New Radiohead album

I am pretty excited about the new Radiohead album that comes out tomorrow. It is titled In Rainbows, and will only initially be released on their website www.radiohead.com. It is called Rainbows, and the band has truly done something different with how they are selling the album. At its initial release, the album will only be available via download. There is no set price for the album, users who wish to download it can pay whatever they want.

This decision came as the record industry is still having difficulty dealing with the impact digital sales have had on the music industry, albums sales in particular, which have been steadily declining. Studios blame pirates, but I blame high prices. This release is going to be closely watched and scrutinized, and if it is successful look for more and more of your favorite artists to release material exclusively on-line. For those who prefer to hold a physical cd case in their hands, do not worry. Later this year, the band plans to release a special boxed set with all kinds of goodies. It is supposed to retail between thirty and forty dollars (I think) but it should be worth it. Finally, they plan to release a regular priced, standard cd early 2008, which probably means that this on-line sale thing is only, temporary–just a way to gauge how successful this kind of venture can be. For my own part, I hope that it is very successful so more ventures like this can occur.