Radiohead's new album

[Adam]

I didn't even know that Radiohead no longer had a label.

Radiohead tells fans to pay what they want for album

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071001/en_nm/radiohead_dc_2

By Kate Holton

LONDON (Reuters) - Radiohead, one of the world's most influential rock bands, plans to sell its new album from its Web site as a digital download and let fans choose what they want to pay.

With music sales in decline globally for seven successive years, the industry is engaged in a debate over how best to reverse the trend.

Radiohead said its seventh studio album "In Rainbows" would be available from Radiohead.com from October 10 in MP3 format, meaning it can be played on all digital devices. In the latest twist in the move to digital music, fans can choose how much to pay, or can pay nothing if they prefer.

The band will also offer a special edition boxed set for 40 pounds ($82) which will be available later and will include two vinyl albums, a CD version of the new album and a second CD with additional new songs, artwork and photographs of the band.

Music observers said the British five-piece, which is no longer signed to a record label, is able to sell directly to its fans because it has such an established support base.

"They are the first band to put their money where their mouth is," Gareth Grundy, deputy editor of Q music magazine, told Reuters. "I think other bands that have been similarly successful will look and, if it is deemed to have worked, will do the same."

The traditional music business model has been under pressure as piracy and the move to digital sales has cut into album revenues. A strong area of growth, however, is live music and any subsequent tour by Radiohead would be boosted by the interest generated by the album.

"The traditional business model had been ruined by the Internet," said Grundy. "The industry is still trying to work out what on earth the new model or models should be and this is just one option."

Radiohead's digital or boxed set versions could be pre-ordered from the group's Web site from Monday and a spokesman said the box set had so far proved the more popular.

The group is planning a traditional CD release of the album in early 2008.

A decision by U.S. music star artist Prince to give his latest album away free with a British newspaper was met with fury by retailers and the industry who said it undermined the value of recorded music.

[.:.impossible]

Good for them. I wonder how the industry sees this move? Similar to the way they saw the Prince stunt?

[Adam]

LA Times today answering that very question:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/...e-entertainment

A record price for a Radiohead album: $0

Laurent Gillieron / AP

Radiohead will release its new album via its Web site on Oct. 10.

The famed British band lets fans decide what to pay for a new release online.

By Geoff Boucher and Chris Lee, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers

October 2, 2007

The great riddle facing the record industry in the digital age has been pricing. Napster and its ilk puckishly offered music for "free" in the late 1990s, and the major labels have largely clung to an average of $13 for CDs despite plummeting sales and seasons of downsizing.

Now, one of the world's most acclaimed rock bands, Radiohead, is answering that marketplace riddle with a shrug. "It's up to you," reads a message on the Web page where fans can pre-order the band's highly anticipated seventh album and pay whatever they choose, including nothing.

The British band, which has twice been nominated for a best album Grammy, will sidestep the conventional industry machinery altogether Oct. 10 by releasing the album "In Rainbow" as a digital download with no set price. The album will be available only from the band and at radiohead.com, its official site. FOR THE RECORD:

Radiohead album: An article in Tuesday's Section A about Radiohead's decision to let buyers who pre-order its new album decide the price gave the name of the album as "In Rainbow." The correct title is "In Rainbows."

It may sound like a gimmicky promotion, but industry observers Monday framed it in more historical terms: Radiohead, they said, is the right band at the right time to blaze a trail of its own choosing.

"This is all anybody is talking about in the music industry today," said Bertis Downs, the longtime manager of R.E.M., the veteran alt-rock band that was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. "This is the sort of model that people have been talking about doing, but this is the first time an act of this stature has stepped up and done it. . . . They were a band that could go off the grid, and they did it."

Another high-profile manager said he was still trying to process the boldness of the Radiohead venture. "My head is spinning, honestly," said Kelly Curtis, who represents Seattle-based Pearl Jam. "It's very cool and very inspiring, really."

Radiohead is hardly abandoning the idea of making money.

