As many people already know, the new Radiohead album, In Rainbows, was released exclusively as a download this past week with the consumer’s ability to pay whatever they want for it (or pay nothing at all). Radiohead is one of my favorite bands, so of course I jumped on the opportunity to hear some new material. I wasn’t disappointed; they sound more confident than ever, and the songs are very interesting in their structure (very linear, something that we have come to expect from Radiohead).

The controversial element of the album is, of course, the price. Allowing the fan to choose what they pay is certainly a revolutionary concept, yet coming from Radiohead is not particularly surprising to me. Not only do they have the resources and wealth to be able to do it, experimentation is now their calling card musically so it only seemed natural for it to carry over into other elements of their career after they made an exit from the major labels.

I have paid a lot of money to see Radiohead live three times. I legitimately own every full-length CD they’ve released. I am a true fan of the band who has supported them all the way and will continue to support them. And you know how much I paid for the new album? Nothing. And despite what some people seem to think, I don’t feel the least bit bad about it.

I got into a discussion or two with people who couldn’t believe I wouldn’t pay a dime for the album. But this is a band that, if they felt like they needed money, logic would have me believe that they would make us pay a minimum for the album. There are also plenty of people who are willingly paying money for this download (including one person I saw who was paying $100). That’s great, and I love that some people are doing that and the band will still make a ton of cash from this release. But if someone offers me something for free, I’m not going to feel the least bit bad about taking it for free. If you met the band backstage and they said, “hey, here’s our new CD,” would you say “oh cool, hey, let me at least give you five bucks for it.” No. Of course not. You’re going to take it for free with a smile on your face. And that’s what I’m doing. If they want me to pay at least $4, they can make me pay $4. It’s well within their power and I’d be happy do it. But they said I could have it for free if I wanted. So now I have it for free.

In Rainbows is a very cool experiment and Radiohead is making waves in the music industry as well as making an interesting point. The next time I get a chance to fork over a wad of cash for a concert ticket, I will do that and continue showing my support of the band. And if you were considering getting the new album, I say definitely download it. And pay whatever the hell makes you happy.