

Radiohead Kicks the Middleman to the Curb: 1 Week, 1.2M Albums Sold - pg
http://mashable.com/2007/10/19/radiohead-album-sales/

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michael_nielsen
Everyone knows the record company customers have been fleeing; with this
example and other recent high profile examples like it, it seems that their
suppliers (i.e., the bands) will also shortly start a stampede. This should
considerably accelerate the decline in conventional sales.

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rms
And their PR keeps going, and going, and going... can't wait for the arena
tour.

Have any non-fans felt motivated to listen to the album yet as a result of
this PR? What did you think?

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Tichy
I don't understand the last sentence of the article. So they made 10 millions
on download sales, and still are supposed to have to hope for selling T-Shirts
to make real money? I would have thought that without the middlemen, a higher
percentage of those 10 millions would end up in the artists pockets.

I can't accept that the only way to finance music is supposed to be to sell
stupid T-Shirts.

~~~
ivankirigin
$10M isn't real money?

~~~
Tichy
That is what I was saying: the article mentions that Radiohead sold downloads
for 10M$, but later he goes on claiming that they still have to hope for
selling T-Shirts and concert tickets to make any real money. 10M$ sure seems
like real money to me.

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ced
I think the article posted on reddit is probably more honest (it uses the same
numbers): [http://www.theseminal.com/2007/10/16/so-one-week-later-is-
th...](http://www.theseminal.com/2007/10/16/so-one-week-later-is-the-album-
dead-yet/)

Along with the top comment: > Yeah, I'll wait for something a bit more
substantial than "a source close to the band" and "an Internet poll", if it's
all the same with you.

Plus, to equate 1.2M downloads with 1.2M albums sold... That's RIAA logic.

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colortone
Radiohead management:

"a promotional tactic to boost sales of compact discs."

"CDs are undervalued and sold too cheaply."

<http://www.colortonemedia.com/blog/?p=63>

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a13x
Madonna is changing her business model too:
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7047969.stm>

~~~
tuukkah
I'm surprised the deal is only $120m in 10 years. Perhaps her equity stake
(mentioned in the article) is significant.

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aswanson
Why more groups with an established fan base don't do this escapes me. Hard to
stop sharecropping, I guess.

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jgamman
next stop on their website: "radiohead likes up and coming XXXX, download
their album here"

