With the astounding success of Radiohead's bold gambit earlier this month to market and sell their new album online (at least initially), Billboard is now reporting that the band will embark on a large-scale tour next year. Although this is a typical move in the music industry, and certainly "normal" band news, it has me wondering whether a large-scale tour by Radiohead will be or can be as industry changing as the release of In Rainbows.

Undoubtedly, a new worldwide tour by Radiohead will look very similar to past tours the band has taken around the globe, in particular their 2001 and 2003 global expeditions. Billboard reports that when the band toured last year it was "almost for creative reasons, definitely not for financial reasons." The tour was limited to few European and North American venues. With In Rainbows, the band has followed that trend into the selling of their album, allowing fans to set the price, which apparently averaged around £4 ($8).

A worldwide tour in the scope of past Radiohead tours and other contemporary efforts by other artists is certainly not one for "creative reasons," since the amount of travel would be overwhelming. Financially, such an endeavor would be expensive, but not simply in economic terms. Thom Yorke, the band's front man has been gone on record in the past "over the effects of touring on climate change." For a band as socially conscious as Radiohead have been with their music, such a concern is not surprising, but the report does not indicate the band looks to miss out on engaging the music with fans.

In any case, the answer to my question is that there is no answer, at least not yet. It is unfortunate that preliminary plans are not any more decisive, but albums and tours are the pillars around which the music industry is built. If one can be shaken up so fundamentally, then why can't the other one? The real question is how can a tour be shaken up?

Billboard.biz is reporting this afternoon that the new album by English rock band Radiohead, In Rainbows, will see a physical release sometime in the new year by a major record label. This follows the band's announcement this morning that fans could pre-order a download version for immediate release in only ten days. In addition, there is a twist for the record industry: fans can name their own price for the album. The pre-order also offers a special edition physical copy available for £40 ($82), and it includes a copy of the digital version.

I'm a fan of Radiohead and although I hate the price of the pre-order physical release, I do like this tactic because it places control of the album directly in the hands of the band, but also with fans and listeners. I continually refer to the record industry and retailers as nothing more than middlemen, and this marketing plan leaves those entities out completely. That includes Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL)'s iTunes Store and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN)'s new MP3 store.

Music industry insiders are saying that it could revolutionize the way consumers think about music, but more importantly how much they think music is worth. With the high prices in the music industry, Radiohead are certainly putting themselves on the line. They do have a nice track record of hit albums (front man Thom Yorke's solo album debuted at #2 last year, and their last album peaked at #3 in the Billboard 200) and a devoted fan base, so any real worries should be assessed to the status of the record industry. The real question will turn into one that evaluates how much is the music industry worth when the artists are willing to go directly to the listeners.