Free Radiohead Album (merged)

Pez2

dearbarbie wrote: »

fair enough but as a massive radiohead fan, i don't think that paying 0.00p is very fair on them!

They're hardly short of a bob or two...

KungFuJoe

It's not a hoax, it's run through their fan club site (waste.uk.com, hence the "Waste products" on the credit card bill) and the reason they're able to do it is that they fulfilled their obligations under their last record contract and chose not to take on a new one. This leaves them free to do what they like. So rather than do the traditional thing, which would see them receive less than two quid for every CD sold (the bulk goes to retailers and the record company), they figured they might as well cut out the middle man and go direct. The honesty scheme doesn't hurt in terms of publicity, although Radiohead have never been the types to seek it.

While it is an opportunity to get something for nothing legally, bear in mind that if everyone does that, no other band will bother trying this again. End result? We'll carry on getting fleeced for CDs or take the illegal option. Of course, everyone's free to choose and not everyone will like the music anyway. But if you do enjoy the songs, consider going back and buying it again for a quid or two. An album of music you enjoy is surely worth the price of a medium latte, you still get a bargain, the band get what they would have got for a CD sale and the thieving swines at the likes of EMI and HMV get what they've deserved for many, many years - a big fat nothing!

Overall I hope the approach succeeds. Newcomers to their music get a chance to try before they buy. Audiophiles and collectors still have the option of the discbox. Pirates and downloaders have no more ammo to tempt you onto their malware-ridden sites. Retailers and record firms have to find a new way to rip us off.

Rant over ;-)

hawkwind

Just imagine the publicity they have acheived through this.
There will be a lot of people who would never have gone out and bought the album who may pay a pound or two for it.

We will most likely see their other album sales rise as well because of the publicity.

djhworld

I got it for free, I'll reimburse the costs by going to their concert.

People who say "they'll make a huge loss" are thinking out of context here. Radiohead are one of the most biggest (and best ) bands worldwide. Millions of people will pre-order this album at whatever they want to pay. Yes, many may "steal" it, but the majority will put forward money. It's a download remember, no CD production costs etc

Remember that only £2 of money from a CD goes to artists anyway (probably less), the rest !!!!!!s off to fat cats in record companies etc.

Radiohead cut all ties with EMI a few years ago, this is a purely self driven affair.

+ they're making £40 a pop on the discbox anyway.

AHAR

I love the way this announcement came out of nowhere. It certainly made me properly wake up when I heard it on 6Music news early yesterday morning!:eek:
I haven't decided what to pay for it yet but it'll be several pounds. I respect these guys.

Abida_2

jap200 wrote: »

I've just done it too - it does work for free, but now I'm feeling a bit bad that I put £0.00 and didn't actually pay a fair price for it as it is something that I really wanted anyway. I can't explain why I feel like this, but I just do.

You know what? I would feel bad too... :sad: My brother told me about this site and I couldn't believe it! But you feel bad because you and I agree, you should put in a fair price to the artists. It's an excellent way for the industry to see what price people would pay so the real talent get a fair price on their skills.

Every time I come onto Martin's website - I notice it's full of freeloaders!

It's a shame that society is like this.

I reckon a fiver is fair!

Abida_2

cmrule wrote: »

They aren't stupid.. they know that people are going to download it for free and they will make their money back. Its all over the news today that people can pay what they like for it... a lot of people will just download it because they have heard it all over the news nd want to see what all the fuss is about, and some of those people will become big fans and end up buying previous albums and future albums. It all good publicity at the end of the day.

you're so naive about it all aren't you?

tamora

Works a treat, with no transaction charge

rich_jtg

The next Charlatans album is going to be free too apparently.

http://www.nme.com/news/the-charlatans/31475

dillydilly

when choosing how much to pay - think of it as you being their employer. They've done a piece of work, now they're asking you their employer for a fair wage.

If you weren't ever going to buy it anyway, take it for free - have a listen, you may be surprised.

If you were possibly going to buy - in the same way you'd want to be paid a fair wage, give them a fair wage

I'm surprised the way the bandings of the poll has been put together. For me this is a four way choice

• do I bag it for free 'cos nobody will know ?
• do I get it for cheap because, well they only used to get £2 or so anyway for each album ?
• do I pay the regular amount (£8-£12) and allow Radiohead to cut out the 'fatcat' middlemen ?
• do I pay over the odds (£12+) in recognition that this music will be played many times for many years to come, unlike most CDs bought on a whim and listened to less than five times ?