1) Who says Bono doesn’t like attention?

2) Radiohead aren’t the mainstream media. The mainstream media is picking up this story and running with it – and making it a mainstream story. I don’t mean to suggest that they’re some unknown band toiling in obscurity – but, they are certainly not in the mainstream. If Bono and Edge fart it sells 5 million records worldwide. OK Computer has sold 2 million copies worldwide since its release ten years ago (during an era where Nsync could sell that many in a week). There was no press release about this. They didn’t alert the media. Jonny Greenwood posted a short message about it on the band’s own website – and their fans spread the story. It was picked up by the mainstream. That’s a testament to the power and size of their fan base, but it’s not the same thing as Billy Corgan taking a full page ad out in the sunday paper to announce the who gives a fuck reunion of half his band.

We can agree to disagree on some of the finer economic points you make – but nobody I know in the music industry thinks Radiohead have changed anything. Nor are they Karl Marx. If they’ve done anything, they’ve put the system on notice. They’re going to sign a deal regardless, because it makes sense for them to do so. But – what they’ve done is fire a warning shot. One that says, “hey assholes, get your heads out your asses or the biggest artists with all the power and the fans will abandon you and you’ll be left selling Elvis Presley records to an ever disinterested populace.”

The end.

First, thank you for being that kind of fan; sincerely, you are why people can still make a living playing in a band.

Now, enough flattery. This could be the equivalent of a labor strike. So, essentially Radiohead is telling EMI, “hey, we’re costing you money every day you don’t meet our demands,” Those demands most likely being sixteen or seventeen metric asstons of cash, and a tugboat full of blow.

In addition I should mention that claiming Radiohead is “so far removed from the mainstream media,” is like saying Bono doesn’t like attention. Radiohead are the mainstream media … especially after this stunt.

Will some fans get the record for free? Yes … will even more fans who would have downloaded it for free, illegally, now pay $8.00 under some delusional notion that Radiohead is the Karl Marx of the Music Industry? … yes.

Now, enough flattery. Please explain to me how giving away your record months before a label may or may not have access to it and giving your base the opportunity to buy your deluxe package directly from you enables you to strengthen your bargaining position. From a label’s perspective, the band are basically going to hit all of their fans in the first two months. Radiohead don’t make many new fans when they release a record. They are so removed from the mainstream media at this point that it’s essentially their core fan base that buy the records (even with the opportunity to download a leak illegally). So, if you figure that the 750K people that have purchased their last two records will have either downloaded them from a radiohead sanctioned site – or bought the physical package directly from the band, you’re losing lots of opportunity to make money. Coupled with the fact that casual radiohead fans will likely take a chance on a free download – the size of the audience you’re going to reach is greatly diminished.

They’ve basically tricked people into paying for an advance leak to benefit their own bottom line and I hate them even more now. The worst part about it is, even if their album is horrible, it will still be considered BEST THING EVAR by their fans.