In a very interesting move, Radiohead (arguably the best act in the world ever, next to the guy who wrote “Greensleaves”) have released their latest album, “In Rainbows”, over the internet. To the best of my knowledge, the album is not currently available in stores and can only be obtained through the official website that the band set up specifically for the purpose of moving the disc. Pretty innovative thinking from a sublimely innovative outfit. Good for you, Radiohead!
…British website www.Gigwise.com has reported that Radiohead [have] sold 1.2 million copies, a figure thought to be largely based on the pre-orders of the album placed in the ten days between Radiohead announced the release, and the day it went on sale: Oct. 10.
That figure easily trumps the number of discs Radiohead’s last album sold in a similar time frame. 2003’s “Hail to the Thief” moved 300,000 copies in its first week, eventually selling about one million copies in the United States.
Unlike their previous records, all the revenues this time go to the band. Radiohead’s long-term deal with music giant EMI Group has expired, allowing them to release “In Rainbows” themselves. (more)
Not bad sales figures! More interesting is Radiohead’s pricing strategy for the release: customers are only required to pay the price they believe the 10 tracks are worth. And if that price is zero, the customer will only be required to pay a basic handling and shipping fee. Fascinating! Speculation about sales revenues is rampant on the old Tinterweb, but insiders believe that the album could have already pulled in upwards of $10 million.
Word on the street among London music insiders is that the average price paid for the digital version of Radiohead’s In Rainbows album is between $5-$8. The earlier average was £4 ($8), and then the second number, discussed last Friday, was £2.50 ($5), indicating that the average price per album was higher among those who pre-ordered the album, and that fans who downloaded it later generally paid less. (more)
Not bad, considering up to 40% of all downloads from the site have apparently been free purchases!
I’m still pushing the new offering through rotations on the old iPod and haven’t yet formulated a definite opinion, but I do feel that In Rainbows shows quite a bit of promise. And Radiohead haven’t disappointed in a while.
Have a listen to this track off the album. Classic. Really, really good.
| Radiohead – Weird Fishes / Arpeggi |
Man, I love Radiohead. I mean I really love Radiohead. Sexually and all. Yes.