Its website will also sell a deluxe edition of "In Rainbow" that comes with versions in three formats (CD, vinyl and download) along with eight bonus songs and a lavish hardcover book with lyrics, photos and a slipcase. That package costs 40 British pounds (about $82).

In the coming weeks, Courtyard Management, which represents the band, will reportedly negotiate with labels about a conventional release for "In Rainbow" that would put it on store shelves in 2008. Sources with the band acknowledge that the major labels may balk at the notion of releasing an album that has been available free for months. Still, previous Radiohead albums collectively sell about 300,000 copies a year, according to Nielsen SoundScan, so "In Rainbow" should still have value at the cash register.

"Only a band in Radiohead's position could pull a trick like this," is how Pitchforkmedia.com summed it up Monday. That's because the band became a free agent after its contract with music giant EMI expired with its most recent album, "Hail to the Thief" in 2003. That set the stage for a one-band revolution, even if the five members don't see it that way themselves.

"It's more of an experiment. The band is not fighting for the sake of the fight or trying to lead a revolution," said their spokesman, Steve Martin of New York publicity firm Nasty Little Man. The group declined to comment Monday.

Radiohead isn't the only artist taking bold steps to keep pace with the digital age. The firebrand R&B star Prince, for instance, has taken a maverick path by giving copies of one album away as an insert in a major British newspaper or as an extra to anyone who bought a seat on his high-grossing concert tour. Prince took considerable heat from retailers for the newspaper giveaway.

Then there's the business model of New Orleans' top rapper, Lil Wayne, who made dozens of tracks available free via the Internet to cement his stardom. Even old-school icon Bruce Springsteen seems to see the changing times. He gave away downloads of his new song, the aptly titled "Radio Nowhere."

Geoff Mayfield, the director of charts for Billboard, pointed out that Radiohead was not unique because singer-songwriter Jane Siberry offered a similar optional payment download a few years ago.

Radiohead has sold close to 9 million albums in the U.S., and three of its CDs have debuted in the top 10 on the Billboard album charts. The band has in effect made sure that won't happen with "In Rainbow" by taking its unorthodox approach.

The group has a reputation for daring, which has earned it "relationship fans," core loyalists who skew older, travel to see them play live and urgently seek out the latest release. Those fans, Mayfield said, are not the type to take the new music and leave the Radiohead "tip jar" empty.

"If that loyalty dictates consumer behavior," Mayfield said, "a good number are going to pay what's considered a fair price as opposed to 2 cents."

Several observers said all of that made this experiment far safer than it would be for a pop act that needed a major label to secure radio airplay and television exposure or an up-and-coming rock act that could not fall back on the receipts from sold-out arena shows.

"It's a road act with proven appeal, so as long as they have the right people to take care of touring logistics and the business end of getting music out to market, they might be able to make a go on their own," Mayfield said. "It wouldn't work for everyone. You don't want to be an amateur. We're in a brave new world, but you want to make sure dots connect in terms of getting the music out."

That brave new world is a harsh one for the traditional recording industry. The major labels that enjoyed huge profits in the 1980s as fans replaced their music collections with CDs have suffered over the last decade as a new generation instead plucked its hit songs from the Internet, often without paying for them. There have been steady declines in recent years. As of midyear 2007, CD sales were off 19.3% from the same period in 2006. And there's intense competition now from video games and DVDs.

But even as the old empire collapses, new ideas take hold. Though its cerebral soundscapes are avant art rock, Radiohead's earnest and emotionally plaintive ethos puts it in line with acts such as U2. That's why, according to Wired editor Nancy Miller, all eyes have been on the band at the career and marketplace crossroads.

"We've been waiting for just the right band at just the right moment," Miller said. "Right now is it. Radiohead is the perfect band. After finishing its contract, we expected something revolutionary. I thought they would start their own label. Instead, they have done something more interesting: They decided not to decide."

Some pundits weighed in saying that although Radiohead's move might have been a sharp detour for an established band, it was hardly a path newer acts could follow. Curtis, the Pearl Jam manager, said that years on a major label roster established the Radiohead brand and made it possible for it to buck the system.

