radiohead fans pay 290 for digital album

Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album Level 3 1

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Warmer: Brainstorming

a) How many music genres can you think of in three minutes? b) What kind of music do you like? Try to find others in your group who have a similar taste in music to your own (i.e. if you like rock music, join with others who like rock; if you prefer classical or opera, sit with others who like this kind of music).

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Discussion: Questions

a) In your groups, discuss these questions: a) How much does a CD cost in your country? b) How many CDs do you buy in a month/year? c) When did you last buy a CD or download music from the Internet? d) What do you consider to be a fair price for a CD? e) How much would you be willing to pay to download music? f) Do you think more music is downloaded legally or illegally? g) What do you think the ratio of legal to illegal downloads might be? b) How do your answers reflect what is written in the article?

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album / Advanced

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Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album Level 3

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Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album

music industry struggling with the effects of digital piracy. Despite an increase in sales of live concert tickets, CD sales are less profitable than ever due to increased competition and piracy.

Alexandra Topping November 7, 2007 1 When Radiohead invited their fans to pay as much - or as little - as they liked for a digital download of their new album, In Rainbows, it was hailed as the beginning of a new era for the struggling record industry.

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2 So what then, was the ultimate value of the ground-breaking album and its test of the constraints of the digital age? Around £2.90, it would seem.

Industry bodies have estimated that worldwide, people download 20 tracks illegally for every digital download they pay for, which may suggest Radiohead has surpassed most other artists in this particular experiment. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 07/11/07

3 Research revealed yesterday that a mere 38% of people downloading the album were willing to part with anything at all. Two thirds paid only the 45p charge for handling. 4 The average amount that less frugal fans were willing to pay was still a paltry $6 (£2.90) – far below the price of a CD or the amount a digital album would cost to download from the Apple iTunes store. 5 During the first 29 days of October, 1.2 million people worldwide visited the In Rainbows site, with a significant percentage of visitors ultimately downloading the album. The study showed that 38% of global downloaders of the album willingly paid to do so, with the remaining 62% choosing to pay nothing. The percentage downloading for free in the US (60%) is only marginally lower than in the rest of the world (64 %).

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album / Advanced

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6 The Radiohead ‘honesty box’ experiment has been closely watched by other artists, their record labels and management companies. It was widely seen as the most high-profile attempt yet to restructure the economics of a

Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album Level 3

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3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text.

1. Radiohead found that... a) ... nearly everybody was willing to pay for the album. b) ... just over half of all downloaders were willing to pay for the album. c) ... just over a third of all downloaders were willing to pay for the album. 2. Compared to other countries... a) ... more... b) ... less... c) ... the same number of... Americans downloaded the album for free. 3. The music industry has seen a decline in the profits made on sales of... a) ... concert tickets. b) ... music downloads. c) ... music CDs. 4. According to the figures given for illegal downloads, Radiohead’s experiment... a) ... has been a success. b) ... has been unsuccessful.

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album / Advanced

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c) ... has made no difference at all.

Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album Level 3

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4 Role play Role cards:

Journalist or newspaper you write for. Decide which magazine

Think of questions that you want to ask the others. At the end of the role play you should decide what kind of spin you are going to give your article. Will it be for or against Radiohead’s business model, or will your report be neutral?

A Radiohead band member

A Consumer

Describe your business model. Give reasons why you chose this model. Decide how you will sell or market your next album.

Explain how you buy music and why you prefer this method. Say how much you are happy to pay for music. Is Radiohead’s idea a good or bad thing for music buyers?

A member of a new band Is it easy to break into the music scene? What are you doing to get yourself known and to sell your new album (you’ve just recorded it)? How does Radiohead’s business model affect new bands?

Note: Each role can be given to one or more people – the minimum amount of roles per group is two: the journalist plus one other. If possible, record the role play. • For more background information, please refer to the onestopenglish weekly news lesson 57 from October 11th 2007, ‘Radiohead’s bid to revive the music industry’.

5 Writing: Follow up Choose one of the following: a) Write up a report of your role play in the style of an article for a newspaper or website.

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album / Advanced

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b) Chose to be either a band member or consumer and write a letter to a newspaper stating your opinion.

Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album Level 3 Advanced KEY 3 Comprehension check 1. Radiohead found that... c) ... just over a third of all downloaders were willing to pay for the album. 2. Compared to other countries... b) ... less Americans downloaded the album for free. 3. The music industry has seen a decline in the profits made on sales of... a) ... concert tickets. 4. According to the figures given for illegal downloads, Radiohead’s experiment... a) ... has been a success.

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http://www.apple.com/itunes/

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http://www.inrainbows.com/

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