Having a pre-existing relationship always helps… might even be necessary. Radiohead and NIN benefit from the installed base of fans (as mentioned), and my graphic designer connections were relationships where there was an established trust.

I wonder if this is viable at all while you’re building trust, expanding those relationships… ???

I think maybe this could put the record industry on its ass a bit. In this, the 21st century music and even video is not a tangible like it used to be. With it so easily attainable to the masses, all just floating around in the ether and junk. Maybe it has become obvious that to sell a packaged album these days you must supply the purchaser with “stuff”. In a lot of ways, the bigger the band the more and better the stuff should be. You know t-shirts, buttons, art, booklets, patches, stickers, stuff like that all put into a cool box. Besides. it’s all promotional right.
Has music’s value deflated or have the record companies just been jacking us up for this long and the masses maybe hadn’t thought about it. No and yes is my answer in that order. I still believe in buying music (As a musician who hopes to sell some of my own some day, I’d be stupid not to.) I believe that buying a disc or a download makes you as much of a patron of the arts as going to see the band play live. I don’t believe that intelligent people think that music can survive if musicians cannot make a living. Seriously, great music and its success cannot exist when the band has to work a full timer at the corner Jack In The Box and you certainly won’t be able to see them in your town if they cannot afford to tour. Get what I mean? And it can be done without record companies if we rearrange our thinking about spending our money.
Radiohead lets you decide how much to pay for a download of there new album because they really don’t need the money and they will make some cash charging about $60-$80 (American, if i converted correctly from the pound) for the groovy box version of it with “stuff”. But what I want to know is; if you found a great new band out there who were not millionaire rock stars and they let you decide how much to pay for their download-able album, how much would you be willing to pay? How much, knowing that you will be helping this band not only keep excising to create more but maybe you will be helping them get out into the world, where you are, to play their music live, maybe for you, if you actually get out from in front of your computer and go out. And by paying to see their show you will help them make an even better living so they can have families and health care, be able to afford rehab and make another record. Even more exciting than that, by paying some price, of your choice, for art, you and this band could be a driving force for change in the world. Yes, I want to know now, how much?
{Let’s say, it was your friends band … How much then would you pay?}
Will Radiohead change the world with this release technique? Maybe a little, I hope a lot . Should we support this idea? I do. You should as well. Did I pay for my download? No, I am a broke student right now. Will I buy the box when it comes out? Probly, eventually, when i have the cash. With all of those questions put aside I can firmly say that if your band let me decide how much to pay to download your new album (and I dug your music, right), I would pay no less than $1 a song and this seems to be the consciences of anyone I have asked. I would also hope to get a sticker or something when in the mail since you made me sign up for your mailing list before I could complete the download. If you came to my town I would probly even drop a 10er to watch you and maybe a another 10er for a t-shirt, if you have my size and it was cool looking.
The point here is are you ready to change the world. Remember, the money you spend maybe the money you someday make or at least the art you may save.

This is the point of view I feel many people are not looking at and I wish they would.

Cheers,
BAMMBAMM
Seattle WA USA