---
title: "Hackers Stole Old Radiohead Demos — Then Got Owned"
description: "A hacker allegedly stole an entire MiniDisc archive and demanded a ransom. Radiohead called the bluff and put the archive of demos on sale for charity."
date: "2019-06-11"
modified: "2019-06-11"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/radiohead-hack-old-demos"
categories:
  - "Cybersecurity"
  - "Future Society"
  - "Hacking"
tags:
  - "hack"
  - "music"
  - "music streaming"
  - "the digest"
---

# Hackers Stole Old Radiohead Demos — Then Got Owned

![A hacker allegedly stole an entire MiniDisc archive and demanded a ransom. Radiohead called the bluff and put the archive of demos on sale for charity.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/radiohead-hack-old-demos.png>)
*\<em\>Image: Radiohead/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Radiohack

Legendary English rock band Radiohead got hacked — but its members called the hacker's bluff.

The hacker allegedly stole an "OK Computer"-era MiniDisc archive "and reportedly demanded $150,000 on threat of releasing it," [a note published](<https://www.instagram.com/p/BykT-NOA6_m/>) today on the band's official Instagram read.

So Radiohead did the sensible thing: took all 18 hours of the archive and [put it on sale](<https://radiohead.bandcamp.com/>) on Bandcamp for roughly $23. All proceeds will go towards climate activist organization [Extinction Rebellion](<https://rebellion.earth/>).

"It’s not v interesting, there’s a lot of it," wrote lead singer Thom Yorke in the description of the files on Bandcamp. "It may as well be out there until we all get bored and move on."

\<a href="http://radiohead.bandcamp.com/album/minidiscs-hacked">MINIDISCS \[HACKED\] by Radiohead\</a\>

## Fitter, Happier

A [thread](<https://www.reddit.com/r/radiohead/comments/bwj8p7/entire_ok_computer_sessions_have_potentially_been/>) from last Tuesday posted on [Radiohead's subreddit](<https://www.reddit.com/r/radiohead/>) revealed that there was a leak.

"This is a bit of a doozy," wrote Redditor santicol. "About a week ago, someone came into contact with a well known leaker \[...\] who was claiming to have 18 hours worth of minidv tracks that (mainly) Thom archived while the band was recording OK Computer."

The archives include some rarities that fans are bound to love, including a full-band version of "True Love Waits," an 11-minute version of "OK Computer" lead single "Paranoid Android," and an arena rock arrangement of "Lift," as [*The Guardian* points out](<https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jun/11/radiohead-release-hours-of-hacked-songs-to-benefit-extinction-rebellion>).

**READ MORE:** [Radiohead release hours of hacked MiniDiscs to benefit Extinction Rebellion](<https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jun/11/radiohead-release-hours-of-hacked-songs-to-benefit-extinction-rebellion>) \[*The Guardian*\]

**More on hackers:** [*Hackers Steal 100,000 Traveler Photos From U.S. Customs*](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/hackers-customs-border-protection-license-plates>)

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)