Back in October I talked a little about Radiohead In Rainbows and how their unique marketing program managed to gain a wee bit of attention. I mean, really…they essentially gave it away for free. Trying new things and thinking outside of the box is bound to gain a bit of interest by the masses (and other bands, for that matter…like Oasis).
Matt Good also had a few interesting comments on the thinking behind their tactics…particularly on customer choice. When you get down to it, regardless of tactic (i.e., to charge or not to charge), it really does depend on the fan base and whatever they decide works for them. I appreciate that.
Cut to today, and some interesting news I’ve just discovered (thanks to nme). More specifically, the lengths that Radiohead went to in order to avoid having the album leaked on the Internet. Talk about cloak n dagger!
Radiohead have said that although they gave their new album away for free - they went to unusual lengths to stop it leaking unofficially.
Because every album of theirs since ‘Kid A’ has leaked online, this time around they were determined to take control of the release of ‘In Rainbows’ themselves.
They even went as far as making up different band names when recording the tracks onto early CDs so nobody knew what was contained on the discs.
Bassist Colin Greenwood revealed: “It felt like a gigantic risk. Like Mission Impossible, almost. We destroyed all CDs after every day of recording. And on the master we’d always write a name which probably nobody would listen to if we had lost it; ‘Eagles: Greatest Hits’, ‘Kula Shaker demos’, ‘Phill Collins hip-hop covers’.
I remember back in 2004 when Oasis’ drummer (Alan White) was asked to leave the band after nine years after being fingered for leaking Heathen Chemistry. So, while not in a band, I can appreciate Radiohead’s concern given the speed and ease that the mp3 superhighway offers.
After all, it comes down to choice, right? And that choice will help define the customer’s experience. The result…more fans, more shows, more concerts, and ultimately more $.
Long live capitalism.
Darren
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