Radiohead: “It’s Up to You” - Viral Marketing done right
I’m a huge Radiohead fan. I visited their site today with a pleasant surprise. They are releasing their new album in 10 days.
What really impressed me was the price: “It’s Up to You“.
Radiohead currently has no label so they will receive 100% of their album sales. Most artists under contract with major record labels receive a little over 10% of the actual album price. So from a financial standpoint they really can’t do much worse.
I’m not going to discount the fact that this unprecedented act of a major artist bucking the music industry will undoubtedly receive a ton of exposure.
Beyond the issues Radiohead has with the record label dominance of the music industry, what this really is at its core is faith in their product - viral marketing in its truest form. Put out a remarkable, quality product and people will gladly do the marketing for you through word of mouth.
People can pay £1 if they choose to, which I’m sure a few will. My bet is that most will pay at least what they would for a regular album and a good amount will pay more. Why? Appreciation for their honesty and the fact that they’ve consistently put out quality music. Any fan will pay for that.
How many of your “fans” can you say would do the same?