• by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, September 5, 2008

Michael Moore will soon become the latest entertainer to pull a Radiohead. The filmmaker said today he intends to release his latest movie, "Slacker Uprising," online and for free.

The movie will go live on Sept. 23, and users will be able to download it at no charge for three weeks. Moore told The Associated Press that he hopes the film, a documentary about his tour of colleges during the 2004 presidential campaign, will spur viewers to vote.

The move is in keeping with Moore's friendly attitude toward new media. When a pirated version of his last firm, "Sicko," surfaced online, YouTube rushed to take down the clips, but Moore himself said he didn't mind the exposure. "I'm just happy that people get to see my movies," the filmmaker said, according to press reports. "I don't understand bands or filmmakers or whatever who oppose sharing, having their work be shared with people, because I think it only increases your fanbase."

Moore isn't alone in embracing Web distribution. Radiohead last year famously released "In Rainbows" on the Web, at pay-what-you-wish pricing. Nine Inch Nails followed suit with "Ghosts," making nine of the album's 36 tracks available for free. Users could also purchase an entire set for as little as $5. The free downloads didn't seem to slow down sales, which tallied $1.6 million in the first two weeks.