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After a false alarm, believed to be a hoax, Radiohead have officially revealed their seventh album is ready, and will be available for download in just ten days' time.







In a shock announcement on their official website today (September 30), a message from guitarist Jonny Greenwood read: "Hello everyone. Well, the new album is finished, and it's coming out in 10 days; We've called it 'In Rainbows'. Love from us all. Jonny"







As if that news wasn't a big enough bombshell, the band have not set a price for the download version of the album, leaving the 'price' field blank and letting the customer decide how much to pay for the release.







Greenwood's message linked to this site where the album has been made available to pre-order as a download and a discbox. The download version will be available on October 10, while the discbox will be ready to ship on or before December 3.






The discbox, costing £40, contains the new album 'In Rainbows' on CD, and on two 12" heavyweight vinyl records. There is also a second enhanced CD containing more new songs, along with digital photographs and artwork. The set also includes lyric booklets and all are encased in a hardback book and slipcase.







'In Rainbows' track listing is:







'15 Step'
'Bodysnatchers'
'Nude'
'Weird Fishes/Arpeggi'
'All I Need'
'Faust Arp'
'Reckoner'
'House Of Cards'
'Jigsaw Falling Into Place'
'Videotape'








Meanwhile, the second CD to be included in the discbox features a further eight new songs. Those are:








'MK 1'
'Down Is The New Up'
'Go Slowly'
'MK 2'
'Last Flowers'
'Up On The Ladder'
'Bangers And Mash'
'4 Minute Warning'








Anyone who buys the boxset will automatically be able to download the album from October 10.








The album, the band's seventh studio effort, will only be available exclusive through Radiohead.com for now, but Radiohead say they are current planning a "traditional CD release" of 'In Rainbows' for early next year.







You can now get a sneak preview of what the new Radiohead album sounds like on the NME Office Blog.






Plus as you can name your own price tell us how much you will play for the new Radiohead album.






Finally find out on NME.COM whether 'In Rainbows' will be chart eligible and what the music industry's reaction is to Radiohead's unique release.

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October 1st 2007 is the day Radiohead shocked not only their fans, but also the music industry and the press by offering their new album ‘In Rainbows’ as a download, without a label and with a unique pricing method.






TIME magazine writes: Few suspected the band members had the ambition (or the server capacity) to put an album out on their own. The final decision was apparently made just a few weeks ago, and, when informed of the news on Sunday, several record executives admitted that, despite the rumors, they were stunned. “This feels like yet another death knell,” emailed an A&R executive at a major European label. “If the best band in the world doesn’t want a part of us, I’m not sure what’s left for this business.”





A producer who works primarily with American rap artists says: “Radiohead is the best band in the world; if you can pay whatever you want for music by the best band in the world, why would you pay $13 dollars or $.99 cents for music by somebody less talented? Once you open that door and start giving music away legally, I’m not sure there’s any going back.”






The Times: “Radiohead have done something remarkably radical. This isn’t the way the music industry – or, indeed, any industry, has ever worked. […] What this move really relies on though, is the notion that between Radiohead and their fans is a collateral of trust and, dare the term be uttered, decency. Whilst that collateral might not be there between, say Sugababes and their fans, it’s the very thing that has propelled Radiohead to this point of unprecedented autonomy. If this experiment works, it will – at the click of a few million mice – make them the most powerful band in Britain.”






Globe And Mail: “Will Radiohead’s experiment lead others to try the “pay what you want” model? That’s difficult to say. As some have pointed out — including Cynthia Brumfield at IPDemocracy — Radiohead has a fan base that is likely willing to pay handsomely for its music, the same way that fans of Pearl Jam are willing to pay extra for high-quality downloads of the band’s music after live shows. Not every group is going to be able to make that work.”






According to Meriel Blackburn, The Official Chart Company’s Head Of Chart Operations, the uniqueness of the album’s availability has put its chart eligibility in doubt. She told NME.COM: “As they are not a chart reporting retailer (any retailer which supplies their sales data to the chart panel), we don’t currently receive sales information from them for inclusion in the charts. On chart eligibility, we have chart rules that products have to meet for us to include their sales in the UK charts. These cover content and packaging, etc. In this case we don’t know enough about the products to be able to say whether they would meet the chart rules and be eligible.” If Radiohead’s last few album releases are anything to go by, it is almost certain the record would top the album charts if it was eligible. A final ruling on whether the record will chart is expected soon.






And some quotes, published in LA Times: “This is all anybody is talking about in the music industry today,” said Bertis Downs, the longtime manager of R.E.M., the veteran alt-rock band that was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. “This is the sort of model that people have been talking about doing, but this is the first time an act of this stature has stepped up and done it. . . . They were a band that could go off the grid, and they did it.”






Another high-profile manager said he was still trying to process the boldness of the Radiohead venture. “My head is spinning, honestly,” said Kelly Curtis, who represents Seattle-based Pearl Jam. “It’s very cool and very inspiring, really.”






“Only a band in Radiohead’s position could pull a trick like this,” is how Pitchforkmedia.com summed it up Monday. That’s because the band became a free agent after its contract with music giant EMI expired with its most recent album, “Hail to the Thief” in 2003. That set the stage for a one-band revolution, even if the five members don’t see it that way themselves.






“It’s more of an experiment. The band is not fighting for the sake of the fight or trying to lead a revolution,” said their spokesman, Steve Martin of New York publicity firm Nasty Little Man. The group declined to comment Monday.

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A final ruling on whether the record will chart is expected soon.

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You can listen to the entirety of James Blunts new album on his Myspace, so I guess this isn't the first big name artist to try something radical. I just wonder myself what difference it will make, everyone who downloads all their music for free will keep doing so anyways, so what's changing financial wise? The music industry will keep nosediving because of the people who increasingly won't pay for their music. It's kind of ironic, because these same people always say that "I wouldn't have bought it anyway", obviously, that's not the case.

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Radiohead managers Chris Hufford and Bryce Edge were interviewed at BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today‘ this morning, confirming a record deal for Radiohead’s new album ‘In Rainbows‘ will be signed within the next 7 days.









Chris Hufford said that the band are close to signing a record deal: “Ultimately, the band feel that this record, which they are incredibly proud of, deserves to be brought into the mass marketplace. That’s why we need a record company who have that infrastructure to deliver the CD. We’ve got about seven days to get it organised.”









Does this current plan, with consumers setting the price make any financial sense?
Chris Hufford: “It’s just another way of doing things and hopefully it will initiate artists and record labels to think about things a lot more and not just accept the status quo.”









Bryce Edge also said that the band had faith people would not just download the album for free: “We might come out looking very foolish. We’re prepared to take a risk. If your music is great, people will then pay for it. One of the big mistake record companies have made is prosecuting students and kids for doing what we did years ago: taping music. It’s nonsense.” Hufford added: “The wonderful thing is that the consumer can decide how much a download is worth. I’m not sure how much just a digital download is worth. I’m not sure 79p at iTunes is the right price. We cannot control the price when the cd comes out in the shops in January. The market controls the price.”








Regarding the £40 price for the DISCBOX edition of ‘In Rainbows’, Hutton said: “£40 is huge value for money. It costs a lot of money to make. How many drinks do you get for £40. how many football matches can you see for £40.”

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