Pots o' gold

Listening to the new Radiohead album, In Rainbows, right now, the one that’s been in the news lately because the band is giving digital versions of the songs away for free on on its Web site. Well, to me it was free. You can pay what you want (in pounds, nonetheless. And at $2 to the pound…Makes me think of the time I bought the Darkness' retro big hair 80s album — with the mega hit of 2003 “All you need is a thing called love” — a total of three times. Yes, I spent roughly $60 on this album. Was it worth it? Yes, if only for the feeling of fitting in with the British crowd that owning the album gave me. And that is one killer song. I digress…). I did a lot of moral calculating in regard to how much I would pay, or if I would pay at all. I decided I’d pay through my own little barter system with Radiohead. They’re too busy being superfamous music gods to notice, of course. But my karma conscious was getting to me. So I figured I’d do something that I deemed equal in value of what I’d pay for the album in a record store. Pass on the goodness. So, what is worth 10 songs? (Songs that turned out to be really, really good. More on that later.) As much as an entire screenplay? An afternoon for free babysitting? Designing another poster for work? Or maybe just a well thought out blog post about the situation, the band, the music?

I’d love to have a chat with those Radiohead boys about this. Would they say about the exchange of art for art? Is it a fair deal? Not nearly as many people will read this blog as who will download their album. It took them infinitely longer to record that album than for me to type this entry. What about art for good deeds? Maybe I should give money to KUT radio, the local NPR station that has been spinning lots of Radiohead tracks this week in connection with the album’s release. Wonder what Thom Yorke and his buddies had in mind.

And it’s not like they need any more fans. I think they really just want to share what they have felt compelled to great, just like we all do. That’s why blogs are free. That’s why YouTube exists. When people talk about the democracy of the Internet, that’s what they are talking about. You don’t need a record label or a book deal to put your goods out there. (I’m going to start a blog list soon, and I’ll share some of the fountains of creativity I’ve found on the net.)

But here’s what I’ve got for now. This album is really something I’m happy to have, so I’ll share that with others who might be interested. You may not have listened to Radiohead before (I’m a relative newbie, too), but they are giving you this great chance to start. Or at least try ‘em out. They are hoping that you’ll take them up on the offer that your time spent listening to their songs is worth at least what you’d pay in a store. That listening to their songs is worth the time it takes you to do so. How much are you worth an hour? Or 42 minutes, rather, in the case of In Rainbows.

It’s an interesting marketing plan and I hope it works. The music industry desperately needs a change. Good for Radiohead for offering a solution. It works for me. I really like this album. Maybe you’ll really like something on this site. Maybe you’ll enter your own little barter deal with the kiddos (or Kid-A-dos :)) and have a listen yourself.
 alb