-
The Radiohead Fallout Continues, And Their Manager Said What?
October 12, 2007
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
"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 Radiohead's managers, who said fans were rising to the challenge and buying the band's new album online.I didn't think I'd be writing about what Radiohead did last week again this week As I said at the close of my commentary last week, "Things just ain't gonna' be the same much longer." And how.
But the story just grew exponentially over the past week. It was everywhere. And there was no letdown from any news source. So, I had little choice except to continue commenting on the tidal wave Radiohead's action has created.
Let me first address this other comment from Radiohead's co-manager Bryce Edge from an interview he did with Music Week this week: "You can't listen to a Radiohead record on mp3 and hear the detail; it's impossible. We can't understand why record companies don't go on the offensive and say what a great piece of kit CDs are. CDs are undervalued and sold too cheaply."
HUH?
Okay. Let me get this right. First Radiohead does something completely innovative (like it or not, label people, it was that no matter what you say) by offering their new album, "In Rainbows," for sale online at their website at a price their fans could decide what to pay for it.
Now, Mr. Edge and co-partner Chris Hufford say the CD version of "In Rainbows" may contain more material (the CD deluxe boxed version of "In Rainbows" will also contain eight additional tracks) and that what the band did may have been "a solution for Radiohead, not the industry."
That's all well and good now that the group has sold a whole bunch of their albums via download already and the management hopes the CD of the album might sell decently, too. But, if Mr. Bryce really believes that "CDs are undervalued and sold too cheaply," then he should have gone on the offensive as well and helped his label elevate the CD in consumers' eyes. If Mr. Bryce and any others really feel this way about the disc format, I strongly urge them to get behind the DVD Plus format. The audio quality blows standard CDs out of the water and would keep discs in the marketplace a whole lot longer by giving music lovers a whole lot more bang for their bucks.
The truth is, and I'm having a very hard time not believing Mr. Bryce really knows this, is that the music consumers en masse don't care about owning CDs anymore. If they did, there wouldn't be over 120 million iPods sold and over three billion songs sold on iTunes. Those types of numbers speak volumes about how the consumers want to listen to their music.
So, let's say Radiohead and its management already know that and they just want to sell more albums in the CD format. I mean, great marketing ploy, right? Though actual sales figures have yet to be determined, various sources are reporting the band has sold over a million copies of the album via their name-your-own-price scheme.
Anything that sells in such quantity is likely to spill over to retail in the CD format. In essence then, Radiohead sells a whole lot of "In Rainbows" in whatever formats their audience desires. It's a win-win for the band, but an unlikely long-term positive for their label -- and other labels that might find their artists adopting this method of selling new albums. (Nine Inch Nails leader Trent Reznor is the latest to sign on to this idea, and there are rumors Oasis might as well)
So, Radiohead likely sells a whole bunch of the new album, which in turn, means they will most likely sell more tickets next time they tour. Which, in turn, means they will most likely sell more merchandise when they tour. And Mr. Bryce is really concerned about the future of the CD? It was Radiohead's lead singer, Thom Yorke, who said last week when they announced their plan, "And, yes, it probably would give us some perverse pleasure to say, "F___ you" to this decaying business model."
Come on, Mr. Bryce. The band has opened the labels' worst digital Pandora's box imaginable an there's simply no turning back. And you yourself said in the NY Times this week, ""Digital technology has reintroduced the age of the troubadour. You are worth what people are prepared to give you in the digital age because they can get it for nothing."
Based on the overwhelming reaction from those who already flooded Radiohead's website, and the abundance of positive articles and comments I've read on dozens of websites, I think it safe to say that what Radiohead has done is create a whole new model for a whole bunch of bands. It might not work for all bands, but right now the potential is huge.
This week Bruce Springsteen's new album, 'Magic', debuted at #1 on the album charts, selling approximately 350,000 units. I wonder how many hundreds of thousands more 'The Boss' could've sold if he did what Radiohead did. I know what you're saying. He doesn't need to. He sells out concerts everywhere and grosses hundreds of millions when he tours. Yup. All true. And as CD sales continue to decline, Mr. Springsteen and other artists will continue to make their big money touring and merchandising, not from sales of their albums.
So why not sell as many as you can in whatever format the audience wants? Every digital download sold = one less stolen.
