The experience of "In Rainbows"

Just up front- not this entry is not about the experience of listening to "In Rainbows", but rather the process of obtaining it.

As we are all aware Radiohead has forgone their record company and chose to make their new album available for download through their own website with the cost up to the consumer. I thought that this was a very innovative idea and fitting for a band known for its innovative music.

I found that choosing how to much pay for the album a very interesting and exciting experience- sorta like haggling at a garage sale. I ended up paying around 5 (well 2.45 british pounds acutally) dollars for the album (and that includes the service charge.) The morning of the 10th I got an email with a link to the download and had the album within a minute or two.

Overall I was very pleased with this process, especially since most bands make very little money off of their cd sales. However as I hear about other big bands doing similar things (NIN etc) I wonder if small bands will follow suit and still be succesful in getting thier music out without the usage/distributing of a label.

Assuming the band had a publicist and a good working knowdlege of basic marketing I believe that they could still operate on this type of system-with the aim of having people come to their shows and buy merch/physical CD/Vinyl only if they wish.