Wednesday morning, Radiohead fans awoke to find a digital treat in their inboxes. Around 2AM EST, 'In Rainbows,' the band's 7th studio album -- and their first to be distributed without label backing -- was made available to those that pre-ordered it through the Radiohead website. The album was delivered in the form of a 48.4MB zip file of 10 MP3s that contained no copy or sharing restrictions whatsoever. The album was also made available for immediate download through the band's website today, with fans having the option to pay as much, or as little, they wanted for the MP3s.

'Rainbows,' which consists of some of the band's most lush and tranquil tunes to date, is already a hit -- not because of the music, but because of its unprecedented distribution model. Though Radiohead reps have refused to reveal how many download orders they received, Google has reported that searches for Radiohead increased tenfold in the wake of the 'Rainbows' pre-order offer. A band spokesperson confirmed that the majority of visitors opted to purchase the 'Rainbows' £40 box set (which includes vinyl records, a bonus CD and artwork), which will be distributed in December.

Following Radiohead's lead, Nine Inch Nails, who are also without a record contract, announced Monday that their next album will be made available solely through their website. Other free-agent artists, such as Oasis and Jamiroquai, are rumored to be considering their online-distribution options as well. Read the full story.

'In Rainbows' track list

• 15 Step
• Bodysnatchers
• Nude
• Weird fishes/Arpeggi
• All I need
• Faust Arp
• Reckoner
• House of cards
• Jigsaw falling into place
• Videotape