What do you want to pay for tunes?
Ever walk into your corner store, pick up some chips and then instead of the clerk telling you the total, you let him know you'll pay $1.50?
The concept of "pay whatever you want" might seem strange and probably unworkable in most settings. However, much loved English rock band Radiohead has garnered plenty of attention by using that model with their latest album, "In Rainbows." Fans can download the band's first album since 2003 for whatever price they want - including free - from its website.
This effort by the critically acclaimed band - which earned its success with albums such as OK Computer and Kid A - has sparked a number of debates about the future of the recording industry. One popular one is whether the "pay whatever you want" model is the future of recorded music.
"I personally don't see it as the final solution in our current society," said Piers Henwood in an interview with the ParetoLogic newsletter.
Henwood is a guitarist/keyboard player with Jets Overhead, a Juno-nominated band based in Victoria where ParetoLogic has its headquarters. About a year and a half ago, Jets Overhead started letting fans pay whatever they wanted to download their music, Henwood said in an October 2007 interview.
The group had always had its music free for downloading, but a fan's email suggestion started the voluntary pay system. The band's website states the group believes everyone deserves freedom of choice in how they acquire music legally and that "the record business needs to adapt as soon as possible to a changed world."
"We do believe that in principle music should be paid for, and that eventually the industry will adapt with flexibility rather than prosecution. If in the meantime you would like to support the band by voluntarily paying for downloaded songs that you enjoy and plan to continue listening to ." reads the website, which leads fans to a PayPal link. Henwood joked the band is not exactly getting rich off the "donations." As of mid-October, the donations totaled about four figures, Henwood said.
"We do not judge the success based on the donations," he said, noting the band has a number of other revenue streams. These include such avenues as touring, actual CD sales, royalties and merchandising. As well, he noted that by allowing people to download their music, Jets Overhead is increasing the possibility of attracting new fans.
When you let people choose how much they want to pay, are they generous? According to an Oct. 22 Sydney Morning Herald report, British sources have suggested 1.2 million fans downloaded the new Radiohead album the day it was released, Oct. 10. A poll by the British newspaper-The Times, showed the average price people were paying was about $9.20 US. Texas newspaper- the Midland Reporter Telegram, reported Oct. 22 that speculation has put the average price between $4 and $8 U.S.
Canadian songwriter Jane Siberry, now known as Issa, has allowed "buyers" to pick their own price for digital downloads for years, according to an Oct. 11 New York Times article. The website for Siberry's music, Sheeba Records, gives fans four choices: gift from Jane (free), self-determined pay now, self-determined pay later and standard (which is about .99 cents a song, depending on the selection).
According to the website's statistics as of Oct. 23, 56 per cent of people opt to pay later. Nineteen per cent declare it as a gift from the artist, while 18 per cent choose the standard payment. Only five per cent decided to pay now at their own determined price.
When people do pay, the average price is $1.18 a song. Seventy-nine per cent pay the suggested price, while 15 per cent shell out more. Only six per cent, according to the site, pay less than the suggested price.
While "pay whatever you want" has certainly grabbed headlines as of late, even the bands using it have not completely turned away from other methods of distributing their music.
In December, Radiohead will issue a deluxe boxed version of "In Rainbows". It will feature two CDs (including additional tracks), two vinyl LPs and printed material for about $80 US.
Meanwhile, Jets Overhead released Lost Melodies: A Collection of Rarities, Demos and Remixes this fall exclusively as a digital release. It is available through iTunes, Emusic and some other digital providers, but not on the "pay whatever you want" scale. There was "no grand master plan" for this, Henwood said, but rather it was an experiment to "see how easy it is to do a worldwide release on iTunes."
Whether it be Radiohead's new album, efforts by Jets Overhead or the use of such sites as MySpace to discover and promote musicians, the Internet certainly has established itself as an important part of the music industry. Henwood said there is just something about learning about new music from your "friends" rather than relying on the old guard gatekeepers of radio and even music video television.
"In my mind, the Internet is essentially an extended version of word of mouth," Henwood said.
