tylersuard

I'd like your input on an idea for a new way of distributing music. The basic concept is this: after your album has been released, anybody can download it for free on limewire or other P2P and you get the short end of the stick. But what if you ask fans to pay up front, before the album's release? For instance, let's say Radiohead didn't sell their songs on a "pay what you want" basis, but instead let fans pre-order the album, and the band agreed to release it as soon as 1 million pre-orders were sold(at, say, $10 each). They obviously couldn't control piracy after the release, but assuming they could keep the tracks from leaking beforehand, they might have $10 million in gross receipts. Let me know what you think.