Radiohead's New, Free Record

Remember that saying, "gas, grass, or ass--nobody rides for free"? Well, Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood announced on the band's blog last night that their new album, In Rainbows, would be out in ten days, and that the purchase price is absolutely nada. Sez Time online:

"Radiohead's contract with EMI/Capitol expired after its last record, Hail to the Thief, was released in 2003; shortly before the band started writing new songs, singer Thom Yorke told TIME, 'I like the people at our record company, but the time is at hand when you have to ask why anyone needs one. And, yes, it probably would give us some perverse pleasure to say 'F___ you' to this decaying business model.'"

This is awesome, and they're certainly in a position to do it, being millionaires and all, but I find every bold move Radiohead makes to be one that's been slowly and artfully (and perhaps unknowingly to all who came before) set up for them. The music industry has clearly been headed toward this cliff, and Radiohead are the ones who have the balls to push it over. Good on them! But when Time says, "Few suspected the band members had the ambition (or the server capacity) to put an album out on their own," that just sounds like hogwash. More killer, stealth publicity at work. Read the rest of this fascinating story here.