In Rainbows

Radiohead is set to release its first new studio album in over 4 years. "In Rainbows" is set to be a pioneering release in terms of distribution. Over the past 24 hours, the internet has been buzzing about "In Rainbows." No one is talking about the music. Everyone is talking about the fact that Radiohead has basically given the middle finger to the mainstream record labels.

After their deal with EMI expired, Radiohead was one of the biggest free agent bands in the world. Certainly they were offered some lucrative and possibly innovative deals, but they obviously had their sights set on something different.

Musically speaking, I am not a big Radiohead fan. I enjoyed aspects of their early work and have always found "The Bends" to be one of the strongest Rock albums to come out of the 90's, but the band lost me with "Kid A" and "Amnesiac." Yeah, it was supposed to lose people, dazzle them with hypnotic experimentation, but I couldn't digest it. I found it to be overrated. Experimental music can be given artistic accolades, but it still has to have melody and sound good. I dig Miles Davis as much as anyone, but "On The Corner" still sucks.

Nevertheless, what they are attempting to do with the release of their upcoming album is an attempt to revolutionize an alternate way of distributing their music. Other artists do things in a unique way, but usually they have to because they are small and independent and do not have a large audience. Radiohead is an A-list band in terms of credibility and popularity. They don't sell huge amounts of records, but they have artistic integrity, industry-wide respect and have one of the hottest concert tickets around.

Here are the consumers’ options for purchasing "In Rainbows":

1) On October 10, they can download it for whatever price they want. Seriously. If you go to the 'check out' phase on the website: http://www.inrainbows.com/Store/index3.html - the consumer is prompted with the following message, "It's up to you. Really, it's up to you." That should be interesting. Essentially they are giving away their music for free, or for a very small price.

2) If you are a hardcore fan, you have the option of spending nearly $80 U.S. Dollars for a deluxe configuration in early December consisting of the following:

*CD version
*12 X 12 inch heavyweight vinyl version
*Download version
*Bonus CD with additional new songs, artwork and photographs
*Artwork and lyric booklet

All this is being done independently. The band left money on the table from the majors and is doing their own thing. They no longer want to be part of the old business model. This may not be the ultimate answer to the long-term landscape of music releases, but it definitely is a positive step.

The casual fan can download the tracks and burn them onto a CD for very little money. The hardcore fan can get a fully loaded deluxe package and a premium price. But what about the fan who wants an affordable CD with some artwork and liner notes? Guess they are stuck with some cheap downloads because $80 will be too much for something physical.

Will this be financially successful for the band? The downloads probably won't be since the band will be giving those away for next to nothing. The deluxe package most likely isn't built for large profits; its price probably covers production costs and gives the band a little extra revenue. Obviously, Radiohead's agenda for releasing new music isn't to make loads of money. They want their music out there for their fans to consume in unique, easy and enjoyable way. If they were in it for the cash, they would have signed a lucrative deal with one of the majors. And don't forget, they are an immensely popular concert attraction. Any money the band is giving up by releasing their upcoming album independently, they will make up on the road.

I applaud the Radiohead for rocking the boat. Granted, their albums have not been flying off of the shelves the past 7 years, but they still have major name recognition, and leaving the major labels' model behind will be an eye opener for other artists that are not strictly in it for the money. Keep an eye on this because it is just the beginning...