Radiohead's Thom Yorke releases surprise album via BitTorrent


Seven years before U2 decided to force a new album on every unassuming Apple customer, Radiohead released their seventh studio album, In Rainbows, online in a landmark use of the pay-what-you-will model. And now, singer Thom Yorke has just unleashed his latest solo album, Tomorrow's Modern Boxes, on BitTorrent, a peer-to-peer file sharing service.
Releasing the album this way is "an experiment to see if the mechanics of the system are something that the general public can get its head around," Yorke and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich said in a statement. "If it works well it could be an effective way of handing some control of internet commerce back to people who are creating the work."
Yorke is an outspoken critic of the free streaming service Spotify and other music distribution models that give artists fractions of cents per track play and indirectly discourage music fans from actually buying music. Tomorrow's Modern Boxes is available now for $6, and you can stream a track or buy the album below. --Samantha Rollins
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Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
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