"It's the newer bands I really feel sorry for," Curtis said.

Pearl Jam and other groups with intense followings, such as the Dave Matthews Band, R.E.M., Metallica and Nine Inch Nails, will probably learn the most from Radiohead's experience, Curtis said. "Everyone will keep an eye on this because this is the most exciting thing we've seen to this point."

On Monday, Radiohead was trying to deal with that excitement. Intense interest and pre-orders overwhelmed the website, according to Martin, the band spokesman. Wired's Miller, for one, predicted the band's gamble would pay off.

"We've seen the crumbling of bigger labels, but there haven't been any big 'Aha!' moments, that risky departure," Miller said. "It's an interesting move, a terrific example of an artist exerting a terrific amount of control. It's definitely going to be successful."

geoff.boucher@latimes.com

chris.lee@latimes.com

[Adam]

And a link to a blog with links to You Tube posts of most of the new songs in live performances.

http://machinist.salon.com/

[Alexander]

I'm looking forward to this, as I am a Radiohead fan. I'll do the download and voluntarily pay for it. Not too much, though, as I am somewhat broke.

[sal]

I'll definitely make a contribution as well. The reverse psychology works!

[Jim Alfredson]

A workable model for the new organissimo CD?

I mean, we may get like 10 downloads! AWESOME!

[RDK]

The odd thing is... I'm not a Radiohead fan... barely know their work actually... and yet I may kick in a few bucks just to hear this and support the model.

[GARussell]

And there's intense competition now from video games and DVDs.

Not to beat a dead horse, but MS was looking to sell $150,000,000. worth of Halo 3 last week. The kids today are just not as interested in music as the kids of previous generations were. That's got to spell problems for the record companies regardless of the downloading issues.

[Guy Berger]

I haven't paid attention to Radiohead since Amnesiac (which I thought was so-so) but here's aneconomist's perspective from the Marginal Revolution blog:

Pay what you want for the new Radiohead album

Here is the story, but no this model won't much change the music industry. Yes you really can download this album and "tip" Radiohead as you feel inclined to. But note that:

1. Radiohead is an indie cult band with extreme loyalties from its partisans and the possibility of attracting more such partisans by seeming "cool."

2. Radiohead peaks high on the charts (#3 for their last release, if I recall...) but I believe they sell the product pretty quickly and don't have a long run at the top. Again, they'd like to widen their fan base.

3. Radiohead's gambit has reaped enormous publicity, but this won't be the case next time.

4. Many donors will give to a highly visible "cause of the month" (remember the outpouring of support for the tsunami victims?) but they won't necessarily give on a regular basis.

5. Radiohead probably has an especially high ratio of touring to CD and iTunes income; see #1. This scheme is a natural for them but not for Kelly Clarkson.

What we will see is lots of lesser bands (and authors) giving their work away for free, but that trend has been underway for some time. And by the way, Radiohead's best album is Kid A.

[GARussell]

Here's another article. The focus here is on the concept of releasing the album very soon after it is completed. It reminds me of what Sonny Rollins did for Sonny, Please to some extent.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,300549,00.html

Radiohead's Web-Only Release Threatens Music Industry

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

AP

NEW YORK — The release of popular rock group Radiohead's new album Wednesday is the latest wake-up call for a music industry still struggling to deal with the advent of digital music, experts say.

Normally a Radiohead release generates huge buzz as fans and critics alike wait to hear the latest musical direction of a band that has produced such varied offerings as the radio hit "High and Dry" to the experimental musings of "Kid A."

But the English band's seventh studio album "In Rainbows" is being closely watched for business reasons: The album is being released digitally by the band itself, just 10 days after the completion of recording and mixing.

And the price? Fans can pay what they want. The price listed at http://www.inrainbows.com says simply: "IT'S UP TO YOU."

"This has been a long-brewing issue with artists," said Ted Cohen of music consulting firm TAG Strategic. "In a digital world where you can create something relatively quickly and get it out there immediately, why wait? Is there any overwhelming need to sit on something for three or four months?"

