Recap On Radiohead Online Brouhaha

So, before I get started, let’s recap, shall we: The initial response to Radiohead’s rather atypical release, 2007’s In Rainbows, was generally one of excitement. After all, the album sold for as little as 42 cents, not for some little bullshit bit of music, but for the entire album. Then, fans were frustrated because the album was released at a lower bit rate, probably as a marketing ploy to force “real” fans of Radiohead to buy the CD.

Now, for one, hopefully final, bit of news concerning this frequently discussed album. Radiohead’s avant-garde, we’ll fuck you in the ass EMI, impromptu turned possibly calculating release of In Rainbows, has certainly made a statement one last time. Lead singer Thom Yorke recently revealed, “In terms of digital income, we've made more money out of this record than out of all the other Radiohead albums put together, forever - in terms of anything on the 'net.”

I guess whether this was a terribly conniving market ploy or just a response to leaving their record company, people listened and paid. If that’s not enough to keep Radiohead in the business of making music, I don’t know what is.

And if the silly matter of bit rate isn’t enough to keep certain people from listening, than buy the damn CD, which will be released on December 31. And please, please, quit ranting already…

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