Journal: Saul Williams releases new album online ~for free~

Saul Williams released his latest album "The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!" as a free to pay download. Either you download the album for free and get medium quality mp3s, or pay 5 dollar and can download high quality or lossless versions of the songs. From his myspace page :

As far as the way we've decided to release the album, we're aware that it's pretty risky, but are even more aware that we cant turn to the so-called powers that be of the industry for answers. Someone has got to be willing to take chances. I was very inspired by the recent Radiohead release and felt compelled, almost instantly, to follow my gut and expand on their concept. Obviously, independent artists have been around for years. My indie film, Slam was in fact what opened so many doors for me. yet, the stigma of being an indie artist in the music world hasn't always been rewarding. This time I feel different. I feel like the times have conspired to make this album an important part of history.

I really hope more artists start releasing their music this way. It's a win/win situation. Consumers pay less for complete albums they REALLY want to buy and artists get more money/sale than they would if they were using standard channels. The only losers are the distributors ... But who cares for leeches anyway?