 "Photo: Photo courtesy of W.A.S.T.E.")
Recently, Radiohead made the statement many fans had been patiently waiting for. Jonny Greenwood, the band's lead guitarist, posted on the band's blog, "Dead Air Space", that their upcoming album was finished and was going to be available exclusively on the internet, as a listener-names-the-price bargain.
As of October, the album, titled In Rainbows, has been available for download through their web site for whatever price the listener wanted to pay. Fans would also be able to preorder a discbox of the new album on vinyl, and two discs of additional songs, artwork and photos.
Though there are plans for a physical album release in early 2008, Radiohead has not yet signed to a label; the band's deal with Capitol Records ended in 2003 after the release of Hail to the Thief.
A week after the release of In Rainbows, Forbes online revealed that although the listener had the ability to choose the price of the album, the amount of albums acquired illegally will eventually surpass the amount of albums received from the official In Rainbows Web site.
Fans of the British band have not only the discbox and album release to look forward to, but an international tour scheduled to begin spring of 2008.
Though Radiohead fans have been able to make their own decisions on the price, the band is still raking in money through discbox preorders and the people who paid a fair price for the album. Fans have reported that although they downloaded it - even if for free - they have plans on purchasing the physical copy of the disc upon its release.
Fellow music industry elitists, such as Jamiroquai and Oasis, are rumored to be following in Radiohead's footsteps by releasing their albums for free download. Skeptical reasons for these digital releases seem to be the worry of falling album sales for the entire industry. Due to the exclusive digital releases, bands and artists need to make the majority of their profit from concert ticket sales.
Several lesser known bands, such as The Format, Tilly and the Wall, and Harvey Danger, have all released albums digitally for free, but Radiohead has been the biggest name in music to make such a bold move.
As the trend of digital releasing grows, labels are beginning to fear the possibility of much of the industry going under. With the rise of downloads and a decrescendo in total album sales, artists are taking it upon themselves to cut out the middle men, such as labels and retailers, by giving their fans access to the music with a couple clicks of the mouse.
To download the new Radiohead album, In Rainbows, visit www.inrainbows.com.
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article!