But in my mind
I could still climb inside your bed
And I could be victorious
Still the only man to pass through the glorious arch of your head, o-oh

Oh, you were majesty
Your ropes were heavy
And your cheeks were very red

radiohead announced to the world last night that they are releasing a new album- digital only. the album will release in just 10 days after the announcement, going against every industry standard release procedure. what the real innovation here is the price they are asking: PAY WHATEVER YOU WANT.

if this just got your nipples hard, go straight to this link: http://www.radioheadlp7.com
IN FACT, GO THERE ANYWAYS AND BUY IT. IT WILL COST YOU NEAR TO NOTHING DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU PAY, BUT IT WILL SEND THE MESSAGE TO THE INDUSTRY.


this is brilliant! and radiohead are just the band to pioneer this kind of innovation in a dying dinosaur of a business model, by whom technology has far surpassed by as much as 10 years ago. this probably won't change everything overnight, but it's the HUGE step everyone has been looking/waiting for.

this is all over the blogosphere so i won't overdo it, but i had to put in my two cents as i am excited about my business for the first time in years.

notorious industry ranter/ex-biz guy Bob Lefsetz had this to say:

"This is the industry’s worst nightmare. Superstar band, THE superstar band, forging ahead by its own wits. Proving that others can too. And they will.
This is what happens when you sell twenty dollar CDs with one good track and sue your customers for [file-sharing].
This is what happens when you believe you’re ENTITLED to your business.
This is what happens when music is a second-class citizen only interested in the bottom line."

i also like stereogum's description of this: "a band-sanctioned album leak complete with a tip jar."


p.s. i bought it this morning for $7.00. the site is a bit annoying, as i am sure its servers are on overload. i had to enter my security code twice before it worked. it will be interesting to see how they handle the distribution. it cant be just one site- it would have to be a site with mirrors all over the world. i have to assume they have anticipated this.