inrainbows.com tells the whole story, quite elegantly, I might add.
In four simple words, Radiohead has transformed the music industry, and as Gerd Leonhard says here, “distribution as a control factor is toast.”
On October 10th, Radiohead is releasing their new album entitled In Rainbows as a DRM free digital download. This is transformational enough because this means that the customer is free to copy the material as much as they want. But what’s more disruptive is the price. After clicking the button for the download on inrainbows.com, you are then given the typical “view basket” option. It’s at that point that something odd strikes you;there’s no price.Instead, you are faced with blanks and a clickable question mark that pops up a page with four words:
It’s Up To You.
In four simple words, Radiohead has changed the music industry for ever. They have not only grasped the idea that music as a per unit product is gone, they have grasped the huge opportunities available in the new music business. And here’s why:
“The band plans to sell a deluxe version of the album with two discs, lyrics, and art, in December.” This too can be ordered on the site, but the price is not up to you. It’s approx. $81.00.
Radiohead knows two things: most importantly, they know that their fans respect them, respect their music, and respect the value of music in general. They understand that the reason most people steal music all day long is that the music industry has made the purchasing of music absurdly complex and unpleasant. It’s too expensive, too restrictive and has too few benefits. This perspective of their fans allows them to confidently expect that folks will pay a fair price for their work.
The second thing Radiohead knows makes the fair price a non-issue anyway. They know that music has moved from being the end product to becoming a relationship builder.
When I was a kid, I would sit for hours pouring over the album words and artwork while the music of my favorite artist played on the stereo. If I had had access to more of it, I would have taken it in a heartbeat. I wanted to know the artist, and the stuff they put ON their project allowed me to do just that. Sure, I had access to magazines and news, but the information on the project felt more personal. It was more personal.
Fans today want the same thing. They want to connect to, and learn about, their favorite – or new – artists. And while I know that this same project stuff (words and artwork) can be downloaded too, how many people are doing that? My kids just get the music and that’s all, but they still want to connect to the artists they love. They want more.
And so do Radiohead fans, thus the discbox set coming in December.
This is big news folks, so check out the buzz and think about how it affects you in your corner of the music industry. Because as Gerd says: “Another 12 months for this Radiohead experiment to become the default approach. Get engaged or get outmoded. And do it soon.”
InformationWeek’s story.
And once again, Gerd’s comments.
