This release event was viewed as either the Second Coming or an indication the album might be horrible – hard to believe, given the positive response to the songs premiered during last summer's tour. After the 1997 release of OK Computer, Radiohead was knighted as the default savior of rock by most music magazines, with OK crowned the best album of the past 25 years by Spin Magazine. One has to hand it to the band: clear of its contractual obligations with EMI, Radiohead decided to go their own way. There is little argument that Radiohead has earned the respect and, more importantly, the fan base, to eschew the well-traveled distribution path and venture out on the download road not taken.

Of course, In Rainbows is not the exclusive example of DIY distribution these days. Prince gave away copies of his last album to readers of The Sunday Mail in the U.K, inciting his label to refuse to sell the album in stores. If anyone owns "artistic integrity" in the music biz, it's Prince, who literally wrote "SLAVE" on his cheek. Trent Reznor, front man of Nine Inch Nails, is also a label "free agent" and has mentioned doing an online release of his next album similar to Radiohead. Madonna signed a mega deal with ticket distributor Live Nation, which will include distribution of any new music.

While not as grandiose, many artists are using the Web to get their music out there. Apple's iTunes offers free singles every week, featuring unknown and known artists. Even Bruce Springsteen placed new songs as free downloads on his Web site. And how many of your friends' bands have MySpace pages?

To Radiohead, it's really not that big of a deal. In fact, as the band's spokesperson said in a Los Angeles Times article, "it's more of an experiment. The band is not fighting for the sake of the fight or trying to lead a revolution."

This would be a good time to mention the catch: in addition to the download, Radiohead is selling a boxed set, which includes the album, in digital, CD and vinyl formats, plus a book with liner notes and photographs for 40 pounds (about $80 dollars). Plus, In Rainbows will be sold in your local Best Buy next spring. In other words, there's a safety net firmly in place and Radiohead isn't going to starve without your funds.

Much has been made about the decentralizing of the music industry, the advent of technology that allows musicians to control all aspects of the product – including distribution – and the galvanization of niche products a la "the long tail." As shown by the Popular Music Project Artists-in-Residence dublab, technology now allows music to bypass the mass audience to reach the community of listeners that would enjoy it most.

On the flip-side the music industry continues to fight illegal piracy. Mere days before Radiohead's album became available, jurors found 30-year-old single mother Jammie Thomas of Minnesota guilty of copyright infringement, ordering her to pay $222,000 for illegal file-sharing. For the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA), it's one down and 25,999 lawsuits to go. Frankly, while the industry may be winning battles, it seems to be losing the war to keep customers interested and buying.

At the core of the In Rainbows release is an agreement: Radiohead puts out good music, fans reward Radiohead with a good payment. Listeners, however, must calculate their payment for In Rainbows not on its own merits (there are no song samples anywhere on the site), but on Radiohead's past work. In other words, this deal is meant for the fans who would buy Radiohead regardless of the circumstances. Ignore the knuckleheads who won't pay anything and what unfolds is one hell of a marketing plan. If the album can appeal to a wider audience, conventional sales won't suffer. If it doesn't, In Rainbows becomes a fan favorite and fodder for research.

Now if Radiohead would let fans listen to the entire album and then pay for it, THAT would be radical. Concert versions of some of these songs are on YouTube, but Radiohead is known for re-structuring songs after they've been road-tested. Now that the music is out, it will be fascinating to see who buys the CD. The band announced that distribution deals have been made for a late winter/early spring release. In addition, Radiohead will tour internationally in support of In Rainbows.

In the end, Radiohead should be applauded for singing for their supper, or at least the tantalizing appetizers. It's delicious to see this shift from prix fixe music, especially when the meal offered is so rich, complex and satisfying.