Hi guys,
Spotted a post on a UK Music industry magazine site message board (Record of The Day) earlier about how Radiohead are launching their new album.....
As of midnight Radiohead's new album is available to pre-order exclusively from www.radiohead.com
You can buy the DISCBOX or the DOWNLOAD.
The DISCBOX costs £40. It contains the album on CD and on 2 x heavyweight 12" vinyl, plus an enhanced CD containing "NEW SONGS, ALONG WITH DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS AND ARTWORK". All this comes encased in a hardback book and slipcase. Discboxes are being made to order and will be shipped on or before December 3rd. But you also get the download with this package, from October 10th.
Here's the interesting part. If buy the DOWNLOAD by itself (which comes without the content on the enhanced CD), you can choose the price. And yes, the price can be 1p, although when we chose 1p and Mastercard, a 45p credit/debit card charge was added.
Whether you buy the DISCBOX or the DOWNLOAD, you can get your digital copy of the album from 10th October 2007.
So, what Radiohead are basically saying is that you name your price to download the album......you can specify £0.00 to bypass the debit/credit card check.
I think it's a very interesting way to launch the album..Radiohead are one of the most pirated bands on the web, so, by launching the album in the way they are, they will satisfy core fans, who will go for the discbox for £40...(that will be a collectors item if it's numbered) and they will also satisfy bit torrent fans, i.e. fans who download music illegally.
The net result is that instead of millions of anonymous people downloading the album for free on bittorrent sites/limewire etc. Radioheads management team have the contact details for millions of people who like radiohead and would probably like to go to a gig if they play a city close to them over the next year or two.
I don't know about you guys, but, I think it's an inspired idea.
From a Drupal point of view....the eCommerce suite of modules can handle all this data capture and pre-ordering. However, the Radiohead database will probably have millions of users logging in on the 10th Octobe to download the album..so it would require a pretty serious server solution to satisfy that demand.
Dub
Comments
I don't know what news is
I don't know what news is best, Radiohead releasing their new album! or the way they do it. That is truly inspired and inspiring Dub, I agree.
I was thinking of something similar for OpenMusic, but buyers setting their own price, I haven' gone that far. That is the smartest move that can be made for a band that knows beforehand it's music will be pirated. It's a call to consciousness, and a great way to build a detailed fan database, instead of letting your music loose on torrents with no benefits whatsoever.
So, will you be buying the discbox or will you be setting your own price for the download ;)
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both..
Many will end up buying both, Chris. That's the beauty of it.
An interesting point was raised on that Record of the Day message board (which is an industry message board so they are looking at it from an industry perspective) and that is, will Radiohead approach tours in the same way?
i.e. with all the data capture that will come from the album launch...will they shun ticketmaster/others in the same way they shunned Apple iTunes and organise gigs direct with fans?
Another interesting post on there is about Alan McGee launching the next Oasis album in a similar way.....
Dub
It would make sense to
It would make sense to bypass ticketmaster, and that is what their move dictates. Whether they'll do decide to take upon the overhead of organizing their gigs directly, that is something only time can tell.
Being a loyal fan of Radiohead for years, I believe they chose this path in order to stir things up, as a way to protest against the current fashion of selling music for a fixed price - one that is determined by someone least eligible to put price tags on music.
Another point that has been brought up at Record of the day is whether DiscBoxes or downloads are legible for inclusion in the charts. That is a great question, I am waiting to see what the future holds for Radiohead on that topic.
In the Drupal group I created for OpenMusic, I coined the term WebLP, and when I first heard in this post about DiscBox, I thought it would be something similar to WebLPs. Even though it eventually is different, they both are similar in the sense that they are a package of music and artwork, something that single mp3 downloads do not offer. I am seriously thinking about following the same road as Radiohead regarding WebLP price though. Radiohead are such an inspiration!
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fascinating
thats a confident move from an inspired band. wow.
hypothetical poser..
I Agree Moshe...it's an inspired idea.
Here's an interesting poser, though, from a Drupal point of view.....i.e. on the 10th of october, I guess well over 1 million people will login to download their copy of the MP3 version of the album.
That's not only a lot of logins to handle in one day.....but it's also a lot of downloads to handle simultaneously.
So here's a hypothetical poser...
How would you handle/manage the huge demand for album downloads on the 10th of October..?
The last option is my favourite (bit torrent option). Pulling in a corporate service provider to provide the bandwidth and servers just for the peaks in demand is probably a safe option, but, it doesn't have the same warm, DIY, buzz of how they are launching the album.
Although, having said that, I'm not sure if it is possible to create a 'private' bit torrent in such a way that stays within the domain of the band.
any ideas?
Dub
I think that the average
I think that the average internet user who wants to download the new radiohead album is not very familiar with bit torrents... Just a assumption ...in case they think the same, I believe they would go for option 4.
5 is a money/headache saver for them though and so embracing of inovation. I hope they torrent it.
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They evenually did go for
They evenually did go for option 4.
I am currently downloading!
