I downloaded the new Radiohead album — for free! As many of you have probably heard, they decided to “sell” their new album only through their website; no label involved. I say “sell” because you can choose what price you’d like to pay, including $0.00. I chose to “purchase” the album at the very lowest of prices, just to make sure that I could believe my ears, and yes, it turns out that you can “buy” the album for nada. It also turns out, in classic Radiohead form, the album is quite good so I went back to the site and actually purchased it.
This is an exciting music-biz model that shows just how powerful the new world of digital distribution can be. Apparently they’ve already “sold” something like 1.2 million copies of the album in less than a week. I’m really curious to hear what kind of actual money that translates to. I have a feeling it’s going to be huge.
In order for businesses to stay on top of their game they have to be limber and change with the trends. Instead the music industry has been sitting on its fat ass and sicking it’s attack dog the RIAA on regular working folks and college students. Those in the industry who don’t smell the winds of change deserve to lose market share to more nimble models.
Perhaps the lyrics to House of Cards — one of the tracks on the album — say it best:
Forget about your house of cards
And I’ll do mine
Forget about your house of cards
And I’ll do mineFall off the table,
And get swept underDenial, denial
Denial, denial
Your ears should be burning
Denial, denial
Your ears should be burning
Denial, denial