And Now This...Your RIAA, Hard At Work Again
Last week I wrote about convicted file-sharer Jammie Thomas. The jury verdict rendered last week sided with the recording industry and levied $222,000 in damages against Ms. Thomas.
This week Ms. Thomas announced plans on appealing last week's $222,000 willful copyright infringement verdict even though she's already incurred $60,000 in legal fees.
As I speculated, the case is quickly becoming a rallying point for the file-sharing community. A website, www.Freejammie.com, started by a supporter who never met Thomas was online almost immediately and already several thousand dollars have been raised by the site. Other supporters have allegedly sent donations to Thomas' lawyer.
I imagine that the college kids running file-sharing networks or dark-nets on the sly in dorm rooms are quite sympathetic to Ms. Thomas and they see her battle against the labels as a classic "one person against the big corporation" type situation.
"Are you headed to junior high schools to round up the usual suspects?" Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., asked an RIAA executive once during a senate hearing.
And so it goes.
For RIAA, A Black Eye Comes With The Job
Almost everybody agrees Jammie Thomas is thumping the recording industry in a battle for hearts and minds. The single mother of two who makes $36,000 a year was ordered by a jury last week to pay the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) $220,000. She was not accused of stealing music, but the jury found that she made 24 songs available online--allegedly for others to download. On Monday, Thomas announced that she has decided to file an appeal.
"It's usually inadvisable to turn someone into a martyr," said Jonathan Bernstein, president of Bernstein Crisis Management, a Los Angeles-based public relations firm. "I would think they could have pursued someone that drew a little less empathy. What they risk is creating a long-lasting image. On the Internet, it's simple to create martyrdom (all over the world) and this is particularly damaging thing to do. It can be very harmful to a company's reputation."
Read more about it by clicking here.
Jammie Thomas: 'I'm No Puppet' For RIAA Foes
One of the side issues of the Jammie Thomas controversy is whether someone may have steered her into taking on the recording industry.
The question came up last week shortly after Thomas was ordered by a federal jury to pay the record industry more than $220,000 for violating copyright law. Why would a 30-year-old mother of two, who makes $36,000 a year, want to go toe-to-toe with the recording industry, asks Chris Castle, an attorney, former music executive and owner of a small record label.
"From the get go, my attorney has pointed out to me what could happen. We knew (losing the copyright trial) was a possibility. I am no puppet. That he is insinuating that I'm being led around is very insulting to me. I refused to settle with the RIAA because I didn't do anything wrong," said Ms. Thomas.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Embrace Digital Or Die, EMI Told
The new owner of EMI, Britain's largest music group, has warned that the industry will not survive if it continues to rely on CD sales alone. Guy Hands, the financier whose private equity group, Terra Firma, bought EMI in August, told staff in a confidential e-mail last week that the industry had been too slow to embrace the digital revolution. Hands' letter was in response to the decision by Radiohead, one of the biggest bands nurtured by EMI but now out of contract with the label, to release their latest album via the internet and at a price decided by fans.
In the e-mail, sent to staff last Friday, Hands described Radiohead's action as "a wake-up call which we should all welcome and respond to with creativity and energy".
Read more about it by clicking here.
Radiohead Generation Believes Music Is Free
As if the record labels didn't have enough problems, now bands such as Radiohead are putting albums on the Internet for nothing. Juliette Garside reports. Supporting a rock band used to be an act of rebellion. In the face of today's mounting music piracy, it has become an act of conscience.
Radiohead, the contrarian giants of British rock, last week released their seventh album on an unsuspecting public with the challenge of paying as little or as much as they chose. In Rainbows is available on the internet only, and the only compulsory charge is a 45p credit card handling fee. In the same week indie legends The Charlatans went one better and made their new single, "You Cross My Path," available from radio station Xfm's website at no charge.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Get That Out Of Your Mouth #39
(People Don't) Share Music With Friends (Album Mix)
FROM: PITCHFORK MEDIAThe compact disc is a lousy product, packaged poorly. You could write pages on all the ideas the record business has shunned. But today, let's focus on the social experience. More and more people listen to their music on a computer, yet compact discs have barely tapped the Internet. Sometimes you'll get a key to a bonus download, and a few artists build digital liner notes -- websites that reach both the compact disc buyers and the people who just pulled the songs off iTunes.
To succeed, labels should use the product itself to spark social experiences. Here are a few examples.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Copyright Infringement--Listening To Radio At Work?