Typically a band of Radiohead's stature would be signed to a major recording label, which would wait several months before releasing the music to allow time for buzz to develop and plan a tour and marketing campaign.

Tony Bongiovi, a record producer who has been in the music business since the 1960s, said the fast turnarounds could hurt a music business that he believes is losing money as it becomes more singles-driven, rather than album-driven, in the age of iTunes and Internet file-sharing.

Some bands wouldn't work to complete an album if they could put out a good single right away, he said.

LESS CASH FROM SINGLES?

According to Bongiovi, a singles-driven market would lead to less money for musicians and producers, and, ultimately, to fewer artists getting a shot at the big time.

"When you go into a record label now, its got to be such a sure thing. Otherwise, there's no money for you," he said.

Radiohead is releasing its latest recording alone after benefiting from label support for their first six albums, the last out in 2003. But fast releases might not be as worthwhile for newer bands.

"People know who Radiohead are — there is a pent-up demand of people waiting for the next thing," said Gartner Vice President Mike McGuire. "Very few bands have that kind of loyal audience following."

Radiohead's quick release in some ways is evocative of the early days of rock 'n roll, when it was not uncommon to record a song in the morning, press it into a 45 in the afternoon and have it on store shelves the next day.

Radiohead is not alone in taking advantage of new technology, helping artists to stay ahead of fast-changing musical trends and reducing the risk of illegal downloading.

Stars, an indie Canadian rock band known for lush pop songs, made their album, "In Our Bedroom After the War," available for download on July 10, four days after completion.

The CD only became available in stores on September 25.

The band said the album would have inevitably leaked during the period usually marked for promotion, and it hoped fans would choose to support it by paying to download it.

It also said they believed that the widespread release would help build word-of-mouth about the release.

"We believe that the line between the media and the public is now completely gray," Stars said in a statement. "What differentiates a commercial radio station from someone adding a song to their Last.fm channel? Or their MySpace page?"

[Radiohead themselves paved the way for that strategy, putting up free MP3s for every track from "Kid A" two weeks before its 2000 release. The album entered the U.S. charts at No. 1.]

Brooklyn-based indie rockers Bishop Allen said they have benefited from putting out their music speedily. They wrote and recorded a four-song EP every month in 2006, making the record available for purchase or download the last day of each month.

"The idea that you could make something from what you're thinking at the moment, and that fans can immediately access those thoughts, makes it more like a dialogue," said Justin Rice, who plays guitar, piano, and sings in the band.

"They were hearing what we were saying without a weird lag. It's kind of beautiful," he said.

[Rosco]

I'd be interested to see some jazz artists take up this idea.

I believe jazz has suffered from adhering to the schedules typical of rock bands, bringing out an album every three years, 6- 12 months after it was recorded. More immediate documentation would reflect where the artists are now, not where they were a year ago.

Not to mention putting any profits into the hands of the people making the music.

[Van Basten II]

Wonder how much of this crowd would pay if Wynton Marsalis used that model. ?

[Rosco]

Wonder how much of this crowd would pay if Wynton Marsalis used that model. ?

I'd pay extra for him not to 'rap' again

[allblues]

The web site (http://www.inrainbows.com/) seems to be down, probably due to demand. Apparently, the files are MP3s encoded with LAME at CBR 160. Not exactly audiophile quality.

[RDK]

The web site (http://www.inrainbows.com/) seems to be down, probably due to demand. Apparently, the files are MP3s encoded with LAME at CBR 160. Not exactly audiophile quality.

But better quality than itunes. Not sure why anyone was expecting "audiophile quality" in the first place, not when the cost is as low as "free" and both CDs and LPs are forthcoming.

[Chuck Nessa]

In the olden days the tours were used to sell the records. Now the recordings are used to sell the tours. Not really sure how this shakes out.

[Harold_Z]

In the olden days the tours were used to sell the records. Now the recordings are used to sell the tours. Not really sure how this shakes out.

I'm not sure either. Musicians usually figured the record companies would screw them, but a big record would enable them to up their price on personal appearances, so either way they aren't making loot off of record sales.

