Radiohead has announced the arrival of its latest album The King Of Limbs, ushering the new record into the world in much the same way as it did with In Rainbows.
The band has decided to offer the album directly through its online site in both MP3 and WAV format. But instead of the pay-anything experiment it tried with its last album, you will have to fork out £6 for the download, or £9 if you want a WAV version.
In Rainbows showed the music world that online downloads can make a profit if done strategically.
By bypassing record companies and allowing fans to buy straight from the band's website, it meant that any profit that was made on the music would go straight to the band itself.
Out on a limb
The release of The King Of Limbs may not be as ground-breaking as In Rainbows but it has still caused much debate on Twitter.
Because it has been released a day earlier than expected, there is definite buzz about the record, with half of the Twitter Trends in the UK dedicated to the album.
But it is not just Twitter that is abuzz about Radiohead – the band also launched the first music video for album track 'Lotus Flower' on YouTube. The video is currently stuck on 310 views, which is always a sign that its numbers are going to be big.
Whatever you think of the band's music, it's great to see they are embracing the world of downloads instead of moaning that the web is killing off artists.
If you do want to buy the album in CD format, then you will have to wait until 9 May – or fork out £30 for the 'newspaper album', which includes vinyl, artwork and a CD copy.
