"Fetch for whatever..."

For those of you who have been under a rock the last couple days, you might have missed the fact that one of the world's biggest bands just decided to give their music away for free.

Radiohead's 7th full-length album, "In Rainbows" is available on their website for whatever the consumer is willing to pay. The band is accepting donations/payments, but will allow the listener to not pay a single cent. Free choice, right?

So far, according to this Chicago Tribune article, 1.2 million people have downloaded "In Rainbows" in two days, making it one of the fastest (non?)selling albums of all time.

Incredible.

The band, which is already quite well-off, is not looking to make a statement or anything... It is planning to release an actual album, either late this year or early the next, with bonus materials, a nice box and higher-quality sound. (It's also a kind of giant middle-finger to its old label, EMI, which the band just a month or so ago after contract disputes.)

But, whether Radiohead likes it or not, the band is making a statement. It's a bunch of guys putting themselves and their art out there and subjecting the album to the most intense form of criticism possible - the almighty dollar. They put four years of work into this project and now it's out there for everyone with internet access to appreciate, sample, borrow, steal, etc...

I think, for fans of music of all kinds (whether you like Radiohead or not), it's up to us to respond well to this generous offer. Sure, you can pay nothing (or next-to-nothing) to get this record, but why not shell out a few bucks as a way of saying thank-you? I'm not suggesting paying $18.99 for the disc. After all, for every record sold in a store, the band only gets a buck or two of those profits. But why not shell out $5, less than the price of lunch or the same price as a medium latte, for four years of blood sweat and tears?

Thank the guys for saving you money and making beautiful music. If enough people do this, than maybe more bands will follow Radiohead's lead. Wouldn't that be terrific?

Okay, people, pay up!

And for those of you not convinced... "In Rainbows" frigging rocks. It's a delicate, ephemeral journey, highlighting the band's best skills - subtle hooks and inquisitive songwriting. I'll give it an A, if only for the price...