62 Percent Paid Nothing For Radiohead Album

Well there ain't much of a pot of gold at the end of In Rainbows for Radiohead. After offering fans the option of paying whatever they wanted for the new album, it seems that fans are either lazy and/or cheap.

According to Digital Music News, "17 percent paid an average of $4 for the album, while 12 percent paid between $8 and $12." I guess even bands that have been around for a while with long-standing fans don't have the loyalty from their fans that one would have expected. Is everyone just way too jaded to pay for albums anymore?

Of course, what is unclear so far is whether the band still earned more now than they would have if they had to also cut in a major label. They still sold a substantial amount, moving over a million units.

On a related note, Parlophone has put Radiohead's entire back catalog and put it on a 4GB USB stick to be sold for just under $73. Why even bother!

Power To the People... Pay Whatever The Hell You Want For Music... and Magazines... and What Else?

First Radiohead says they want fans to pay whatever they feel like for their new album, In Rainbows, online. They want the fans to decide the price. Fans have the power. [read here]

Then Saul Williams follows the new Radiohead model and offers his album as a free download on his site. [read here]

Now Paste magazine has ads posted everywhere asking people to subscribe to their magazine for whatever they want to pay. [read here]

What the hell is happening!?

This gives new meaning to the phrase "Power to the people."

Will this really help music? Magazines? What's next? I hope airlines start asking people to set their own flight prices!

Radiohead - In Rainbows

I listened to the new Radiohead album, In Rainbows, in the van on the way down to DC this past weekend. I wasn't that into it honestly. So I ask, Is Radiohead dead or what?