Radiohead Release Unheard Material to Spite Hackers

Radiohead are an English rock band formed in 1985. The band rose to international fame through the release of 'OK computer' in 1997. 'OK Computer' is often acclaimed as one of the landmark records of the 1990s and one of the best albums of all time.

Last week an unknown person hacked the minidisc archive owned by Thom Yorke, the front man of Radiohead. The archive contained 18 hours of unreleased music recorded during the making of the award-winning album 'OK computer'. The hacker has reportedly attempted to blackmail the rock group, threatening that he or she will release the tapes if payment of$150,000 is not made. It has also been reported that the hacker has been attempting to sell individual tracks from the archives for sums between $50 and $800.

In a stand against cybercrime, Radiohead has now released the entire 18-hour minidisc of previously unreleased recordings onto Bandcamp, an American online music platform, for a fee of $18 with all proceeds going to climate activists' group Extinction Rebellion. Extinction Rebellion has openly thanked Radiohead for what it calls 'un-precedented support'.

Jonny Greenwood, the guitarist from Radiohead, explained that these archives were never intended for public consumption, however all Radiohead fans will be grateful to get to experience the sound of the never-before released footage. This reaction by Radiohead to not complain about the stolen archive, but to turn it into a positive gain for Extinction Rebellion no doubt disincentivises hacking. Hopefully this example will act as a deterrent to future hackers.

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