October 2, 2007

Radiohead Spokesperson: Fans Paying Close to Retail for Pricing-Optional Album

Fans can pre-order the digital version of Radiohead's upcoming In Rainbows album for any price they want, but most of them have ponied up an amount similar to what would be charged at a retailer, according to band spokesperson Murray Chalmers, who spoke with the BBC: "Although the idea is that you can decide what you want to pay, most people are deciding on a normal retail price with very few trying to buy it for a penny."

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Radiohead took a huge risk in releasing their album this way, but judging from this early indication (which, granted, comes from their publicist), the risk seems to be paying off, not only in terms of press coverage, but also by generating advance sales -- of a high-priced album package, no less. Surely, there's a lesson to other bands and labels floating around here somewhere: increase anticipation for your album, treat fans with respect, give them options and offer something truly attractive to the hardcore following, and the world will beat a path to your server -- which will then require an upgrade, as the operators of Radiohead.com found out yesterday.


Yeah for Radiohead.

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