Fans crash Radiohead album site

In Rainbows will be Radiohead's seventh studio album

Radiohead's official website is back online after demand for their new album caused the site to crash on Monday.

The band announced their new release In Rainbows would only be available to order via www.radiohead.com.

Fans can pre-order the download at any price they choose or pay £40 for a "discbox", which includes two CDs, two records, plus artwork and booklets.

The band's spokesman Murray Chalmers said the website's problems had now been ironed out.

He said the collapse of the site had been caused by waves of fans first logging on in the UK after the announcement about the new album.

Most people are deciding on a normal retail price with very few trying to buy it for a penny Murray Chalmers Radiohead spokesman

They were followed by fans on the east coast of the US when they woke up to the surprise news, followed by west coast Radiohead lovers.

Mr Chalmers also said that to date, most fans were pre-ordering the "discbox" and that very few fans were trying to download the album for next to nothing.

He said: "Although the idea is that you can decide what you want to pay, most people are deciding on a normal retail price with very few trying to buy it for a penny."

In Rainbows will be available to download from 10 October with the "discbox" version following on 3 December.

It is the band's first release without a record label as they fulfilled their contract with Parlophone after 2003's Hail To The Thief.

However, the band are currently in negotiations with EMI Music - which owns the Parlophone label - about their future with them, along with a number of other companies.