....but without record company promotion, how does the artist get known beyond a local level in the first place? Would word of mouth suffice in today's environment to generate "popularity"? I don't see that in this era of generally rotten taste.

[sal]

So....has anyone downloaded the album yet? How did it go? Impressions?

I downloaded it last night. The website was quite slow, obviously due to heavy traffic, and getting the download into my shopping cart. making my "donation", and checking out is what took the longest (probably 15 minutes for the whole process). However, the album downloaded quickly, and I was able to extract and burn it to CD with problem at all.

I listened to the first 5 songs on my way to work this morning. The sound quality is not great, but its far from unlistenable. I imagine it won't sound too great in high end systems, but sounds just fine in my car. As far as the music goes, it sounds like its going to be an excellent Radiohead album! I already like four of the five songs I've heard more than most of the tracks on "Hail to the Thief", which I also really enjoyed.

edit for spelling

Edited October 12, 2007 by sal

[tonym]

I bought this download last night for the princely sum of £3.45. I thought that was a fair price considering I've bought pretty much everything Radiohead have put out and have seen them live twice!

I managed to extract the files and convert them into AAC at 320kBps for the iPod and for a burn.

I'll make a nice (recyclable ) slipcase and burn it again onto a printable CD-R.

It's impressive stuff but still feels like they're scrabbling to get out of the post-Kid A shake up.

I'm not sure if I'll go for the big box. I'm very much into aesthetics and it'll certainly look nice on the shelf but given that I only listen to rock music occasionally I'm wondering if it will be unnecessary. Now if someone can tell me the SQ will be better..... that's a different story.

[Alexander]

I got it the other night, after a long struggle. Perhaps because I'm outside the UK, I had a lot of trouble paying, oddly enough. I kept getting an error message everytime I tried to enter my payment info. I changed the price to zero, and it worked. I feel bad, though, so I might rebuy it in the near future so I can contribute. Did anyone else in the US (or elsewhere) have trouble paying? I figure if I wait a week or so, there won't be so many people trying to download, and I'll try again.

[Adam]

I'm just going to wait a few days. Outgrowing the need to get things the day (or week) they come out has been a useful change in my life.

[RDK]

I bought this download last night for the princely sum of £3.45. I thought that was a fair price considering I've bought pretty much everything Radiohead have put out and have seen them live twice!

I managed to extract the files and convert them into AAC at 320kBps for the iPod and for a burn.

I'll make a nice (recyclable ) slipcase and burn it again onto a printable CD-R.

It's impressive stuff but still feels like they're scrabbling to get out of the post-Kid A shake up.

I'm not sure if I'll go for the big box. I'm very much into aesthetics and it'll certainly look nice on the shelf but given that I only listen to rock music occasionally I'm wondering if it will be unnecessary. Now if someone can tell me the SQ will be better..... that's a different story.

Why convert the mp3 files to AAC? Doesn't ipod handle mp3?

[GregN]

I am very intrigued by this model. Great thread.

[tonym]

I bought this download last night for the princely sum of £3.45. I thought that was a fair price considering I've bought pretty much everything Radiohead have put out and have seen them live twice!

I managed to extract the files and convert them into AAC at 320kBps for the iPod and for a burn.

I'll make a nice (recyclable ) slipcase and burn it again onto a printable CD-R.

It's impressive stuff but still feels like they're scrabbling to get out of the post-Kid A shake up.

I'm not sure if I'll go for the big box. I'm very much into aesthetics and it'll certainly look nice on the shelf but given that I only listen to rock music occasionally I'm wondering if it will be unnecessary. Now if someone can tell me the SQ will be better..... that's a different story.

Why convert the mp3 files to AAC? Doesn't ipod handle mp3?

yeah but the bigger files sound better!

One more thing I was talking about with a friend yesterday. It's ironic how in this time of downloading and just what an album actually means (especially for the younger generations) is that In Rainbows hangs together as an album moreso than Hail To The Thief, for example, which was acquired by the more conventional method.

Maybe that's why Radiohead have made it shorter and more succinct?