Radiohead Day 1 sales

In Rainbows rumoured to have sold 1.2 million

11 Oct 07 - Radiohead are refusing to comment on how many copies of In Rainbows have been downloaded.

The refusal comes after gigwise.com reported that 1.2 million copies of the album, which became available yesterday, have been snapped up. In contrast, Bruce Springsteen, who scored a US Billboard Number One with his latest album Magic, shifted 335,000 copies.

But a spokesman told 6 Music, "it's not about how many they sell."

That view has been supported by guitarist Jonny Greenwood. In an online interview he explained why the band decided to release the album online:

“Just getting it out quickly. It was kind of an experiment as well; we were just doing it for ourselves and that was all. People are making a big thing about it being against the industry or trying to change things for people but it's really not what motivated us to do it. It's more about feeling like it was right for us and feeling bored of what we were doing before.

“It's just interesting to make people pause for even a few seconds and think about what music is worth now. I thought it was an interesting thing to ask people to do and compare it to whatever else in their lives they value or don't value.”

"It's more about feeling like it was right for us and feeling bored of what we were doing before."
Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood on why the band chose to sell In Rainbows online

Bandmate Thom Yorke has also posted his thoughts online. Speaking on the Radiohead.com he said:

“It's a relief to us all that finally it's out there. It's been a mad couple of weeks, as I'm sure you can imagine."

You can submit your own review of In Rainbows by clicking here.

A round-up of submitted reviews can be heard on The Music Week on 14 October from 1pm.


Jacqueline Springer