Radiohead released the 2007 album 'In Rainbows', initially offering its digital download through a pay-what-you-want model. Fans could choose their own price, including paying nothing, before the album received a conventional physical release.
The experiment began on October 10, 2007, after Radiohead had left its long-standing recording relationship with EMI. The band announced the album only days before release and directed listeners to a dedicated website, allowing a global audience to hear the record without waiting for a traditional retail rollout.
The approach attracted enormous attention because it challenged standard assumptions about music pricing and distribution. A physical edition followed through XL Recordings internationally on December 3, 2007, with a North American release through TBD Records in January 2008.
The pay-what-you-want download is sometimes described as a free release, but that is incomplete: listeners could pay any amount, and many chose to pay. 'In Rainbows' is Radiohead's seventh studio album and includes songs such as 'Nude', 'Reckoner', and 'Jigsaw Falling into Place'.