"In Rainbows" worth $3.62

Concept cover art by tevaburns

Digital marketing analysts comScore said today in a release that Radiohead‘s In Rainbows garnered a mean of $3.62 per American download from the album’s official site. They think about 40% of American users paid something for the album, with the average at $8 for those who paid. That means Americans paid more for the record than non-Americans, and that Americans were more likely to pay than non-Americans. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

What does this mean for Dave and my theory of negotiable record prices? Hard to say. But at an estimated million downloads, that means Thom & co. pocketed $3.62 million, less the cost of making and distributing the album. Not a bad chunk of change for indie rock.

By the way, if you’re curious about methodology, comScore monitors its subjects’ activities with cookies (ie, spyware).