Radiohead first resonated with me in 1995, when on The Bends, Thom Yorke wailed, “I wish it was the sixties, I wish I could be happy, I wish, I wish, I wish that something would happen.” It was an anthem for a generation of disgruntled twenty-somethings searching for a common cause. Over a decade later, the band is definitely making something happen—to the dismay of the recording industry, Radiohead has released their 7th album, In Rainbows, without the help of a label, and they’re selling it through their website for the egalitarian price of whatever-you-want. Legions of fans can now stop wishing and start embracing a new era of sound.

As the recording industry reels over illegal downloads, grasping for control through slippery suits like the recent Minnesota case that left a suburban mom owing $200,000 for illegal pirating, In Rainbows is a reminder that music belongs in the hands (and ears) of the people. Radiohead and other musicians dedicated to sharing songs, along with groups like Creative Commons that provide innovative open licensing agreements, are proving that music is indeed communal capital, and that it can be financially viable outside of the existing economic paradigm.

While the band isn’t officially releasing numbers, a recent report from online music site Gigwise stated that 1.2 million copies of In Rainbows sold within the first few days, and according to an October 14th New York Times article, those sales have averaged around $8 an album. Radiohead has far exceeded the 10-15% royalties (typically around $3 an album before other deductions) artists usually garner through major label deals. Despite traditional notions of “rational consumption,” fans are obviously willing to shell out cash to support music they love, even when they don’t have to pay for it.

Radiohead is by no means the first band to cut out the middleman—indie artists have perfected the act—but the group’s epic stature solidifies the fact that music is about more than dollars and sense. After all, it isn’t common sense that inspires some listeners to pay over $20 for an album they can get for free. Perhaps it stems from a feeling of charity or obligation. Or perhaps, In Rainbows sales are rooted in a desire on the part of listeners to be involved in the music process, to be more than passive consumers. When shoppers decide how much to pay, they directly influence the band’s success, and project greater value onto the music itself. There is a collective buy-in that gives listeners a sense of control and bands that much more of a loyal of a following.

EMI Chairman Guy Hands told Forbes last month that the industry has “stuck its head in the sand” in regards to dealing with the digitization of music. But for musicians who refuse to stick around in that sand, it’s increasingly easy to work outside of privatized labels. Affordable home-recording programs and immediate distribution and publicity through peer sites such as Myspace allow unsigned artists to gain monumental fan-bases, without signing away 90% of their profits (just look at the snowballing success of Myspace celeb Tila Tequila, whose 1.7 million “friends” have earned her a reality TV show and surprisingly successful album). Myspace lets people create their own celebrities rather than be force-fed the latest industry confections.

Meanwhile, sites like Creative Commons provide a way for musicians to chose their own licensing conditions and open up their songs to use and even manipulation by others, or as the site says, “use private rights to create public goods.” Suddenly, music is no longer static; it can be recreated, repackaged, and embraced by an entirely new audience. Magnatune, an online record label whose slogan is “We are not evil,” not only uses Creative Commons licensing for its artists, but then lets shoppers listen to albums for free or choose how much they’d like to pay to download them. Magnatune’s artists publish the source code of their music so that anyone can create remixes or covers of their songs, and allow their tunes to be used for non-commercial projects free of charge. The site helps artists get exposure and still make as much money as they would through a traditional label, and helps browsers experience a world of music that they may never have heard had they been forced to throw down $15 bucks at the record store. And ultimately, they download more music because of it.

It is apparent that music no longer has to be commodified in traditional ways, nor should it be—by sharing control, musicians and listeners can return music to its rightful place in the creative, rather than corporate, domain. As more mainstream bands follow Radiohead’s lead (Nine Inch Nails just announced that they’ve broken free from their label and are planning to distribute directly to fans), and independent artists continue to make music within a cultural commons, the prevailing paradigm will indeed change. And that’s a cause that I, no longer a disgruntled twenty-something, am happy to fight for. — Kirsten Koba