Cover artwork for Thom Yorke’s ‘Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes’
Thom Yorke has surprised us today with a new album, Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes. The album is being distributed through BitTorrent, and is available now for download. The album consists of eight-tracks and can be downloaded for $6, it’s also available on deluxe white vinyl. Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes was announced in a joint statement by Thom Yorke and long-time Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich.
The statement reads:
“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..
The files can be anything, but in this case is an ‘album’.
It’s an experiment to see if the mechanics of the system are something that the general public can get its head around …
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.
The torrent mechanism does not require any server uploading or hosting costs or ‘cloud’ malarkey.
It’s a self-contained embeddable shop front…
The network not only carries the traffic, it also hosts the file. The file is in the network.
Oh yes and it’s called
Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes.”
Thom Yorke & Nigel Godrich
Tracklist for Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes:
- A Brain In A Bottle
- Guess Again!
- Interference
- The Mother Lode
- Truth Ray
- There Is No Ice (For My Drink)
- Pink Section
- Nose Grows Some
The first track “A Brain In A Bottle” is available now in audio and video to download for free. A step-by-step guide for downloading the album is available, and explains that 90% of the $6 goes directly to Thom Yorke.
“Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes is available digitally as a BitTorrent Bundle. You can unlock this Bundle through a $6 payment, with 90% of that payment going directly to Thom Yorke. Every download is its own storefront. Which means every download increases in value, each time it’s shared. To download Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes, go to the BitTorrent Bundle page.”
Video for “A Brain In A Bottle”:
Radiohead are currently in the recording studio beginning work on their ninth record. Philip Selway announced some live shows for 2015 earlier today in support of his second solo-album Weatherhouse, due out on October 7th.
