The Lightbulb Goes On… Finally!
I just received my activation code for the new Radiohead album, In Rainbows. For those of you not in the know, Radiohead completed their contract with EMI after the completion of their last album, Hail to the Thief in 2003. Instead of jumping on the bandwagon and re-upping, Radiohead took a major departure from what many other bands would do, and have done, when a multi-million dollar contract come to and end: They went out on their own.
About the band’s departure from EMI, Thom Yorke was quoted as saying, I like the people at our record company, but the time is at hand when you have to ask why anyone needs one. And rightly so.
I’ve been waiting to see who, of the mega bands, would be the first to take this brave step. A decision that would bring complete artistic/distributive control to a band that is sizable enough to make a go of it. My hope is that this will define a new generation of musical independence. I realize that there’ve been hundreds, thousands, millions of bands that have been working the DIY aesthetic for years now, but most bands are working towards one main thing: a record contract. And honestly, there is very little need to do it anymore… as Radiohead are going to show us.
Their idea is simple. They are offering a DRM free version of their album on a donation basis (I paid roughly $5 American for my copy), which, when downloaded, came in at a rather slight 160kbps, but it’s nice enough for listening purposes. In December, they will follow it up with a more traditional deluxe album available in stores (which I will also purchase for the higher quality) that includes extra songs, vinyl and double discs.
What makes their whole marketing structure really shine, though, is the initial donation based purchase. This, to my knowledge, might be the first time this has ever been done by a band, and surely it is one of the first, if not the first, to be done by a tier 1 act. This model could prove to be gang busters because of the minimal distribution costs associated with making it available on the web. At the very least they are collecting powerful marketing data on what the market will bear for this type of model and further what their fan base / basic consumer feels a band’s album is worth via this format.
Whether this is a huge success or a small one, the fact is that Radiohead has once again broken through barriers (musically, artistically, and now through their marketing) to become what I hope is a leader for various creatives (musical and non) to show us how we can live outside the McSystem, creating and survive on our own terms.