Radiohead have drawn a mixed reaction from fans, the music industry and fellow musicians with the ‘Pay What You Want’ experiment.

About a third of fans decided to pay absolutely nothing, according to The Times daily.

“We’re prepared to take a risk and we might come out looking very foolish. But we believe if your music is great, then people will pay for it,” Bryce Edge, one of the band’s managers.

Another boss, Chris Hufford, added: “There are actually people who are going on websites and saying, ‘I don’t actually like Radiohead, but I’m going to give them some money because I think it’s a brilliant idea’.”

Singer-songwriter James Blunt chimed in and warned that the Radiohead approach could be dangerous for artists. “I don’t think they should devalue it,” he told The Times. “I’ve got to pay a band and a producer and a mixer. I don’t know how I’d necessarily pay them if I sold my albums for 1p.”

Alex Turner, the singer with Arctic Monkeys, said the experiment was “very interesting” but reserved judgment.