Will Radiohead's Digital Sales Strategy Pay Off Again with 'The King of Limbs?'

TGIF took on an additional boost for Radiohead music fans. The superstar British rock band treated followers to a surprise one-day-early release of "The King of Limbs." Initial reports indicate a positive, but typically mixed reception for the group's eighth album. A fan on the NME blog likened the latest album to "a mushroom trip that goes perfectly." Another fan that claims to be a Radiohead devotee disappointingly bemoans "The King of Limbs" as "avant-garde drivel." To each his own!

Committing to Digital Sales But You Will Pay Now

No matter how fans rank the new release -- Radiohead appears to be committed to the contemporary age of digital promotion and sales -- albeit without the assistance of iTunes once again. Will digital music sales eventually cave to the tried and true market of CD sales?

As well, can digital download sales alone sustain musicians financially? Especially when the issue of online music theft, remains uncontrolled despite the ongoing battle to get people to pay up.

Unlike the digital release of "In Rainbows," which many fans decided to pay nothing for under an experimental pay-what-you-like marketing strategy, "The King of Limbs" will now cost a fixed amount of money. I suppose some people saw it as taking a sample to see if they would like more.

Seriously, even though "In Rainbows" was a pay-what-you-like download -- why, if you were a so-called fan, would you not pay at least something to support a band you really admire? I just do not get that.

Certainly, you would not download their music if you despised them, right. Offer a token of appreciation for the group's work, even if it is a small token. It is the right thing to do if you are a true fan. By the way, the new eight-song download will cost $9 in MP3 format, and $14 in WAV format.

Radiohead's 2007 Digital Download Successful

In 2007, Radiohead took a gamble using a download only pay-what-you-like business model on their digital release of "In Rainbows." Fast-forward a year. In 2008, the band championed that trial run as highly successful. Eventually, when "In Rainbows" came out on CD, fans gobbled up 3 million copies. Therefore, in that sense, the pay-what-you-like indeed panned out.

In an odd and magnificent way, even though many fans helped themselves to "In Rainbows" for nary a penny -- the three-month download (prior to the actual album release) kicked out some decent money. No one seems to know exactly how much. It is my guess that money came about thanks to folks who appreciate the old-fashioned notion of paying for something they want and appreciate.

Is Higher Cost of "The King of Limbs" an Indicator

Obviously, Radiohead believes the "In Rainbows" test run worked. However, the fact fans now have to pay $9.99 and $14.99 for Radiohead's new album download leads me back to the question of digital sales and promotion, and the financial sustainability for musicians.

The download pricing is higher on "The King of Limbs." On the Radiohead ordering website, it is also offering a deluxe, artwork-infused "newspaper album" for $48 and $53. Perhaps the thinking is: that this new release is so amazing, if someone cannot afford the stupendous deluxe package, surely nine or fourteen dollars for the download looks more inviting.

Maybe it is marketing genius. For all the boisterous hype, maybe digital music sales are not nearly stable enough to stand entirely on their own yet.

CDs are Still OK With Me

I honestly think the price of "The King of Limbs" is reasonable. I am positive the marketing innovation of Radiohead will reap the benefits of digital sales. I am more than willing to pay for music I love. For $14.99, though, I would prefer to add a CD to my music collection. I have to wonder if other music lovers feel the same way.

Sources:

NME.com

NME.com - The Reviews Blog

Matt Rosoff, "Radiohead Release New Digital Album One Day Early," Business Insider SAI

Radiohead