Remember when Radiohead released In Rainbows and told everyone to pay whatever they thought was appropriate? It subsequently came out in more standard retail formats. A little more than a year after the album's Oct. 10, 2007 initial release, sales figures have been made available for the first time. Here are highlights from a press release distributed by Radiohead's publicist:
• In Rainbows has sold three million copies thus far, a figure that includes downloads from Radiohead.com, physical CDs, a deluxe 2-CD/vinyl box set, as well as sales via iTunes and other digital retailers.
• The In Rainbows deluxe edition sold 100,000 copies via Radiohead fan service W.A.S.T.E.
• Radiohead made more money prior to In Rainbows' January 2008 physical release than its total take on 2003's Hail To the Thief.
• The physical release of In Rainbows entered both the US and UK charts at #1 in January, despite having been freely available since October 2007.
• In Rainbows was the first Radiohead album available on iTunes, where it went in at #1 in January, selling 30,000 in its first week.
• In Rainbows also owns the singular distinction of being the first record widely regarded as album of the year in advance of its actual physical release: By the time TBD/ATO released In Rainbows to retail on January 1, 2008, the digital version had already topped the 2007 year-end lists at NEW YORK, THE NEW YORK TIMES, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, NPR, TIME, PEOPLE, ROLLING STONE, BLENDER, SPIN, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES and many more.
This article appears in Oct 15-21, 2008.