Name Your Price

Radiohead have announced a new album, In Rainbows, that will be released on October 10. So why is this garnering so much media coverage? It has been a long four years since their last album, Hail To The Thief, dropped. It's also a surprise in that they've made the announcement a mere nine days before the release date. But while there are millions of fans salivating at the mere thought of new material, there are countless others in the industry who will be observing the release strategy. In an effort to evade it being pirated, the band has made some interesting decisions.

First, they've announced the digital release date only a few days in advance. Secondly, and most importantly, the price of the album. With many people reverting to pirating music due to steep prices (who'd really want to pay $18+ for a Britney Spears CD???), Radiohead has opted to allow their fans to pay what they feel the music is worth to them. Is this strategy going to work? I certainly hope so. I'd be so much more inclined to pay something if I were able to determine how much. A lot of times, I can't afford to buy albums that I want to because, well, I just don't have enough money. As long as enough people don't abuse this, I think we may see more albums being released this way.

To pre-order the album, click HERE