music

    This week Comcast released the final figures for how many people chose to pay (38%), or not(62%), for Radioheads ground-breaking (OK, not really, but significant for such a large act) release of their new album, In Rainbows, which was released on the internet under a ‘pay what you want’ model.
The internet, and especially the blogosphere, has reported the final paying figure of 38% as being very low; I’m inclined to disagree (as are Radiohead, who claim that ComCasts figures are entirely inaccurate). Given that the release was almost certainly available over P2P networks almost instantly, and that there were no advantages for paying for the record*, the game theorist in me is rather surprised that such a high proportion did decide to pay. If we are to believe the RIAA and BPI, then as we drop the barriers to entry of copying music (and releasing an album as DRM free MP3’s means there are no barriers), then the customers (or, as one entertaining commenter over at El Reg, coined it, the customer-criminals, or custimals) almost feel compelled to start copying that music, spreading it on P2P networks and generally revelling in piracy.