely be chart ineligible, and I doubt there will be any advertising, and probably no singles. However, everyone likes a free album, so all this is likely to do is make them the biggest band in the world.
I can cope with that.
6 comments:
I think it's a rare and brave move.
Radiohead seem to be one of a minority of bands really embracing the power of the internet and indeed using it to a better potential to reach their fans.
Whilst I'll be the first to admit to myself that some of their recent material has baffled me, it hasn't meant that I haven't enjoyed the ride they've provided.
This move by them should be watched by the rest of the music industry. Maybe the others will look at following suit to some degree.
I sometimes suspect that Radiohead go out of their way to baffle people - but in actuality their recent stuff has been pretty rewarding on repeat listenings.
Apparently the £40 box set is proving more popular than the ambiguously priced download so far. Those crazy Radiohead fans...
Ok, I can understand that the album download itself (where the price is determined by fans) wont be eligible for charts, but surely the boxset will be.
It would be great to see that do well in the charts and what, if anything, the other record labels say about it.
Yeah I'd like to see it do well in the charts - they usually go straight in at number 1 anyway - but I wonder whether the box set will be... Do you remember all the fuss about Beck's last album being chart ineligible because it had some stickers in it? I wouldn't be surprised if they kick up a fuss 'cos of the hard back book etc...
Yeah. They only seem to kick up a fuss on things they don't agree with. They appear to be able to create their own rules as they go along. Rules against stickers, badhes and posters, time limits, too many remixes etc etc.
Those crazy unilateralist swines!
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