Poll: Does The “Pay What You Want” Business Model Work?
By Seraphina L.
After Radiohead offered an opportunity for fans to “pay what you want” in regards to their In Rainbows CD, there were a lot of reactions ranging from shock to joy. Later on, more artists such as Girl Talk decided to let their fans determine how much they wanted to donate as well. (Although if you chose to pay $0, Girl Talk’s Feed the Animals host, illegal-art.net, inquired why with a multiple choice question.) The option seemed to work for Radiohead since they immediately sold 1.2 million copies online, and fans still continued to buy physical copies afterward.
However, The Cure‘s Robert Smith has deemed this option to be foolish because it allows the fans to put a value on the artist’s work. Is this business model fundamentally wrong as he says? Or does it not matter because it makes it more convenient for fans? Let us know what you think!
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Thursday, March 5, 2009 3:00AM
you cant put a price on music so if you pay 0 or 1000 it's just monetary…. this value does not rfeflect on the work itseelf, it's simly a silly by-product… the whole discussion is almost pointless
Tuesday, March 10, 2009 4:22AM
So, let me get this straight: you pay any dollar amount to buy an album? Well, I wish this would work, but that's just idealistically. Surely you have true fans who are donating more than what is needed, but then you have people who will donate a dollar and get the music that they want. The musicians work hard and do this for a living to provide entertainment to their fans. Is it not right for them to get money? Sure, it's a work of art, and it's silly to think that monetary numbers will determine the quality of the music, but it's respectful and supportive to donate to the artists.
Monday, December 7, 2009 3:12PM
[...] Night Ripper, mash-up DJ, Girl Talk, released his latest album Feed the Animals with a “Pay What You Want” choice. It made sense since his label is named Illegal Art, and most people justified his [...]