Calling it a failure?? Muhahahahahaha... They are laughing all the way to the bank.


Im sure if they made a real cd instead, those 60 % would just download it from piratxbay!

I disagree. People that never heard of them will not have heard of them from this release. Heck, there are even people who enjoy Radiohead music that didn't even know this album came out. There have been no promos, videos, or anything celebrating this release that would make the general public aware that it even exists. And for those that would try it using painless methods would have probably just downloaded it off a P2P anyway. I'm thinking more people are approaching recordings this way now. Sample entire songs for free. If it's a all around stellar album they buy it.

From my limited knowledge, I'd say it was successful, considering they're already an established band.

Nobodies (that have really good music and self promotion skills) have been doing it for years with success through increased concert attendance. Whether it be through authorized free downloads or piracy, the internet has been responsible for the rise of quite a few bands that the corporate labels pushed only after their popularity was ramped up online through no work of the label.

Radiohead will no doubt see increases in ticket and merchandise revenues. Something record labels do not see a penny from, and probably the top incentive to give music away for free online.

Very few small bands know how to market themselves, but I think good bands (unsigned or not) eventually come into this knowledge.

the problem is you are ignoring the fact that a large majority of those free downloads are people who didn't listen to the band before
so for example if the audience doubled for their album then only 12% of their existing audience was free loading

that not bad

remember you had to register to gain access to the music so there is marketing value in that list of people because you can significantly reduce the cost of promotion for tours / like bands etc.

hell radio head is probably make $1-2 per free download in reduced advertising cost for their tour, and sell ad space to other like bands (if you liked our new album check out ... )
Establish bands could provide the services of promotion that record companies currently provide Gator and reap the profits from support

I think more was made this way when compared to the record label pay.

They made millions of dollars. I wouldn't call that a failure, though it was far less than they would typically get from traditional royalties.

Radiohead didnt have a record contract anymore. The record companies do fuck the artists hard unless they are mega stars. Its all a loan they get paid back . I bet the 2 mil is more than radiohead saw when one of their record came out thru the record company. As far as people sucking and not paying that shouldnt be a surprise, for some reason people get on the net and a ethical bypass happens.

You are too early to call this one. The number that you are hearing are not official and merely speculation at this point. They are not taking into account the number of people who bought the box set. Not to mention the fact that the mp3s were encoded at 160kps which is not ideal if you want to sell an album on mp3 so that will account for a large number of people who did not pay for the album. I would venture to guess that many of the people who choose to download the album for free will go out and buy it at a traditional B$M store when it drops (probably in January here in North America).

To call this a failure so soon just shows how short sighted you are. Besides the fact that they openly said that fans can download the album for whatever they want including free means people are going to do so.

Further, they are planning an arena tour this time around and I guarantee they are going to sell out in no time (and this is where they are going to make all of their money). As I have said in the past, the album is merely a vehicle to sell the live show.

Anyways, time will tell on this one. I know they are also about to cash in on a box set covering all of the albums released pre "In Rainbows". I'm sure all of this free press is only going to help sell that as well.

ditto except I paid $6...right on the money

/agree it sucks

Some fitting lyrics from an Indie artist who feels the same way:

Download This Song - MC Lars

It's 2006, the consumer?s still pissed
Won't take it anymore so I?m writing a list
Don't try to resist this paradigm shift
The music revolution cannot be dismissed
$18.98 Iggy Pop CD?
What if I can get it from my sister for free?
It?s all about marketing Clive Davis, see?
If fans buy the shirt then they get the mp3
Music was a product now it is a service
Major record labels why are you trying to hurt us?
Epic?s up in my face like, ?Don?t steal our songs Lars,?
While Sony sells the burners that are burning CD-R?s
So Warner, EMI, hear me clearly
Universal Music, update your circuitry
They sue little kids downloading hit songs
They think that makes sense
When they know that it?s wrong

Hey Mr. Record Man
The joke?s on you
Running your label
Like it was 1992
Hey Mr. Record Man,
Your system can?t compete
It?s the New Artist Model
File transfer complete
Download this song!
Download this song!
Download this song!

I know I'm rhyming fast, but the message is clear
You don?t need a million dollars to launch a career
If your style is unique and you practice what you preach
Minor Threat and Jello both have things to teach!
I've got G5 production, concept videos
Touring with a laptop, rocking packed shows
The old-school major deal? It makes no sense
Indentured servitude, the costs are too immense!
Their finger?s in the dam but the crack keeps on growing
Can?t sell bottled water when it?s freely flowing
Record sales slipping, down 8 percent
Increased download sales, you can't prevent
Satellite radio and video games
Changed the terrain, it will never be same
Did you know in ten years labels won't exist?
Goodbye DVD?s, and compact disks!

Hey Mr. Record Man,
What's wrong with you
Still living off your catalogue
From 1982
Hey Mr. Record Man,
Your system can't compete
It's the new artist model
File transfer complete
Download this song!
Download this song!
Download this song!

You know, we just wanted a level playing field.
You?ve overcharged us for music for years, and now we?re
Just trying to find a fair balance. I hate to say it, but?
Welcome to the future.

Download this song!
Download this song!
Download this song!

Hey Mr. Record Man
The joke?s on you
Running your label
Like it was 1992
Hey Mr. Record Man,
Your system can?t compete
It?s the New Artist Model
File transfer complete

Sort of a gross manipulation of numbers there, no? I don't suspect you have anything to support this position. I own a couple of radiohead albums. I likely wouldn't pay a cent for this one, because offered the option of free or not free, I will take free for the same thing (I am not stupid enough to pay for what is free). I don't immediately go out and buy copies of all the songs I hear on the radio either. In my mind, giving it away is giving it away.

