What "In Rainbows" means for the Earth

I've always been confused by physical packaging for digital goods. Why ship hunks of plastic all over the world when I can click and download an identical product without anyone having to leave their homes?

Well, obviously, digital music (and video) has taken off in the last few years. But still, the recording industry is intent on relying on those antiquated slabs of plastic as their premium product.

Well, when Radiohead finished with it's six-album contract with EMI, they decided to change the system a bit. Their most recent album (the first in two years) was recently released in pure digital form. The band made the download available for whatever cost people are interested in paying. Apparently the average price paid has been roughly $8...significantly more than a band gets from a cut of traditional album sales.

It's a fascinating experience. The recording industry has long believed that people, in the end, want to purchase something physical. As if the plastic and paper of the product is more impotant than the actual music. Radiohead, however, is asking people what they think the music...and only the music...is worth. The answer, it's worth more, as long as the record companies don't take their cut.

More money for Radiohead, less money for us, and less physical crap existing in the world. That's good news for everyone, right? Oh...except the record companies....it's not good news for them.