Thom Yorke may just be one of the most unconventional artists of his generation. Yorke has surprisingly partnered up with the mega torrent client BitTorrent to release his second solo album Tomorrow Modern Boxes .
BitTorrent’s “paygated bundle” initiative allows artist to upload content via the torrent based company. The company is trying to distance themselves from the piracy reputation they have gain throughout the internet. Matt Mason, BitTorrent’s chief content officer, is responsible for the BitTorrent’s bundle initiative. BitTorrrent collects 10 percent of the fee, while the rest goes to the artist.
“This album was born out of these conversations we had on how the internet should work for artists, the vision we both share, which is that at present we don’t have a sustainable business model for artists on the internet.”
Earlier this month, Thom Yorke shared a photo of a mysterious white record, fueling speculation of a new Radiohead album. Before the release of Tomorrow Modern Boxes , Yorke published a statement via his producer, Nigel Godrich.
“As an experiment we are using a new version of BitTorrent to distribute a new Thom Yorke record. The new Torrent files have a pay gate to access a bundle of files. If it works well it could be an effective way of handing some control of internet commerce back to people who are creating the work. Enabling those people who make either music, video or any other kind of digital content to sell it themselves. Bypassing the self-elected gate-keepers. If it works anyone can do this exactly as we have done.”
Along with the album, Thom Yorke also released a new song and video titled “A Brain in a Bottle” available for free download. In the first 24 hours of the release, Tomorrow Modern Boxes has already garnered over 100,000 downloads.
Thom Yorke is not a stranger to ignoring the orthodox way of releasing an album. In 2007, Yorke’s band, Radiohead, released In Rainbows , which allowed fans to pay whatever they wanted for the album. Yorke’s Radiohead bandmate, Jonny Greenwood, confirmed that the band will begin work on a new album in September.
As reported by The Inquisitr , Greenwood told BBC Radio 6 , “We’re going to start up in September, playing, rehearsing and recording and see how it’s sounding”.
Thom Yorke’s Tomorrow Modern Boxes is only available via BitTorrent at a cost of $6. Yorke’s album is BitTorrent’s first “paygated bundle,” which can only be downloaded after payment.
[Image via Tumblr]
