November 08, 2007

By By Tom Ferguson, London

Radiohead has set the international release date for the physical versions of its new album "In Rainbows" as Dec. 31.

The album will be released on CD and vinyl, preceded by the single, "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" on Jan. 14, 2008. Formats for the single will be announced shortly.

Both album and single will be released outside the United States on XL Recordings. A spokesman for the band said that details for the U.S. physical release are not yet finalised.

A press statement issued today on the band's behalf poured cold water on reports claiming that the "set-your-own-price" approach taken by the band for the Oct 10 digital release of "In Rainbows" had resulted in fans only paying an average of ?2.93 ($6.00) for the album. That price was touted in a statement issued by digital measurement group ComScore.com, which has its corporate headquarters in Reston, VA.

The Radiohead statement described the ComScore data as "wholly inaccurate" figures which "in no way reflect definitive market intelligence or, indeed, the true success of the project."

It continued: "the group's representatives would like to remind people that, as the album could only be downloaded from the band's website, it is impossible for outside organisations to have accurate figures on sales."

Subscribe to Billboard magazine today!