Maybe Radiohead is looking toward the future, maybe not, maybe they are not even looking.
In a novel approach Radiohead has decided to let its fans decide the value, or lack thereof, of their new upcoming release entitled In Rainbows, which will be available for download from the In Rainbows website.
The physical album ‘discbox’ - containing the regular CD, two 12in vinyl discs, an enhanced CD, artwork and lyrics booklets packaged in a hardback book and slipcase, plus a digital download - is available for pre-order at $81 +/- USD. Shipping is scheduled to commence in early December.
Now why are they taking this marketing route? Well, first off, if they released the album in the traditional methods it would not get anywhere near the free publicity they are enjoying now.
Secondly, this is probably a well deserved poke in the eye to the record labels, who are sitting on the sidelines hoping for a catastrophe.
One reason this promotion may work is that it is an album from Radiohead with a long track record and huge fan base. If you are an indie band starting at the bottom of the heap, this will not work for you. My recommendation - don’t spend all you time chasing those evil labels. Instead build/grow a fan base. When you develop a large solid fan base you will need a baseball bat to keep the labels away. Then you’ll be in position to take the best deal offered and let them boost you up the charts until you have the muscle to do a Radiohead release.
In the meantime, it should be interesting to see how successful Radiohead is on this release.