RiffDraft

The question most frequently asked between sips of Stella and glances up from not-quite-broken-in Chucks at yupster parties this weekend will surely be, “So, what did you pay for the new Radiohead album?”

Unsigned to a label as I write this, Radiohead released their new album In Rainbows for download on their website this week. Purchase price? It’s up to you. It’s certainly not a move without precedent, but an interesting gesture from a band of Radiohead’s stature and selling power.

I’d love to be able to see a demographic breakdown of who paid what for the album after a few months. I’d predict that the amount goes up with age of downloader. Breakdowns by gender, geography and political opinions would be interesting, too. What are the socialists paying? This 33 year old, moderately liberal, male with a steady income shelled out a meager £3 plus the 45p processing fee. That comes out to around US$7. So, am I stingy or stupid?

I applaud Radiohead’s e-busking experiment, but it seems an exercise of luxury when I am reminded of another favorite act on the opposite end of the indie spectrum who also released a new album in the past couple of weeks.

Lee introduced me to Jonah Matranga back in the days when he was making the rounds of dive bars and college gyms as Onelinedrawing. The night Johnny Greenwood was sitting on the Saturday Night Live stage twisting modulator knobs I’d bet cash money that Jonah was playing solo for 40 people in some hole in the wall accompanied by tinny Casio beats from his custom-made R2-D2 drum machine.

Back then, in 2000, fans could order Jonah’s albums on his website for whatever they chose to pay plus shipping and handling. When he hung around after gigs to talk to fans, you could tell he felt guilty asking for money from people who wanted his CDs. If you want to download Jonah’s new album “And” from his website today, there’s a set price (only US$7.99), but I still like the idea that he and Radiohead are swimming in the same water.

So I bought both. But if you’re looking for new music this weekend, I recommend you give Radiohead their 45p processing fee and shell out $8 for Jonah’s album on his website. That way you’ll have two DRM-free albums for less than you’d pay for one on iTunes and you can tell everyone at the party about how you support real indie rock.