In England, a car repair firm has been taken to court accused of infringing musical copyright because its employees listen to radios at work.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Review: Amazon Does Digital Music Right
Though just launched and still in beta, Amazon mp3 already delivers an easy, enjoyable, and refreshingly fair shopping experience. The service sells unprotected mainstream music at affordable prices, without any of the Digital Rights Management restrictions that saddle songs purchased from iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, Zune Marketplace, and most other digital-download stores. Find out more about how it earned its Editors' Choice ranking from PC Mag.
Read more about it by clicking here.
TiVo, RealNetworks In Rhapsody Music Deal
TiVo and RealNetworks are set to announce an agreement on Tuesday that will allow TiVo subscribers to listen to songs from the Rhapsody digital music service on their televisions, the companies said. Financial terms were not disclosed. Both services require a monthly subscription fee of around $13 a month, but TiVo subscribers will receive a free one-month trial of Rhapsody.
Consumers using the service will be able to search for music directly on their TV, browse charts of Rhapsody's most popular artist or tunes, or listen to thousands of radio channels.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Review Roundup: The Worst Products of Q3
Buyer beware: Every three months PCMag.com takes a minute to look back at all the products they have reviewed during the last quarter year. And, as usual, when they looked at July-September of 2007, sprinkled throughout the many great new PCs and tech toys they lauded, they found more than a couple of lemons. From a disappointing printer to a cell phone that just doesn't deliver, here are the ten worst-reviewed products of Q3.
Read more about it by clicking here.
AMA NODS
Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Linkin Park and Daughtry lead the field in nominations for the 2007 American Music Awards, with three nods apiece. The awards will be handed out at a Nov. 18 ceremony that will be broadcast live on ABC.
NOTORIETY THEY PROBABLY DIDN'T WANT
Sting ranks atop Blender's list of the worst lyricists, thanks to lines that demonstrate his "mountainous pomposity [and] cloying spirituality," according to a survey in the magazine's November issue, on newsstands next week. Rush drummer Neil Peart placed second and former Creed frontman Scott Stapp was third.
ALL TOGETHER NOW
The late George Harrison's solo catalogue is newly available on iTunes, making him the last of the Fab Four to go digital. With solo offerings from John Lennon, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney already available online, it looks likely that music from the Beatles will be coming soon.
OTHERS CONSIDER FOLLOWING RADIOHEAD'S LEAD
Nine Inch Nails, Jamiroquai and Oasis are said to be considering following in Radiohead's footsteps by independently distributing their music online without going through a record label.
BROOKS FANS STILL OUT THERE IN FORCE
Garth Brooks has expanded his one scheduled performance Nov. 14th in Kansas City to a total of nine shows. The supposedly retired country star moved close to 160,000 tickets in less than two hours Saturday, as fans proved eager to see him hit the stage again. Brooks will now play Kansas City's Sprint Center Nov. 5-12 and 14, with support from his wife, Trisha Yearwood.
THE ALBUM TITLE IS MOST APPROPRIATE CONSIDERING HER RECENT BEHAVIOR
Britney Spears new album will be titled "Blackout." Jive Records announced Wednesday that the album's release has been moved up from Nov. 13th to Oct. 30th, due to "numerous unauthorized online leaks" of songs and material from the disc.
DID HE OR DIDN'T HE? ONLY HIS CARDIOLOGIST KNOWS FOR SURE
Bobby Brown was hospitalized Tuesday following what was originally reported as a mild heart attack, but was given "a great prognosis from his doctors," his attorney said at the time. Brown, 38 or 40 (depending on who you believe), has no history of heart problems, but was rushed to the hospital after complaining of chest pains. But wait, then Brown denied Wednesday that he had a mild heart attack, something his attorney said earlier he had suffered this week. He told Associated Press Radio that he is feeling fine and went to the hospital just for a checkup. "I don't know where the heart attack thing came from," Brown said. "I got my heart and everything checked out earlier this morning, and I'm just fine."
WINEHOUSE DOES WOODIES
Amy Winehouse has been confirmed as the headlining act for the 2007 mtvU Woodie Awards, taking place Nov. 8th at New York's Roseland Ballroom. The night will also feature appearances by Beck, Death Cab for Cutie, Gym Class Heroes and TV on the Radio, among others.
