Quote:
Starting in late September 2007, visitors to the band's website were redirected to a new website set up to take orders for the album, which was released in two formats.One form was a digital download for which the customer was able to name their own price, the other a "discbox" which included the In Rainbows CD, a bonus CD from the recording sessions, a vinyl edition of In Rainbows contained in two vinyl records, and a hardcover book. This discbox was available for purchase from the "In Rainbows" website for £40 (US$82), and will be shipped to customers in early December. Radiohead initially released their seventh album, In Rainbows, solely as a digital download, in October 2007. It was reported that on the day of its release, 1.2 million copies of In Rainbows had been sold as digital downloads.Radiohead, however, have not released any official sales figures for In Rainbows.
Basically Radiohead cut out the middle man (big record company) and sold direct to the consumer and did so suprisingly well. This is what technology does for consumers, it makes purchases such as these much more efficient.. money wasted on the big record companies stays in your pocket, the artist has a direct connection with their fans and still offer a quality product. Its a win/win situation so there is really not a reason to steal music, if you like an artist you are supporting them directly.