It's up to you

HIGH NOTES

A distinct memory in my mind was the time when I happened to be watching the video of the Radiohead song "Paranoid Android" with my mother around. I can still see her apparent shock and heartfelt look of disapproval just as I can clearly hear her ask confusedly, "What is this?"

In my mind, the song always will be a contemporary classic but the animated video with cartoon characters washing their eyes out with shampoo and Boris Yelstin (as I later found out) axing his arms and legs off amongst much other depraved activity was, even to me, very, very strange.

But even if it was, at first glance, the kind of thing you would rather not have to encounter in your average day, it states in clear terms exactly what Radiohead has always been about "" a band of musicians who constantly push you towards hearing and seeing things differently.

I grew up with Radiohead and in many ways watched them grow from an average alternative rock band that showed little promise past one great single ("Creep") into a present-day monolith of pop culture that has firmly etched its place in the history of the world.

They have done so purely on their own terms and by primarily using their music to push the boundaries of artistic creativity and spread their ideas of a fair and beautiful world.

Having fulfilled their contract with long time record label EMI on their last album, Hail To The Thief, Radiohead decided to release their seventh studio album, In Rainbows, independently this week.

Till they release the album in a more conventional way, In Rainbows can be bought exclusively off the album website, www.inrainbows.com. And if you so choose to buy the digital version of the album, you have the luxury of deciding how much you want to pay for it and if you want to pay for it at all.

Granted, very few bands can be as bold as this and afford to plant such a scheme. But nevertheless, it's an exciting move that has the whole world talking.

The release of a Radiohead album is a major musical event in itself but the release of a Radiohead album in this manner is worth a lot more than just gimmick value.

The consumption of music today is riddled with problems arising out of how to make consumers buy music instead of getting it for free. Many new and lesser known artistes have been making their music available to audiences online for free.

Prince even gave away copies of his latest album for free with a UK newspaper in an attempt to engage audiences. But the In Rainbows experiment has got to be the most engaging of them all.

Other than putting the choice of how much to pay (or not to pay) completely in the hands of the buyer, this system ensures that the person buys the entire album and not any single songs.

Which also benefits Radiohead who, in any case, would rather have people listen to their entire album as opposed to single songs. Moreover, the album is available to anyone in the world with a debit or credit card.

I have yet to meet a person who is not excited about this new "deal" when talking about it. Also, it's going to be interesting to find out how much other people paid for the same album and their reasons for it.

Maybe it was an economic trend waiting to happen and will prove the way forward for the sale of music in the future. Or maybe it will fail miserably and lead to further music downloading and piracy.

Whatever happens, it's a system that benefits both the music fan and the artiste and that's always a good sign. But what makes me glad is that Radiohead tried it out first. Just as they should have.

(craig_fernandes@hotmail.com)