What Independent Bands Can Learn from Radiohead's 'King of Limbs' Preorder

When Radiohead releases a new album, it's a big deal. The band is one of the most consistently innovative and brilliant groups of artists in the world.

What's more, the way that Radiohead releases their music has always been fascinating. Their last album, In Rainbows, was available for whatever fans wanted to pay for it. Their new album, King of Limbs, is now available for preorder, and if you're in an independent band or you listen to independent music, you should pay attention to the brilliant marketing behind the preorder.

Here are a few things that independent bands could learn from Radiohead's King Of Limbs preorder.

Announce your album in a way that builds hype. Subscribers to Radiohead's fan email list (myself included) received a simple email that thanked them for waiting with instructions for preordering King of Limbs. The email was just mysterious enough to connect with Radiohead's crowd and draw a lot of early excitement.

Independent bands should learn that preorders are key, and by announcing a new product or preorder in a mysterious way, getting fans to visit your website can become much easier.

Offer a great physical product. Here's how Radiohead describes the physical version of their album, which costs a heavy $48, to potential buyers: "the world's first newspaper album." Yeah, I have no idea what that means either, but it makes me want it. Included in King Of Limbs are two clear 10" vinyl records in a purpose-built record sleeve. According to the website set up for the album, fans also get a compact disc, an enormous amount of artwork, a digital download, and a chance to win a signed 2 track record.

Radiohead is effectively selling King of Limbs as a luxury product. CDs don't do it any more, as any independent band on the road can tell you-people want something big that they can hold in their hands and associate with the music that they're listening to. A strong physical product is important in this market, and if you can be creative and artistic with your presentation, you can charge almost anything for it.

Offer digital downloads. Digital downloads of King of Limbs are also available in two formats for a much cheaper price. Every independent band should take the time to learn about digital music files and offer some sort of digital product, as a digital version of an album costs very little to produce and will usually result in more sales than what you're selling at gigs. Options make it easier for customers to get the product that they want.

Radiohead is basically the biggest independent band in the world, so indie artists everywhere have a lot to learn from them. King of Limbs easily shows why Radiohead is still popular and profitable: they know exactly how to sell an album.

What do you think of King of Limbs and the marketing behind it? Post in the comments section below.

Source:

" The King of Limbs," TheKingOfLimbs.com.