Radiohead Debuts at No. 1 Despite Digital Giveaway
January 9, 2008 | 11:07 pm | by t-blender |Rate It:
chicagoTribune.com: Radiohead’s latest album, “In Rainbows,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts Wednesday, even though it had been available for months as a digital download from the band’s Web site.
Sales for “In Rainbows” were solid but not spectacular: 122,000 units sold in the United States, down from the band’s 2003 peak of 300,000 for its previous studio album, “Hail to the Thief.”
But the sales for the physical CD were impressive, given that the band had made the music available for two months last autumn on radiohead.com. Fans could download the album for any price of their choosing, including free. The band did not release sales figures from the experiment, but reaped a windfall of media attention.
In addition, the band released an expanded box-set version of the album through its Web site last month, for 40 pounds (the equivalent of about $81).
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