Radiohead’s music is a favorite of mine, so I watched with interest as they offered their latest album on a “pay what you can” basis. We paid. We listened. We liked. Of course, I pined for the sounds of their first album, yet I was happy to hear them creating a new sound instead of relying on the relative safety and security of their past success.

When they offered their album for $1, for $0, for $50 — for whatever you want to pay, dear reader — they forged ahead with a risky, never-before-seen, unique marketing endeavor.

John Jantsch, a small business marketing coach, writes:

“Could you make a product or service so satisfying that people would pay enough, voluntarily, to make it a profitable venture? Perhaps, but maybe that’s not the entire point. What Radiohead has done has created so much buzz that the influx of new listeners to the band may make any potential loss pale in comparison…

“Could you create a marketing strategy that would define your industry? Could you do something so big that your peers (not your prospects) would call you crazy?”

Would you, dear reader, be willing to offer your art for what someone wanted to pay?

UPDATE: Radiohead reports an average $10 per download.