A solid article on Coolfer yesterday. The main thing I would add with regard to artists offering a “varied number of price points in order to capture as much value as possible”, is that they already do!! They come in the form of a concert ticket, t-shirt (or other merchandise), or a shrink-wrapped CD. It’s not explicitly about selling songs (or packaged music), it’s about selling a brand that represents an idea that is bigger than ourselves. It’s art and it’s sometimes (probably most of the time) hard to quantify or qualify.
What makes Radiohead unique among artists is that they understand what they are selling - they understand their own identity myth that is forged from the ethos and aesthetic experienced through their music. And they, themselves, are the owners of their artistic message which they have used to build lasting emotional linkages with their fanbase.
It’s about offering a medium, a virtual dialogue, a token in physical form. It could be anything really, and they know it. They know people want to feel some connection to the idea, and they want to experience it and advertise it too. This is bigger than simply selling music, it’s about the artistic legacy.
