Available now: Radiohead's new album, "In Rainbows

[mckitterick]

So this morning, Radiohead began offering their new album, "In Rainbows," as a download at pay-as-you-wish prices from their website. I'm still at home, so I haven't tried to actually download yet; will do that as soon as I get to the office.

Incidentally, I decided to pay 1.45 Eurobucks (I offered 1.00 and there's a 0.45 credit-card charge; I suspect you can pay 0.00 but it's still a 0.45 minimum charge).

If you plan to get a copy, too, here's their download website. It loads slowly, but way faster than I had expected for this event on release day.

Here's a track-by-track preview of the album by Rolling Stone magazine. Here's the Telegraph's story about this event.

Exciting! This is a great model for fiction, too, I think. I suggest authors look into this - a simple and cost-effective way to do this would be for authors to create a unified download site for their works so everyone wouldn't need to manage their own server farm the way Radiohead is doing. Authors, artists, and other content creators could also sell print, CD, DVD, and other media directly to customers for an agreed amount, as well, again cutting out the publisher/production house/label, distributor, and retailer in a single go.

To better consider this new concept, I've created posted a poll about this:

[Poll #1069048]
Best,
Chris

Comments

[gamera-spinning.livejournal.com]

I think it's a bold experiment and could provide a fascinating model for talent to create, distribute and directly profit from their own work, cutting out the recording label. It seems a natural expression of the culture that has evolved with technology. Every day people are becoming more empowered about how they consume their media; whether it's using a DVR to record your programs, catching a movie via Netflix instead of at the multiplex or listening to music and podcasts at their leisure on MP3 players. News doesn't just come from newspapers or TV anymore. Heck, news doesn't even necessarily come exclusively from internet news outlets with the advent of online journalistic blogs. Also, advances in desktop publishing have made it possible for writers to create professional looking newsletters, presentations, websites and books, and print-on-demand publishers like Lulu.com have elevated the product of what was once considered "vanity-press" publishing.

I think we have a lot to look forward to, and the people who are used to controlling what we see, how we see it and when, are going to have to adapt or disappear.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

I think I agree with all you have to say here, and I'll be very interested to watch what happens with this album and if Radiohead continues to use this model: That'll be very telling.

[gmskarka.livejournal.com]

I answered "of course I will" to the "posting it for free" question, but that's only because it was the closest option to my real answer: I will most likely post a single track (or two at most) to Friday Music, to act as a sampler so that other people go and buy the album.

That's pretty much been my MO with Friday Music from the start, and why I generally don't post full albums (unless they're already freely available, like Mash-up collections).


As far as the question of whether it's a viable model: I hope so, since I've been basing my entire income on it for the past 4 years. :)

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

See, now I think that's an excellent way to help promote an artist that you like: It's not technically okayed by them, but if it brings them new potential customers, what's the loss? I guess if you uploaded full songs or everyone did the same so that entire albums were available... hmm, it's a complex question.

I didn't realize that you've been letting your customers choose what they pay - that's cool! What's your website link?

[gmskarka.livejournal.com]

No, I don't do the customers-choice thing, but I *do* sell direct-to-consumer. That's what I meant.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

It seems to me to be a fine model - if you're Radiohead. If you're already famous and rich, your fanbase is there and eager, you can afford to cut out everything the label does or ought to do on your behalf and take whatever the kids are prepared to offer.

Stephen King did the same thing - or a portion of it, rather, the internet publication thing, just at a set price - a couple of times, a few years back, testing the market to see if it was ready to bypass publishers. Perhaps he was a little early in the game; he went straight back to regular mainstream publishers. He might feel differently if he tried it again now - but he's Stephen King (see above, under 'rich and famous'). Most of us, frankly, aren't.

The problem is, and always has been, distribution. The 'net is a passive distributor: available to everyone, yes, but they have to come and find you. Which means they have to know that you exist, and that they want you. There are means to promote yourself, webwise - but like everything else, they are overloaded with crap.

Me, I have no solutions. Traditional models are failing both their writers and their readers; I have yet to be convinced that new models exist for promoting new work on the web, let alone a 'pay-what-you-please' model (I think that element is a gimmick to catch the newscasts, more than a genuine attempt to test a new model).

[cmt2779.livejournal.com]

I agree with desperance. If you're established, this seems like a fine idea. If not, I have grave doubts. As it is, I *adore* Radiohead and I would gladly have paid to download this album. I didn't, however, because the website would not work, no matter how many times I tried. I got impatient and downloaded it for free elsewhere. Having said that, I would likely still buy the real thing eventually, especially if it comes with extras or at least nice graphics.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it took me a few tries to get the site to work for me, too; turns out it was clunky design that was like a maze to navigate (you have to click just the right things in the right order or you just get a nice note saying you're registered... um, really? Even without inputting my email addy?).

I would like to buy the finished box, too, but they're charging too much for it. It should cost less than a traditional retail box, not more. Something needs work there.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Yeah, for individuals who are the equivalent of mid-list authors (whatever their art), it'll be a challenge to make a living this way. Marketing is a really big deal, and not everyone has the inclination and skill to pull off Web marketing - and very few have the time even if they have the rest.

I think part of Stephen King's problem was that he was charging too much. I mean, geez guy, why not just charge what would normally be your cut from a publisher per unit? That would have meant a lot more customers and a lot happier customers, leading to more purchases and so on.

I really, really want to build and launch a project that's been on my mind for a few years; only recently have I understood how to design and implement it to allow all levels of artists to be able to make money from their art without relying on greedy publishers/labels/production houses and greedy distributors and greedy retailers. I just need to get started, damn the time and cost involved....

[desperance.livejournal.com]

I think part of Stephen King's problem was that he was charging too much. I mean, geez guy, why not just charge what would normally be your cut from a publisher per unit? That would have meant a lot more customers and a lot happier customers, leading to more purchases and so on.

That's a really interesting point - and, I confess, not one I'd considered before. I guess the immediate answer is 'because that would really, really piss off my other publishers who are keeping all my backlist in print at regular publishing prices.' Even now, years down the line, the whole e-book thing is only a niche market; most of our readers still want solid printed books. I guess Stephen King could afford to enrage his regular publishers - as Radiohead, I'm sure, have enraged their regular label - but he'd be establishing a precedent that no one else dare follow.

I really, really want to build and launch a project that's been on my mind for a few years; only recently have I understood how to design and implement it to allow all levels of artists to be able to make money from their art without relying on greedy publishers/labels/production houses and greedy distributors and greedy retailers. I just need to get started, damn the time and cost involved...

Yup, damn them indeed! Or at least say more. Or is this not the time to take the project public...?

[darrkespur.livejournal.com]

Radiohead waited until they'd fulfilled their label commitments with Hail To The Thief then quit the label and released it. Hence the lack of label being pissed off.

I think this strategy will eventually work for all musicians and writers but through a centralised ebay/emusic/whatever style server. The creator still recieves a massively larger chunk of the proceeds but has a framework in which to self-promote. With fiction you could still have editors of such - that get a cut to search through the archives of submitted material to find work worthy of people's attention. It will take a long while to get to that point though.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Not yet ready for public consumption, because it'll take a hella lot of work before it's ready to go. I will surely announce here when I'm getting closer, though!