Radiohead Outwit Hackers, Release Stolen Recordings from ‘OK Computer’ Sessions
Radiohead had about 18 hours of records stolen from them from the recording session of their 1997 landmark album OK Computer and held for ransom. So, what does the band decide to do? Release it for a small price with proceeds going to charity.
Now available on Bandcamp for 18 pounds (about $23 USD) is MINIDISCS [HACKED]. Guitarist Jonny Greenwood said in a statement of the release, “We got hacked last week – someone stole Thom’s minidisc archive from around the time of OK Computer, and reportedly demanded $150,000 on threat of releasing it. So instead of complaining – much – or ignoring it, we’re releasing all 18 hours on bandcamp in aid of Extinction Rebellion. Just for the next 18 days. So for £18 you can find out if we should have paid that ransom. Never intended for public consumption (though some clips did reach the cassette in the OK Computer reissue) it’s only tangentially interesting. And very, very long. Not a phone download. Rainy out, isn’t it though?”
Extinction Rebellion is described as “a socio-political movement which uses nonviolent resistance to protest against climate breakdown, biodiversity loss, and the risk of human extinction and ecological collapse.”
So, let that be a lesson to everyone. If you steal music and attempt to hold it for ransom, there’s a good chance the artist won’t care and just release it anyway.
Erica Banas is rock/classic rock news blogger that loves the smell of old vinyl in the morning.
