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Library/Music/Radiohead “In Rainbows” pay-what-you-want
Grade B18 sourcesHIS-01539

Radiohead “In Rainbows” pay-what-you-want

Music · 2007 · Niche

37Editable slideCertificate

Radiohead let fans price a download, then sold 122,000 in its first US retail week.

Clip · Radiohead on YouTube
In Rainbows cover art on Radiohead’s official W.A.S.T.E. store.
Radiohead / W.A.S.T.E.
Radiohead Grammy Awards and Nominations, Song & Bio
Recording Academy
Thom Yorke on the In Rainbows tour at Main Square Festival, Arras, July 2008.
Nicolas Lœuillet, CC BY-SA 2.0
Radiohead - Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Radiohead on YouTube

Spread Score

How it works
ReachNo data yetContagion35Breadth40Velocity52Longevity2037

Numbers

Peak proxy date
Oct 2007
Oct 10 ’07 to Oct 2007
Platforms
6
Started on Open web
Origin
Seeded
Entertainment

Mechanics

  • TransgressionPrimary
  • Controversy
  • Platform jump
  • Press loop
  • Pairing

How it spread

Trace the origin

Radiohead released a pay-what-you-want album download after a short announcement. Fans discussed prices, radio played it and Last.fm listeners filled its top ten. The retail album reached No. 1 in Britain and the US; publisher figures later put purchases at three million.

Proxy date; not a directly measured attention peak. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.

Google searchesSep ’07OctNovDecFeb ’08JunOctApr ’09AugDecPeak proxyOpen webPressAudioYouTubeRetailTV
Open webPressAudioYouTubeRetailTV

13 more events on this chart

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Timeline (16)

  1. September 2007

    Jonny Greenwood / Radiohead precursor · Sep 30 ’07

    Greenwood announced In Rainbows for October 10 and let fans choose the download price.[1]

    Open the first post ↗

  2. October 2007

    Deufin / MoneySavingExpert members precursor · Oct 1 ’07

    A MoneySavingExpert thread shared the preorder in its Freebies forum and discussed paying nothing.[2]

  3. Radiohead seed · Oct 10 ’07

    Radiohead released In Rainbows as a download at a price each listener chose, including nothing.[3][4]

  1. press · Oct 10 ’07

  2. platform jump · Week of Oct 14, 2007

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Why it worked

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Origin
Seeded
Sector
Entertainment
Region
GB
Reported figure
—
Evidence
Grade B

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