I think it was a one-off response to a particular situation, Yorke told The Hollywood Reporter of the innovative In Rainbows sales model. The particular situation was Radiohead's departure from their long-time record label, EMI .
It was one of those things where we were in the position of everyone asking us what we were going to do. I don't think it would have the same significance now anyway, if we chose to give something away again. It was a moment in time.
Regardless, the giving away free music business model has caught on. Radiohead's ATO label mates My Morning Jacket recently gave away the first single off their upcoming album Evil Urges. And only yesterday, Coldplay gave away their first single Violet Hill from their new album Viva La Vida. Nine Inch Nails' Trent reznor has also been slaphappy giving away free music lately.
Do you think Radiohead should've only given away one single for free and charged for the rest of the album? Or was the name-your-own-price worth the historical footprint it put on the music business?
Nine Inch Nails has made its new ten-song, 44-minute minute album entitled The Slip available for free download at www.nin.com (free signup required). The new set includes the songs Echoplex and Discipline which were both posted online during the last couple of weeks ahead of the new album release.
Trent Reznor released the instrumental Ghosts I-IV album online on March 2. The two-hour collection of 36 untitled instrumental tracks was made available in various high-quality DRM -free formats at different price levels. According to a press statement, a total of 781,917 copies of the project were transacted at NIN .com in the first week of release, including paid and free downloads, plus pre-orders for physical editions of the set. The total gross earned was reported as $1,619,420.
The expensive ultra-deluxe limited edition of Ghosts I - IV sold out almost instantly despite a steep $300 price tag. A digital version is available for five dollars, along with a $75 limited edition deluxe package.
EchoplexThe Slip track listing:
01. 999,999
02. 1,000,000
03. Letting You
04. Discipline
05. Echoplex
06. Head Down
07. Lights In The Sky
08. Corona Radiata
09. The Four Of Us Are Dying
10. Demon Seed
