Everyone knows the record company customers have been fleeing; with this example and other recent high profile examples like it, it seems that their suppliers (i.e., the bands) will also shortly start a stampede. This should considerably accelerate the decline in conventional sales.

And their PR keeps going, and going, and going... can't wait for the arena tour.

Have any non-fans felt motivated to listen to the album yet as a result of this PR? What did you think?

I don't understand the last sentence of the article. So they made 10 millions on download sales, and still are supposed to have to hope for selling T-Shirts to make real money? I would have thought that without the middlemen, a higher percentage of those 10 millions would end up in the artists pockets.

I can't accept that the only way to finance music is supposed to be to sell stupid T-Shirts.

$10M isn't real money?

That is what I was saying: the article mentions that Radiohead sold downloads for 10M$, but later he goes on claiming that they still have to hope for selling T-Shirts and concert tickets to make any real money. 10M$ sure seems like real money to me.

I think the article posted on reddit is probably more honest (it uses the same numbers): http://www.theseminal.com/2007/10/16/so-one-week-later-is-th...

Along with the top comment: > Yeah, I'll wait for something a bit more substantial than "a source close to the band" and "an Internet poll", if it's all the same with you.

Plus, to equate 1.2M downloads with 1.2M albums sold... That's RIAA logic.

Radiohead management:

"a promotional tactic to boost sales of compact discs."

"CDs are undervalued and sold too cheaply."

http://www.colortonemedia.com/blog/?p=63

Madonna is changing her business model too: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7047969.stm

I'm surprised the deal is only $120m in 10 years. Perhaps her equity stake (mentioned in the article) is significant.

They don't say anything about what Live Nation is going to do differently than other labels.

Why more groups with an established fan base don't do this escapes me. Hard to stop sharecropping, I guess.

next stop on their website: "radiohead likes up and coming XXXX, download their album here"