You know, the In Rainbows model isn't exactly new. I used to pinch cabbages from a guy 10 minutes' bike down the road who tried that method of distribution.

$2000 projected text book cost for wife's masters program. Bollocks.

in before the radiohead rocks and radiohead sucks crowd

I never understood, with the internet and access to information, why students still need to pay ridiculous prices for books.

When I was in college, I don't know how many classes had me buy books I didn't even need. Especially, when you had to buy 3 or 4 books for a class, and all the tests where based on the lectures only and papers I wrote were based on information I got from the library.

I had a physics professor in college who had written his own textbooks. They were available online, I don't think there was anything stopping us from giving copies to anyine. He also sold us sprial copies from the college printers at production cost which was like $10.

read an article about similar people. economics prof giving it away for free (pops) or open source textbooks (also pops).

Damn liberal academia!1!!1 This isn't soviet Russia. The goal of these U.S. farking A. is to get rich while fleecing others.

What does a Professor of International Marketing know about selling stuff anyways?

blindy the pirate:
Damn liberal academia!1!!1 This isn't soviet Russia. The goal of these U.S. farking A. is to get rich while fleecing others.

When I went back to do my second degree I was shocked to find book prices in the US were easily 4 times what the books cost in other countries. You can even get the international version of the same book, that only difference is a different cover for half the price you pay in the US.

That's downright awesome.

I had a professor who had signed a deal for a novel he'd been working on and the publisher wanted him to write some books on graphic design. He was asked if he would use them, and replied he would. He also went on to say that he thought keeping the profits would be a conflict of interests for him and would be donating the proceeds from students to charity or something.

Catran: I never understood, with the internet and access to information, why students still need to pay ridiculous prices for books.

When I was in college, I don't know how many classes had me buy books I didn't even need. Especially, when you had to buy 3 or 4 books for a class, and all the tests where based on the lectures only and papers I wrote were based on information I got from the library.

That's why I never bought a book for class unless the teacher asked for it. If I was a week in class and they told us we would need to write a report on pg 50...Then I would go out and buy the book. Other than that I saved so much money off that system.

It's a neat idea, but I predict he'll find out the ugly truth that students would rather spend their end-of-semester funds on partying than paying for a "free" textbook.

At my school, we have textbook rental for undergrads. It is AWESOME. If a book isn't useful, no big deal -- you just take it back.

NeuroticRocker: in before the radiohead rocks and radiohead sucks crowd

Radiohead sucks rocks.

When you were here before
Couldn't look you in the eye
You're just like an angel
Your skin makes me cry

You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You're so farkin' special

But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here

I don't care if it hurts
I wanna have control
I want a perfect body
I want a perfect soul

I want you to notice
When I'm not around
You're so farkin' special
I wish I was special

But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here, ohhhh, ohhhh

She's running out the door
She's running out
She runs, runs, runs, runs
Runs

Whatever makes you happy
Whatever you want
You're so farkin' special
I wish I was special

But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here

I don't belong here

/Damien Rice does the best damn cover of this

Radiohead's "pay as you wish" marketing publicity stunt

Worked like a charm, too.

barneyfifesbullet: Radiohead's "pay as you wish" marketing publicity stunt

Worked like a charm, too.

This

BTW, it's one year to the day since the digital release of In Rainbows.

Oh and,
barneyfifesbullet: Radiohead's "pay as you wish" marketing publicity stunt

Worked like a charm, too.

Call it what you will, I still think it is one of the coolest things a major artist has done to stick it to a major label, while creating ten times more global buzz than if they had released it traditionally via EMI.

/subby

Oh, and have any of you fans seen this (pops)? Ballet of Romeo and Juliet set to Radiohead. Pretty... interesting. Weird thing is they don't end the performance with the obligatory "Exit Music (for a film)". What the?

emptykay: BTW, it's one year to the day since the digital release of In Rainbows.

Oh and,
barneyfifesbullet: Radiohead's "pay as you wish" marketing publicity stunt

Worked like a charm, too.

Call it what you will, I still think it is one of the coolest things a major artist has done to stick it to a major label, while creating ten times more global buzz than if they had released it traditionally via EMI.

/subby

I call it simply a pragmatic choice. They were in between record deals and had no other method to distribute it than to do it themselves. They always intended to sign with another label and then release it via normal distribution channels. And that's exactly what happened.

There was some interview in which Thom said as much, but I am too lazy to confirm that with teh google and all.

emptykay: Call it what you will, I still think it is one of the coolest things a major artist has done to stick it to a major label, while creating ten times more global buzz than if they had released it traditionally via EMI.

WTF do you think creating global buzz is? It's called a publicity stunt. Brilliantly carried out too.

Radiohead took all of the people that thought Radiohead was at war with the big bad record label, and used them to tell everyone with a computer that Radiohead had a new album coming out.

The same people actually believed this "pay as you wish" was a new business model that everyone would now be using. What dupes.