How Radiohead Kept 'Ok Computer' From Leaking
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Before the era of viral music snippets being easily shared on social media, leaking music in the 1990s was a different story.
Back then, leaks happened just a few weeks before an album's release, when reviewers got promotional copies.
These copies were predominantly distributed in the form of cassettes or CDs, which could be readily duplicated and shared, often leading to unintended early listens.
To prevent this, Radiohead and Capitol Records wanted to safeguard their latest album, "OK Computer," from falling into the public domain prematurely.
Their objective was to let music reviewers discuss the album while ensuring that there was no means of replicating and disseminating the recordings to a wider audience.
So, they sent out 1,000 single-sided cassettes inside sealed Walkman players with industrial-grade epoxy.
This approach rendered the tape inseparable from the Walkman, as any attempt to remove it would result in irreparable damage to the player, effectively preventing the exclusive recording from being duplicated.
Today, these rare relics can be found online, selling for hundreds of dollars.
However, over two decades later, an unexpected turn of events occurred when a collection of unreleased "OK Computer" material was stolen from singer Thom Yorke's minidisc archive.
The thief demanded a ransom, and when Radiohead refused, they released the recordings online.
This unorthodox leak gave fans an unprecedented glimpse into over 18 hours of recordings and the creative process behind the album.
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