As I said on FB this morning, I didn't think anything would take the place of AF winning Best Album at the Grammys, but RH did it with this announcement. Incredible.

Also, what's a newspaper album?

*edit*
answer?

I'm trying to order the Newspaper Album + MP3 but it keeps timing out. WTF!!!!!!!

Lame. Fuck 'em.

They've graciously given the world a chance to all join in on the phenomenon of their new record release, but this time you have to pay a premium to be included. $48 for a ridiculously overwrought physical package or iTunes prices for the mp3 version. No other options. No thanks.

i don't think that the prices are unreasonable at all. their packaging is always outstanding, and $48.00 for what you get is perfectly fine by me.

I don't want that package. They're not offering another option. That's unreasonable.

Yeah, I'll wait for the CD version for now.
It's coming...They did this to get the die-hards.




(which I am, but not at that price tag)

ordered via PayPal and it worked. yes!!!

In today's modern technological market this model seems like it'll just kill their physical sales in May.

They're selling it on vinyl and MP3 and then having a 2 1/2 month lag between the actual release date? That's a lifetime in internet time. Seem like it'll spread like wildfire.

I realize these things are inevitable as things currently are I just would think an announcement like this that says "new album out Feb. 19th in all formats.....GO!" would garner more physical sales. At least for a big band like Radiohead.


As an side, I've never understood how bands get their stuff leaked after barely finishing recording. Are their inner circles, producers, and technicians that unreliable or untrustworthy?

radioMEHd

actually, this is a very smart move. CD sales have been falling, while Vinyl and Digital sales continue to rise.

Why did they abandon the pay as much as you think it is worth model?

Ed mentioned in an interview last year that they've already gone that route, and aren't interested in that anymore. On to something new.

"Something new"

Let's charge $9 for an mp3 album. Sorry guys, iTunes already thought of that.

something new as in spending time on worthwhile physical packaging.

you can't be this dumb Drinky.

also, why should they charge any less? because they offered it for the pay as you'd like on the last album? oh, i get it, now they're assholes because you don't have that option. fucking retarded.

They're Radiohead, why offer "pay what you want" when loads of people will gladly "pay whatever the fuck we're charging and like it, bitch"?

"bitch"

Of course it makes sense that someone who has just been so blindly and eagerly exploited would be getting all defensive about it.

I bought the in rainbows limited edition...now worth double what I paid...

Oh I realize the cd is dying a slow death but it just seem like they'd garner more sales, however small, by doing it all at once while the intial excitement is there over this news. I just think this allows for lots more people to get a leak of it that might've bought it had it been available. Now, they'll probably get a leak at some point in the next couple of months, listen to it, and then forget it.

FWIW, I'm all about some physical media.

nah, i'm just pointing out how ignorant your comments are.

some of us 'fans' actually enjoy supporting the artists we love, and don't spend time whining about they're motives.

Are you going to sell it and make a hefty $65 profit? Man, that's like more than a week's worth a groceries! Sound investment.

i guess their experience with In Rainbows has influenced the decision process for this album. the digital/vinyl came out, and then the CDs later, which still sold a shitload. i would agree that releasing everything at once would seem to make more sense, but for some reason this structure works for them.

You are the densest fucking person on the planet and "ignorance" is your fucking middle name. I buy more music than you do from a larger variety of artists. I KNOW THIS. All your talk about supporting artists is such wholesale bullshit. You are practically the goddamn leak bandit, and the fact that you buy a few deluxe vinyl packages here and there does not make up for that.

Anyway, as for this shit:

I don't even want the "pay what you want" option to come back, and that's not even really what I mean. It's Radiohead so I would actually be willing to purchase their new album before hearing a note of it, and I would very much prefer a physical copy over paying too much for a download. However, I'm not some drooling fanboy packaging nut who gives two shits about having big prints of Thom Yorke's semi-competent paintings, and I'm certainly not going to pay $20-30 extra for that and for fucking clear vinyl. I like vinyl. I even like CDs. I like nice packaging. I'm not going to decorate my house with Radiohead album art, though, so essentially I don't see any significant added value there. Of course if you're the kind of person who does want that, well, it's great that they're offering this for you. And I'm fully aware that there are tons of people who will eat this up. There are other people, too, like me, who would prefer another choice and would even be happy to pre-order it in order to get on board with this whole "event", but I'd prefer not to feel like I'm being taken advantage of in the process.

The financial success of this "experiment" is irrelevant to me. I'm sure it will work out just fine for them because they have a huge, rabid fanbase. And I'm sure the value of these things will go right up on eBay because they are limited, and Radiohead has plenty collector-minded fans with money to burn who probably don't even know this is happening right now.

All I'm trying to say is that this is lame compared to what they did with In Rainbows. That was a big deal. This isn't. The end.

nope, I'm gonna continue to masturbate to the booklet and do cocaine off of the hard cover.

I like that I typed "a" instead of "of" there. ("week's worth a groceries")