I just downloaded the album. That makes it the first album that I ever paid to download. I’m not saying I’m a pirate, I’m just saying that I’d rather go buy the CD, put it on my vast array of devices and my home network and generally do what I please with the IP that I purchase instead of having DRM on it.
Radiohead has started something. I was hoping it was an ideological statement that let the RIAA-n-associates know that suing single mothers over a few pirated songs for a quarter million isn’t a very nice thing to do. More importantly, it’s changed everything.
Bands now understand that they are needing the labels even less and less. I will buy via Amazon and other non-DRM stores in the future, but I paid Thom and the guys a handsome amount of money for the digital download of their album.
I’m only listening to the second song right now but so far everything sounds great. One thing I love about Radiohead is that with each subsequent listen you are usually rewarded with something more–not less–and this is generally the case with all good music. Bob Dylan still is the man after all these years.