Free Radiohead !

I woke up excited as a kid on Christmas this morning. Radiohead released their 7th Album In Rainbows as a download today. In case you haven't heard, the band announced the completion of the album just 10 days ago. In Rainbows was planned to be released as a digital download and then as a special deluxe package in December. The 10 day countdown came to an end this morning when I received my email link to download the first new music from the band in more than 4 years.

In pre-ordering the download, no set or even suggested price was given, meaning that fans could download the album for free or pay whatever they chose. This idealistic approach towards selling music is revolutionary. The release of In Rainbows establishes an entirely new pricing standard for music. By allowing fans to decide the value of musical content for themselves, the band is preparing for the evolution of music beyond formats. With the digital age, formats have become outdated and worthless. Now that music is so easily transmitted and shared, assigning set values on songs and albums does not make sense. But by associating value with merit, bands and fans can create symbiotic relationships in which both can prosper without the record industry's bullshit.

Radiohead has the name recognition to be able to approach the market in this way. But what of smaller, less recognized acts? How will they take advantage of this new approach?

Download: Radiohead - 15 Step [live from Bonnaroo]