OpenMusic, a network of Drupal based music social communities
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On some private torrent
On some private torrent sites it embeds a passkey in the torrent file and will supposedly kick you off or ban you from the torrent if you re-upload or share the torrent with others. I'm not sure exactly how this works, but I think it is possible. Probably the tracker would check for duplicate passkeys and then ban those .torrent files using the same passkey.
I could see something like Amazon S3 being used for when things get high volume. One cool feature is that they provide the option to either download the file via HTTP or via bittorrent, automatically. But, no warm fuzzy feeling. However if you are generating enough downloads and bandwidth where your server is crashing, I can't think of any other option than bringing in the big guns, or paying more money. At least with Amazon S3, it might end up cheaper.
So my vote would be to provide both methods of downloading (HTTP + Bittorrent), but advertise bittorrent as the superior method of downloading. Users who know bittorrent would download it that way, some users may convert to bittorrent just to get it faster, and confused users would download it the old way. You could even include more stuff with the bittorrent file to make the incentive higher.
Genius move. Hopefully it
Genius move. Hopefully it will pave the way for other big name artists to do the same!
I can't help but wonder what
I can't help but wonder what exactly would happen if not famous but promising artists would do something like that, at their own websites. Would people chose to pay nothing, less than the price of a cd or more? A Radiohead representative claimed that the more orders they get are around the price of a regular CD. Would that happen to smaller artists? Would people choose to part with a free download or would they support an upcoming artist the way they are doing with Radiohead -knowing that the money go directly to the band ?
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not applicable..
hi Chris,
What Radiohead are doing (selling direct) isn't a new idea...but the idea of catering for the freeloaders at the same time is and it's very clever.
However, that model is only really applicable to bands/artists that have a large profile....such as bands/artists out of contract with a major or significant independent label (a non major associated indie label).
Upcoming/unsigned/DIY label bands have been giving their music away for free for years and/or selling direct from their own websites.
The problem with all that free music is that consumers don't have the time to filter out the good stuff.. It's like what happened with the original MP3.COM. That site had zillions of free music downloads but it collapsed under the weight of the sheer volume of unscene and unheard music on there. Ironically, bands on myspace, which is essentially a social networking version of MP3.COM, who develop some traction, end up signing traditional publishing and recording contracts.
The only value in this for upcoming artists is that I think you will find more bands/artists signing 3 and 4 album deals in future, rather than 6 or 7 album deals that became the norm a while back. In other words, they will enter into an agreement with a label, but, with a view of "doing a Radiohead" after the 3rd album!
By which stage (3rd or 4th album), a decent following should have been built up...
What I find more exciting than the clever way they are approaching the album launch, is the effect on the music. This looks like it will work out very well for Radiohead, business wise, but, from a music point of view...it really unleashes an extraordinary amount of creative freedom.
Dub
You are right
and the real value in these contracts is promotion, the image and the following that is built for the bands by the funding of the labels. But does an artist really need a label to do all that stuff? Because in order for the artists to receive these benefits, they have to pass over the rights of their own music to an Industry that is not quite sure what to do with them, yet.
My observations have led me to the conclusion that to a certain extend, artists can have DIY promotion by taming the power of internet in general and social networks combined with fan crew power in particular. I know it's a conversation we've had before, but it's the only logical assumption I can make by closely watching myspace bands use myspace as a promotional tool. Now if that could be done in a more organized fashion, say official fan crews (shameless plug, again), and IF that would ever really work well and not prove to be disastrous, there would be less and less windup in constraining contracts, and significantly more freedom of expression for the artists.
On the topic of the long tail, I wholeheartedly agree that we need labels to filter out the wrong stuff. Perhaps in the end they will transform (or dissolve...) into exactly that, music critics inside the bigger scenery of a self-sustaining music community.
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perplexing
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071002/ap_en_mu/on_the_net
Isn't it weird that they'd still be planning for a normal CD release in 2008? And would they do it through a label to get full distribution?
I'm charmed by the idea of a DIY, no label release but maybe they aren't doing this as an act of rebellion, but more as a way to gain more leverage and sign a better contract with a record label. I can only hope they are doing the former, they certainly have the ability to sidestep a label.
It's all about the music and the *album* concept.
Hi Zirafa,
I don't think it's strange that they are planning a regular CD launch in the new year.
When you consider the amount of people who don't like or simply won't shop/download stuff online (there are still quite a lot of people who prefer to go to record Shops) and how long it took cassette tapes to be phased out, it makes perfect sense. Every artist/band wants as many people to listen and love their music as possible.
Or as GB Shaw once said "if you don't write to be published, there's little point in writing at all".
The reason Radiohead shunned itunes was partly because they didn't like the fact that they couldn't bundle the album on there...it's all individual tracks.
I agree with you that what they are doing is very charming, but, it's also extremely clever, however, I'm afraid you're mistaken about the notion Radiohead are doing this to sign a better contract with a major. That's not what they are about..they'll be able to sign a better licensing deal, yes, but, not a traditional recording contract. They don't need to. They own the masters and will have more than enough money to make another 10 albums now if they want.
