Radiohead Figures Out How To Sell 99-cent Song for $4.95 to 2,250 People

I'm not sure what the bigger news is: That 2,250 people participated in Radiohead's contest to remix the band's song "Nude" -- or that 2,250 people paid $4.95 for what would otherwise cost 99 cents.

The contest certainly is another interesting experiment by Radiohead in how to sell music in the Internet Age. The band posted five "stems" of the song on iTunes -- one each for bass, drum, guitar, keyboards and voice. Each cost 99 cents. Buy all five and mix them together using music software like Garageband or Cakewalk, and you hear the actual track as Radiohead intended it. Total cost $4.95. But of course, the appeal is that you can then take those stems, add your own effects, other instruments, voices, whatever, mix them all together, and create an entirely new version of the song.

Then you post the remixed song on Radiohead's site, and fans vote for the best one -- adding another layer of participation. As of Thursday night, 2,254 remixes had been posted and tens of thousands of people had voted.

Interestingly, the remixes all sound like completely different versions of the same song. It's amazing how mood and intent of the song can shift so radically. I listened to most of the top 20 vote-getting remixes. The No. 1 version, by "Spor," is pretty cool and worthy of the attention. At about No. 15 is a remix by Thomas Dolby -- he of the 1980s hit "She Blinded Me With Science." I actually liked that one best -- and voted for it, since I was on the site anyway. (He said he did the remix via Wi-Fi while sitting on a UK beach shivering under a blanket.)

So what does this remix contest mean? Well, it certainly turned into a successful publicity stunt. It got Radiohead boatloads of media coverage, and probably helped fans who did the remixes feel like they bonded with the band. No doubt other bands will try the same thing. (Hey, if you can make five times the revenue...why not?) Offering stems for remixes might even become an expected part of marketing a new album or song.

But it's hard to tell how much of an impact the idea will have going forward. Getting 2,250 participants can be considered a lot -- or it could be looked at as not many. On the great wide Web, 2,250 people barely make up a tiny blip. That many videos get posted to YouTube every couple of hours. Once the excitement over an experiment wears off, the media coverage will disappear.

Will more bands post remix material? No doubt. Will it become a significant part of the way music is sold and enjoyed? I had my doubts before, and I still do.

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