Radiohead's In Rainbows not first of its kind
Radiohead's In Rainbows, for those who have been living under a rock for the past few months, has been perhaps the most intriguing music business experiment in recent years. It also continues to deliver unexpected results.
It all began with a media-frenzy in early October 2007. The band announced on their blog, Dead Air Space, that their new album would be released online before any hard copies were pressed. This was significant for a few reasons.
For one, Radiohead constructed this large-scale operation without the aid of a record label, something unheard of in today's industry. More significantly, though, their ‘pay what you want' method broke new ground in how popular music can be distributed. This, alone, has inspired others like Saul Williams, whose Trent Reznor-produced album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust, followed a similar online-only method.
Radiohead was not the first to institute such a policy, however. Jane Siberry, a Canadian singer-songwriter who experienced success throughout the early ‘80s and ‘90s has been using one such format for a number of years now.
Siberry, who now records under the name Issa, releases her music through Sheeba Records, her self-owned record label. At Sheeba's website (www.sheeba.ca) shoppers can select one of four purchasing options for Issa's music: standard price ($0.99 USD), self-determined (pay now), self-determined (pay later), or gift from the artist ($0).
This means that, among other things, Issa's entire discography can be downloaded for free. And if that isn't enough, she has gone one step further for her live shows, vowing to leave her merchandise table entirely unattended. Fans are still encouraged to place money in a donation box, but for the few who do not wish to pay, she is not concerned.
Perhaps it is due to Issa's older audience, or the devotion of her cult-like fans, but the trust she places in her audience is, without a doubt, admirable.
Radiohead, on the other hand, will probably never take such an audacious route. Nevertheless, In Rainbows has become a newsworthy topic once again, as it was recently released on CD through Maplemusic/Fontana in Canada and TBD Records south of the border.
To much of the industry's surprise, it has skyrocketed to number one on the Billboard charts, selling over 100,000 within its first week on the US market. Now, the question everyone is asking, is ‘Why?', given the fact that it was intentionally leaked by the band.
Is it because the price was set at a meagre $10 at many retailers, or maybe that Radiohead's fans are some of the most devoted around? Perhaps it's more simply just because the album is great.
The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle, but either way, now that artists like Issa and Radiohead have opened up the floodgates, we could be in the midst of an entire transformation of the music industry as we know it.
It all began with a media-frenzy in early October 2007. The band announced on their blog, Dead Air Space, that their new album would be released online before any hard copies were pressed. This was significant for a few reasons.
For one, Radiohead constructed this large-scale operation without the aid of a record label, something unheard of in today's industry. More significantly, though, their ‘pay what you want' method broke new ground in how popular music can be distributed. This, alone, has inspired others like Saul Williams, whose Trent Reznor-produced album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust, followed a similar online-only method.
Radiohead was not the first to institute such a policy, however. Jane Siberry, a Canadian singer-songwriter who experienced success throughout the early ‘80s and ‘90s has been using one such format for a number of years now.
Siberry, who now records under the name Issa, releases her music through Sheeba Records, her self-owned record label. At Sheeba's website (www.sheeba.ca) shoppers can select one of four purchasing options for Issa's music: standard price ($0.99 USD), self-determined (pay now), self-determined (pay later), or gift from the artist ($0).
This means that, among other things, Issa's entire discography can be downloaded for free. And if that isn't enough, she has gone one step further for her live shows, vowing to leave her merchandise table entirely unattended. Fans are still encouraged to place money in a donation box, but for the few who do not wish to pay, she is not concerned.
Perhaps it is due to Issa's older audience, or the devotion of her cult-like fans, but the trust she places in her audience is, without a doubt, admirable.
Radiohead, on the other hand, will probably never take such an audacious route. Nevertheless, In Rainbows has become a newsworthy topic once again, as it was recently released on CD through Maplemusic/Fontana in Canada and TBD Records south of the border.
To much of the industry's surprise, it has skyrocketed to number one on the Billboard charts, selling over 100,000 within its first week on the US market. Now, the question everyone is asking, is ‘Why?', given the fact that it was intentionally leaked by the band.
Is it because the price was set at a meagre $10 at many retailers, or maybe that Radiohead's fans are some of the most devoted around? Perhaps it's more simply just because the album is great.
The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle, but either way, now that artists like Issa and Radiohead have opened up the floodgates, we could be in the midst of an entire transformation of the music industry as we know it.