As for the idea of ad supported distribution, I think that this is a model that is going to get overused and killed pretty soon. Essentially, this model only works when someone somewhere is making money and can afford to buy advertising. If everything is given away for free, who has the money to pay for the ads?

Can you imagine you get Coca-cola for free but every bottle has advertising on it? Can you imagine what Coke's ad budget would be if they used this model?

All of this is just destructive behavior by acts that already have enough money in the bank and more than enough residual income that they no longer care about a workable business model. They appear to be more interested in pissing on the hand that feeds them.

LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

anyone with any understanding of the biz making this statement is delusional to say the least

If you read up on it, their contract was up with the label. They did this on their own and distributed on their own. At least thats what some sources are reporting.

Nice. Tough guy there behind the keyboard... look forward to seeing you at a show ...... :winkwink:

And MORE fundamental lack of understanding.

Radiohead are NOT a little club band, they have been around for years, have a massive and long established fan base and have released more than a couple of albums over the years.

1.2 million downloads someone said above... damn... that's a one big club band audience.

Think before you type I counsel, and play nicely with the other children.

:winkwink::thumbsup:321GFY

Most people won't pay for something if they don't have to. Why should they?

did radio head give tmz the stats?

Here's a few things.
#1 - It was an experiment. Any result is a success.
#2 - They have their name out there so much now, with so much more attention, the PR stunt was worth it.

#3 - To lift from slashdot
- very, very insightful.

A somewhat surprisingly intelligent discussion went on here http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/06/2035244

A better example of online distribution:
http://niggytardust.com/saulwilliams/download

Download for free, or pay $5 and get the FLAC or 320kbps version.

The people who didn't pay would have just waited till it hit the torrent sites anyway.

The honor system works for the most part, and it's true, many people will take advantage, but true fans of the band will probably pay. The key is to put out a good product.

If people believe in what you're doing they'll pay you for it. You just have to make something worth paying for.

...and I'm the type who doesn't look at the world through rose-colored glasses. I just really believe that with a model like this, the REAL cream will rise to the top.

I'm sure the band was very much aware of the fact that most people are going to opt to not pay a penny. It kind of shows that they're all about the music and not just money.

reading conprehension is something you failed at school appearantly. I never said radio was a little club band retard. And yet you insist on arguing with me and you don't even know WTF youa re arguing about.

You fail at reading too. I already posted that they didn't have a contract. yes they paid ALL the expenses of making this record on thier own. That costs MONEY. Anyone that thinks this supposed $2.7 mill is all profit is fooling themselves.

well said,i can see their tickets in the upcoming tours getting sold all in a sec

I was reading a article a while back, wish I could find it now, that basically stated the times we are living in right at this very moment are the most narcissistic times in the history of the world....kids are basically being raised thinking everything is entitled to them

EXACTLY! and they seem to understand or appreciate any value in anything

yeah, it was a great article, I am scouring the web trying to find it right now...it was in some scientific journal

oops, found it finally, just needed to find the right keywords

http://www.10news.com/news/11129631/detail.html

http://advancement.sdsu.edu/marcomm/...7/pr022707.htm

you have to understand that Gator was talking about how this would only work for successful bands, and all the up and comming bands would have to use the labels.

The key point i was making is that the establish brands can piggy back the unknows more cost effectively then the record labels can.

How many house bands sound like radio head-- remember that radio head has the email address for ever.

So even if they are making 10 cent a year the NPV is 1.00 for that list.

targetted list (band specific music) could easily sell for more than that.

it just a redistribution of revenue away from the record companies and the radio towards the artist directly so your arguement is completely bogus.

again with the hard product comparision, electronic distributions are very cheap. The profit margins are extremely high, with a lot of money being wasted on ineffective marketing. compare the production cost of coke vs the original cost of record a record and digitally encoding it is an apples to oranges comparision and you know it.

you keep making the comparision to try and justify an outdated model.

niggy's goooood.
make sure ur sitting down and listening. pull out the pdf and sing along too

it should fuck u up sonicly and lyricly :thumbsup

and you ignored the fact that the cost of production is taken out of the royalty they would have earned in a record deal so the 1 million they would have gotten (1 per record) would also have to deduct the cost of production.

it doesn't matter that the 2.7 million was not all profit because in both cases they would have to foot the bill for the production out of their share

It just means that their share was bigger this time because they cut the middleman out of the operation. and gave their customer a deal (free music)


and they still have income to make off their action (ad revenue, concert tickets). Remeber they have your email, your location, it now cost them a tiny fraction of the advertising budget to tell all of these people about their upcomming concert in your town.

Hell they can use the demographic information to identify new towns to tour in or to negotiate better venue rates because of the provable tourism revenue they can generate.

Save that one also for when we meet face to face.

Please.

:winkwink::thumbsup

....:1orglaugh:error

First off, I'm a big radiohead fan and this album DOESN'T suck by any means... It's no OK Computer, but it's still a really good album.

Second, it's no failure... The hype from them giving the album away got them free advertising and a shitload of money from the donations.

PLUS they're releasing the album on CD anyways, so they'll get a ton more then AND millions of people will come see their show.

Ding... DING.... DINGGGGGGGGGGGG!

We have a winner!

lol... it was a failure on the internet ... but now they are releasing the album in stores... so they get to make money twice... why??? because not everyone is net savy