Even if they license the "traditional CD" version to a major label, it still fits with the DIY theme.
Consider as well, the Radiohead fan database they are building....it's extremely likely that all those fans buying the box set would go to a gig if Radiohead played at a city close to them...Radiohead can by-pass the promoters and ticket touts, dealing direct with fans and "licensing" their tour to a competant tour management company so everything is organised well.
In the USA, Bruce Springsteen has started organising his own gigs..albeit through his management company..i.e. they book the (very large) venues and bypass the traditional ticketmaster type companies, promoters etc.
Dub
so far, it seems they got
so far, it seems they got all the leverage they could ever hope for, it is crashing their servers , but I believe a conventional CD release is a reasonable step for someone who is trying to adapt to the transitional scene of distribution. They want the best of both worlds for their music.
OpenMusic, a network of Drupal based music social communities
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Drupal driven Radiohead survey.
the guys at that music magazine - Record of the Day - have launched a survey to see what people chose to pay for the downloadable version of the Radiohead album...very nice to see they are using Drupal (and the webforms modules if anyone is interested) for it!!
http://www.whatpricedidyouchoose.com/
(the survey includes a by country analysis and it's free to receive the results when they publish them later in October).
Dub
more bands following
Just updating this thread.
The album is superb...by the way.
I've posted a quick message about the Price survey on drupal.org but I notice that other bands are rumoured to be following in radioheads footsteps...Oasis, Nine inch Nails (who just left interscope) and another Alan McGee Band The Charlatans.
Personally, I think Drupal is ideal for "doing a radiohead". Which begs the question....
Which Modules would you use to handle the "orders"?
webform/ecommerce/ubercart/quickfile?
Dub
Liking the album. One for
Liking the album. One for the books, all things considered. I heard similar rumors about Oasis/Jamiroquai/Charlatans doing a similar thing...
As for Drupal:
Depends on the delivery method. I think quickfile is definitely the most straightforward if you are serving it yourself. Webform if you plan on sending the file directly/privately via email. Ecommerce maybe if things are a bit more complex or you need to pass off the delivery to a third party system.
Has anyone tried the Bittorrent tracker module?
bittorrent tracker module
I haven't tried the bittorrent tracker module..but, it might be an interesting delivery mechanism.
The way Radiohead are rolling out the MP3 version of In Rainbows is a bit like selling a pre-release version of the album.
In other words, in a few weeks/months (probably with EMI) a CD version will be in the shops. If there are any extras on there, people will buy it as well. So radiohead, as well as being very clever, they have dealt with the inevitability of the album appearing online by pre-empting it with the novel pre-ordering system..which is something other bands, like oasis, NIN and others with a decent profile could do to their advantage.
In short, the In Rainbows album (mp3 version) will become the most profitable pre-release album ever.
handling the pre-order data seems pretty straightforward....but, it's the delivery mechanism that's the tricky bit..perhaps your suggestion of the bittorrent tracker module might just scratch that itch.
Dub
if anyone is interested.
If anyone is interested - the Average price worked out at £3.88 (full results to follow)..
Although , beyond the price and the obvious interest in that....the comments left by people taking part in the survey are truly stunning.....or as Nancy Baym Ph.D (from Onlinefandom.com) put it;
.
Dub
That is interesting, I was
That is interesting, I was expecting a higher average price.
OpenMusic, a network of Drupal based music social communities
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Great album!!
Came across a few new tracks on a new music service I'm alpha testing (and hope to help integrate into Drupal). Very engaging stuff - will definitely pay something in the range of if I was buying the CD. Especially if the money goes to the band!
Gus Austin
PepperAlley Productions
Gus Austin
Just updating this thread...
Hi guys,
If anyone is interested, the Radiohead In Rainbows What Price Did You choose results have been published at the following address: http://www.whatpricedidyouchoose.com
As an aside, we checked with Radioheads' music publishers (Warner chappell) and they confirmed that the overall price per download matched the figures they have very closely. Doing a by country comparison isn't really valid because the majority of the votes came from the UK and USA.
That said, the figures are there so you can draw your own conclusions. The real beef of the survey are the comments, which are incredibly interesting.
Drupal handled everything brilliantly....I'm using Views.module, cck.module along with the book.module. So it's quite light as a site.
Dub
How Radiohead delivered the download..
hi Guys,
probably interesting to add, on this thread, that Radiohead sorta bypassed the internet to deliver the album download.
In other words, instead of sending it through 'routers' on the public internet, it was sent direct via a private global network, by the guys at PacketExchange.com (here's their press release about it). That's simplifying it a bit, but, the bottom line is, to avoid the potential router meltdown (when hundreds of thousands of Radiohead fans would be trying to simultaneously download the album) they sorta bypassed the 'public' internet.
dub
CDN's
This is common for anyone delivering large volumes of content. Akami is the most famous company in this business, but Amazon's S3 service does it too, as do a multitude of other CDN providers.
In real terms, a couple million 40mb album downloads is actually pretty small potatoes. But it was nice to see it max out my cable modem at ~700kbps.
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