This donation-style system is significant because of Radiohead's massive fan base, easily reaching into the millions globally. The band is able to offer this download option because they currently don't have a record-label, personally owning distribution rights over their music.
According to Greg Kot's blog, Turn It Up, Radiohead is releasing their album on their own terms. Instead of fighting internet file-sharing, the band is embracing their fans, giving them what they want in a medium they use.
Despire more than 20,000 lawsuits, file-sharing has only expanded in recent years. At any moment, more than 9 million consumers are sharing files, dramatically more than 3.8 million, four years ago. Radiohead knows this first hand, as their previous three albums have all been leaked ahead of their official release dates. Irregardless, record sales did not suffer as fans still turned out to buy the albums once they appeared in stores. The band's past 3 albums have all debuted in the top 5 on the Billboard album chart showing that listening first doesn't deter fans from buying.
Along with the digital download, Radiohead is also selling a box-set consisting of the CD album, vinyl records, additional songs as well as artwork and lyrics. Radiohead accepts that through this download release they could potentially lose sales, but it is hard to ignore the marketing opportunities that will come out of this. The music industry has been talking all week about the buzz this move creates. Bert Holman, manager of the Allman Brothers, sees gold for Radiohead as they build themselves a loyal fan base. He says, "Whatever they give away will help them get even bigger as a live act, The free record markets the tour and a lot of other revenue streams."
This is a perfect "anti-marketing" strategy according to a DoshDosh.com article. The band is letting fans talk; letting them access the album online and not setting a fixed price generates great buzz. This method is truly a me-and-you relationship, epitomized in their words, "it's up to you".
The credibility and attention the album's release will give Radiohead is extremely valuable, and since Tuesday, this has been proven. Blog search engine, Blogpulse, showed that posts mentioning the band increased 1300 percent over a three-day span; this is incredible publicity for a 10-track album release. Giving fans the option to download for as little as 45 pence (the credit card handling fee) also hasn't deterred some fans from paying full price for the box set. People are happy to pay the money when they know it's going straight to the artists, not the distributing record company.
But in this interconnected world of communication, who is that surprised? Youtube can turn average viewers into celebrities, Google can send people to the moon, and all it takes is a microphone to make a podcast. A simple blog post can reach millions, especially when networks become attached and opinions are shared. These new methods of communicating and spreading messages further promote globalization, bringing people everywhere together to share.
For Radiohead, this means reaching a key audience. Media-savvy fans, who are looking for the next hit are key players in the buzz game. Giving them the ability to download and listen to the album anywhere in the world is clutch for spreading the word. Their opinion matters, and as past buzz campaigns have shown, it is this group that spreads the word and gets others downloading. Reaching this audience through digital downloads further establishes Radiohead as an epic band because not only are they making themselves available to their audience, they are gaining publicity and favorable attention from non fans as well.
The DoshDosh.com article acknowledges that Radiohead isn't the first band to offer their music free online, but sees the recent release as an opportunity to shift the focus of the music industry. They ask, "will this change the way artists or marketers produce, promote and think about music?"
I think Radiohead said it right with "it's up to you". The success of this will show when the band's pricey box set is released in a few months. It will be interesting to find out whether Radiohead's decision to look beyond the commercial side will actually gain them a larger audience, in turn creating large profits. In a world where marketers want you to pay to show your loyalty to an artist, Radiohead is choosing to go down a different path. They choose to show that it isn't all about money, a refreshing statement that's got a lot of people listening.
Check out "In Rainbows"