DIVORCE COURT
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills appeared in court Thursday, as British media reports claim the ex-couple may finally be nearing a settlement in their bitter divorce battle. Proceedings were closed to the public, but the hearing was believed to focus on the size of Mills' settlement in the split, pegged at anywhere from $40 million to $100 million.
TIMBERLAKE SCORES 6 IN A ROW
Justin Timberlake's "Until the End of Time" jumped to 28 on the Billboard singles chart this week, which makes his "Future Sex/Love Sounds" album the first album since Shania Twain's 1997 career-maker "Come on Over" to spawn six top-40 hits. Twain's "Come On Over" went on to sell over 10 million, while Timberlake's current sales are just over three million. Different times indeed.
Quotes of the week
"It's how I find out who you are, and who I am, and then who we are. I'm interested in that. I'm interested in what it means to be an American. I'm interested in what it means to live in America. I'm interested in the kind of country that we live in and leave our kids. I'm interested in trying to define what that country is. I got the chutzpah or whatever you want to say to believe that if I write a really good song about it, it's going to make a difference. It's going to matter to somebody."
-- Bruce Springsteen, asked by interviewer Scott Pelley why he's still writing songs during a '60 Minutes' segment."I feel so bad when I see people going through the beginnings of it. Because it's not fun. You just have to learn how to navigate it, because if you don't, it will eat you up."
-- Jennifer Lopez, on understanding the plight of Lindsay, Britney and Paris when dealing with the paparazzi. It certainly doesn't "eat up" Paris, J-Lo. She lives for it."I did everything that she doesn't want to do, I did the drug testing . . . It was very humbling, but I wanted those kids back."
-- Tatum O'Neal, saying Britney Spears needs help battling her addictions"She's passed her random drug tests. There's been more than one. They came up negative."
-- Britney Spears attorney, Sorrell Trope, claiming the singer has been passing her court-ordered random drug tests with flying colors."Getting married is a ball...Getting married is the most fun you can have in life. Being married sucks."
-- Kid Rock in the new isuue of Blender magazine."It's time to unload. We just have an overabundance of possessions that we do not need."
-- Sharon Osbourne announcing a planned yard sale to sell off art, furniture and collectibles from their homes in Malibu, Beverly Hills and England in a Nov. 30 auction."I don't know why we are selling everything as I want it all."
-- Ozzy Osbourne, in response to Sharon's announcement."Here's news out of Hollywood: Pamela Anderson is marrying Paris Hilton's ex-boyfriend. Traditionally, if you want to give them a gift, you have a year to buy them a gift. But I think in this case, go ahead and take your time . . . you just don't know."
-- David Letterman"This is the first example of this sort and this scale. Everything is going to get fuzzy. The roles are in flux. And the reason is the labels are weaker. The barriers to entry in the business are almost gone."
-- Music industry attorney Don Passman in the L.A. Times this week, on the significance of Madonna's reported decision to leave Warner Bros.Records for Live Nation.
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
NASA Announces Plan To Bring Wi-Fi To Its Headquarters By 2017
HOUSTON-NASA administrator Michael Griffin announced during a press conference Tuesday that the space agency is launching an ambitious mission to make Houston's Johnson Space Center wireless-Internet capable within one decade.
"We are entering a new era for NASA," Griffin said during a slide show for reporters showing conceptual illustrations of a wireless modem that would be used in all of the agency's offices and laboratories that use personal computers. "We are not content to rest on our laurels. It may seem like an impossible task, but if we commit all of our focus, technology, and resources, we can get Wi-Fi into NASA's offices and research labs within our generation." Griffin was confident that NASA's estimated $655 million plan to install a wireless broadband router by 2017 could reap huge benefits for the entire space agency.
Read the rest and laugh here: http://tinyurl.com/ynmwor.
The Blogs
Check out a great blog by Jerry Del Colliano, the Director Executive Programs, Clinical Professor Music Industry & Recording Arts, at the Thornton School of Music,University of Southern California, by clicking here: http://www.insidemusicmedia.blogspot.com.
Box Office
Check The Daily & Weekly Box Office (and more film info) at: www.boxofficemojo.com.
TinyURL
Check out www.tinyurl.com where you can make a smaller URL that will work for any webpage you wish to link to or reference. (As you can see, I'm using it in my news stories above!)
-
-