Radiohead’s free distribution yields results - bit-tech.net Forums

Tim S · 8th Nov 2007, 10:32

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2007/11...elds_results/1

The free distribution method Radiohead employed in the release of its new album has announced results - free beats paying.

Nedsbeds · 8th Nov 2007, 11:41

Another relevant issue is that they managed to get the album out with no leaks. For such a popular band to manage this is quite rare.

Can't wait for December. I want my disk box now!

Hiren · 8th Nov 2007, 11:58

Not sure about music on USD drives. That's a little werid to me. But credit to them for actually trying something new.

DXR_13KE · 8th Nov 2007, 12:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hiren

Not sure about music on USD drives. That's a little werid to me. But credit to them for actually trying something new.

ditto....

DarkReaper · 8th Nov 2007, 12:41

Seven albums worth of WAV... do I get to use the memory stick for standard file transfers?

Cupboard · 8th Nov 2007, 13:15

It must be a pretty big flash drive... thats 7 CDs worth of music which is nearly 5GB, so is it a 4GB drive or what?

E.E.L. Ambiense · 8th Nov 2007, 14:06

The truth of the matter is, they pulled $10 mill in money from this, and climbing. And that goes straight to them.

Drexial · 8th Nov 2007, 14:27

this is by no means a new concept. the band Mellowdrone released their album free for DL and i believe $10 for a CD without a label and this was back in 2003. i feel this was far more of a test of how successful a venture like this could be, because they weren't a widely known name like radiohead. i DLed it and bought the CD cause not only did i respect what they were doing i like the music. i also love the title of the album "A Demonstration of Intellectual Property" and it really was. Maybe they aren't mega superstars now. But they have enough of a fan base to support what they love doing and they they are at least well off.

OleJ · 8th Nov 2007, 17:46

"one of which being uncompressed WAV files on a USB drive for Â£83.50."
LOL! Welcome to the digital Millenium EMI. Or ppl could just buy the collection and rip it to FLAC thereby having both CDs with covers and all AND a digital lossless copy that takes up less.

But but but. Still great to see an initiative towards not locking customers down with DRM. Just a shame that they want it to cost a premium.

wharrad · 8th Nov 2007, 21:27

Jonah from New End Original, Far, One Line Drawing and the Deftones has been allowing you to choose a price for his music since I first checked his website... Um, probably sometime around 1999/2000.... Also, you can choose the price for all merchandise.

He does send you the actual CD or t-shirt etc, so there is a minimum cost... But his figures, being a middle of the road artist and doing over many years... Should give a good figure. Record companies won't like his successes mind!

The_Beast · 8th Nov 2007, 22:53

Radiohead made lot of money "selling" there CD this way

Irvine · 9th Nov 2007, 00:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by OleJ

"one of which being uncompressed WAV files on a USB drive for Â£83.50."
LOL! Welcome to the digital Millenium EMI. Or ppl could just buy the collection and rip it to FLAC thereby having both CDs with covers and all AND a digital lossless copy that takes up less.

If they did that, then they wouldn't be able to DRM it. Doubtless, the WAVs on the USB drive will probably be locked down like hell.

And I wonder if they included multiple downloads in the numbers? I, for one, tried to download the album several times but failed because the link that they provided didn't work.

impar · 9th Nov 2007, 11:59

Greetings!

BitTech news could perhaps link directly to the article where Chris Castle commented on Radioheads "In Rainbows", no?

As for the Radioheads new distribution method results:
Overall, the band grossed about a quid per download, reckons ComScore. People who paid contributed an average of $6.00 (£2.89) - but once freeloaders were included, that falls to just $2.26, or £1.09 per album.

Instead of:
He guessed that when royalties were combined with money earned from publishing, Radiohead saw between $3 and $5 for every album sale.

I see Radioheads move as a commercial flop but an amazing marketing tactic.

Constructacon · 9th Nov 2007, 22:11

I disagree. They obviously aren't caring what the per download cost is (because they offered it for free). What matters is how much money they make at the end of the day. To be honest - it's loooking like that could be a considerable amount. And the record companies got...... $0. A new day has dawned and it's high time [some] record labels took off their rose coloured glasses and looked at the world as it is. No longer will we accept them bleeding us in the name of the artist.

impar · 10th Nov 2007, 00:59

Greetings!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Constructacon

And the record companies got...... $0.

The record company will get its share when the hard copy gets released.

DXR_13KE · 10th Nov 2007, 10:56

but not as much as they would have if they were the first to release it.....

8th Nov 2007, 10:32	#1
Tim S Pewlius Caesar bit-tech Staff Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Ascot, Berks Posts: 18,021	Radiohead’s free distribution yields results http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2007/11...elds_results/1 The free distribution method Radiohead employed in the release of its new album has announced results - free beats paying. __________________ Tim on Twitter \| Tim's Blog \| Tim's Flickr The bit-tech Blog \| bit-tech on Twitter \| Join the bit-tech & Custom PC folding team (#35947)

8th Nov 2007, 11:41	#2
Nedsbeds Badger, Slime, Weasel!! Join Date: May 2002 Location: Worcester Posts: 1,806	Another relevant issue is that they managed to get the album out with no leaks. For such a popular band to manage this is quite rare. Can't wait for December. I want my disk box now! __________________ Wedding photography in worcestershire

8th Nov 2007, 11:58	#3
Hiren The Real Pacman bit-tech Staff Join Date: May 2002 Location: England Posts: 5,809	Not sure about music on USD drives. That's a little werid to me. But credit to them for actually trying something new. __________________ XBL : Shogun Hiren Homepage \| HD Tach \| Last.fm \| DeviantArt bit-tech newsletter \| bit-tech Blog

