The Telegraph reports that Oasis and Jamiroquai are the latest bands contemplating a free release of their upcoming albums on the Internet. This follows the spectacular pre-orders for Radiohead’s pay-as-you-please album “In Rainbows,” which was unleashed on the unsuspecting music community, used to rampant illegal file-sharing and hefty lawsuits by the RIAA. Amazingly, according to the maverick band’s spokesman, most buyers have ordered the £40 box set, eschewing the opportunity to almost get it for free.
Snip from the article:
The band’s website topped the chart of music websites with an 11-fold increase in internet hits after the announcement, according to internet monitoring agency HitWise.
Now Jamiroquai and Oasis, two major names that are not contracted to a record labels, are rumoured to be considering following Radiohead by offering work for free, according to industry sources.
Radiohead refuse to reveal how many fans have pre-ordered their seventh album, In Rainbows, but figures from HitWise show the move pushed the site up from number 43 to the top slot for music websites in the UK.
This is a win-win situation for everyone involved, except maybe for the record companies, who must be going bonkers at the moment. The band gets exposure and makes more money, and the fans are just too happy to get their music legally, and at the right price. Is this the beginning of the next music revolution?