Thom Yorke from Radiohead performs on the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival site at Worthy Farm in Pilton on June 23, 2017 near Glastonbury, England.
Matt Cardy/Getty
Radiohead have uploaded a massive collection of audio files to Bandcamp after the music was leaked online last week. Files originating from 18 hour-long minidiscs featuring music recorded by the band while they made OK Computer were stolen from frontman Thom Yorke. In a statement accompanying the official release of that music today, Jonny Greenwood of the band claimed the thief demanded £150,000 ($190,000) in order to stop them leaking the files.
Instead the band have put all of the music online under the name Minidiscs [Hacked] and are charging £18 ($22) to download it. All proceeds will go to Extinction Rebellion, the socio-political movement protesting against the ongoing climate crisis and global heating.
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Read Greenwood's statement in full:
Jonny Greenwood says:
"We got hacked last week - someone stole Thom’s minidisk 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?