8th Nov 2007, 12:41	#5
DarkReaper Alignment: Sarcastic Good Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Belfast, NI Posts: 1,750	Seven albums worth of WAV... do I get to use the memory stick for standard file transfers? __________________ Yeah, God could have created the Earth 6000 years ago with less than a blink, and set out all the evidence to the contrary just to confuse us. Personally I think that blowing up an entire universe on a timescale of billions of years to create the specific people He wanted has far more style

8th Nov 2007, 13:15	#6
Cupboard I'm not a modder. Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Bury St Edmunds/Durham Uni Posts: 1,845	It must be a pretty big flash drive... thats 7 CDs worth of music which is nearly 5GB, so is it a 4GB drive or what? __________________ i7 920, 8800GTS 512, 6GB Corsair all in an Intel DX58SO; 3*320GB RAID5; CM Stacker Samsung Q45.

8th Nov 2007, 14:06	#7
E.E.L. Ambiense Acrylic Heretic Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Malabar, FL Posts: 2,727	The truth of the matter is, they pulled $10 mill in money from this, and climbing. And that goes straight to them. __________________ Latest Builds: "Movie Sign!" • CheckMate - MotM May '09 ~~Nominee~~ Loser! • BluBawx I • Lumière Noire - MotM Apr. '08 ~~Nominee~~ Loser! • Razzle Dazzle • CMC Field Server • "Building Better Worlds" - MotM Feb. '08 ~~Nominee~~ Loser! • Biohazard • MicroSuperFly

8th Nov 2007, 14:27	#8
Drexial Supermodder Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 297	this is by no means a new concept. the band Mellowdrone released their album free for DL and i believe $10 for a CD without a label and this was back in 2003. i feel this was far more of a test of how successful a venture like this could be, because they weren't a widely known name like radiohead. i DLed it and bought the CD cause not only did i respect what they were doing i like the music. i also love the title of the album "A Demonstration of Intellectual Property" and it really was. Maybe they aren't mega superstars now. But they have enough of a fan base to support what they love doing and they they are at least well off.

8th Nov 2007, 17:46	#9
OleJ Me! Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Copenhagen, Denmark Posts: 1,986	"one of which being uncompressed WAV files on a USB drive for Â£83.50." LOL! Welcome to the digital Millenium EMI. Or ppl could just buy the collection and rip it to FLAC thereby having both CDs with covers and all AND a digital lossless copy that takes up less. But but but. Still great to see an initiative towards not locking customers down with DRM. Just a shame that they want it to cost a premium. __________________ Quickr! Clickr to my Flickr! Canon camera stuff. Some aluminium PC, an HTPC and a MBP 17"..

8th Nov 2007, 21:27	#10
wharrad Hypermodder Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Burford, Oxfordshire Posts: 866	Jonah from New End Original, Far, One Line Drawing and the Deftones has been allowing you to choose a price for his music since I first checked his website... Um, probably sometime around 1999/2000.... Also, you can choose the price for all merchandise. He does send you the actual CD or t-shirt etc, so there is a minimum cost... But his figures, being a middle of the road artist and doing over many years... Should give a good figure. Record companies won't like his successes mind! __________________ Jimmy Carr - "It's easier to get forgiveness than permission"

8th Nov 2007, 22:53	#11
The_Beast I am The Stig Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 3,224	Radiohead made lot of money "selling" there CD this way __________________ Rendering Machine - Gigabyte DS3L P35 - C2Q Q6600 - Antec New Solution Series NSK4480B - Corsair XMS2 2Gb - Sapphire 2600 XT 256mb - Seagate 'Cuda 320 GB - Antec Earthwatt 430 watt - Windows XP Pro -

9th Nov 2007, 11:59	#13
impar 2n-1 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Portugal Posts: 843	Greetings! BitTech news could perhaps link directly to the article where Chris Castle commented on Radioheads "In Rainbows", no? As for the Radioheads new distribution method results: Overall, the band grossed about a quid per download, reckons ComScore. People who paid contributed an average of $6.00 (£2.89) - but once freeloaders were included, that falls to just $2.26, or £1.09 per album. Instead of: He guessed that when royalties were combined with money earned from publishing, Radiohead saw between $3 and $5 for every album sale. I see Radioheads move as a commercial flop but an amazing marketing tactic. __________________ The recruitment of Militia is illegal. Militia-recruiters will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the applicable laws.

9th Nov 2007, 22:11	#14
Constructacon Constructing since 1978 Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Brisbane Australia Posts: 1,842	I disagree. They obviously aren't caring what the per download cost is (because they offered it for free). What matters is how much money they make at the end of the day. To be honest - it's loooking like that could be a considerable amount. And the record companies got...... $0. A new day has dawned and it's high time [some] record labels took off their rose coloured glasses and looked at the world as it is. No longer will we accept them bleeding us in the name of the artist. __________________ Remember - for every silver lining there is a cloud. "Of course, overclocking doesn't normally involve a tank of acetylene large enough to blow a house off its foundation." - zackbass MAME Over - Custom built arcade cabinet. This season's mod - The New Black Also modded - "Got Milk?"

10th Nov 2007, 10:56	#16
DXR_13KE Madeira's banana is the best!!! Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Madeira ; Portugal Posts: 6,473	but not as much as they would have if they were the first to release it..... __________________ *Renegade X - 0.40 Release!* <---- CLICK!