Radiohead Goes Promo-Free For In Rainbows
Minds were collectively blown last night when Radiohead confirmed that their forthcoming album In Rainbows is out 10/10(!), at which point fans can grab it digitally and DRM-free at a price of their choosing. The question then became: "What other record-release-model rules can Radiohead fuck with?" The band's PR company sent out a first-person missive on just that point:
There will be no advances, promotional copies, digital streams, media sites, etc. of RADIOHEAD's In Rainbows.Looks like In Rainbows will be the great equalizer: no advance copies, so probably no leaks -- just a world full of Radioheadheads pressing play on the same day. Meanwhile, another press mailing this morning mentioned "Radiohead are planning a traditional CD release of In Rainbows for early 2008." So, really, we've got a band-sanctioned album leak complete with tip jar, a deluxe package, and the eventual record-store release of the album. It's a nice way of challenging the traditional model, of embracing the way people get their music, and of framing a host of new issues and alternatives for industry wonks to debate and consider for a long time to come.Everyone in the world will be getting the music at the same time: Oct. 10. That includes us. We don't have anything to play anyone in the nine days until the record is available. Everyone at nasty has put his or her order in and just to clarify: you are not being asked to pay for a promo (as some have inquired). you can pay nothing or as much or as little as you want.
There will be no promotional copies of the discbox either, as each discbox is being made to order. Sorry.
Posted at 2:41 PM
Tags: Radiohead
Single handedly changing the business model?
Wow. My mind is blown.
I can't wait for the tenth.
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Oh so sweet...I'm going to be the first one to listen to it!
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I think this is going to be the loudest death knell for the traditional music industry model.
Rick Rubin is going to have to work for years to fix the damage this is going to do in the long run, methinks.
I can't wait for the tenth.
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Is the "press mailing" thing 100% reliable? I would say a traditional release is surprising, how are they going to do that? They don't even have a label.
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> Is the "press mailing" thing 100% reliable?
Yep Johan, it came from Nasty Little Man, their official PR firm, the very same that informed us of their po-mo promo campaign.
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Nxt week got better for me:
My Birthday:10/6
I have 1 day of school next week
FUCKING RADIOHEAD!I am going to cry (of joy obviously)
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Your mind is blown? comeon... It's a nice model but, blown? really?
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It will be nice to see how the music world will respond to this. See ya'll on the tenth.
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Probably stating the obvious here, but the boys in Radiohead are going to make boatloads of money on this little musical venture.
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I don't think anyone could think of this as a death blow to the music industry, its ok for a band like Radiohead but as a self sustaining economic model it can't last - less well off bands who aren't friends with neil godrich couldn't afford anything like this, so its not really all that mind blowing.
but that doesn't take away from what is really cool here, a new radiohead album! and w/out the expectation build-up that ruined hail to thief for me.
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Great move for an established band, would it work for a less popular one? Who knows.
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The real quantum shift in this distribution is that, in the past, bands self-released because they had to. The labels, first-tier megas, third-tier minis like Sanctuary, and indies like Sub-Pop or Domino, wouldn't have a band because they were either new and untested or old and past market prime. So this imaginary band would go it alone and put it out on their own. It is in some ways both brave and delusional.
To my knowledge, this is the first time a major recording act with a solid retained fanbase has decided to go it alone and brave those waters. That's the revolutionary part of it - Radiohead could have a major label put out In Rainbows right now, no question. They're consciously going indie and that's where the excitement comes in. For the first time, D.I.Y. isn't either a sign of amateur or has-been status.
And as for not sending out promos, this is a no-brainer. Is a write-up in Spin or Entertainment Weekly two weeks before release going to make all that much difference over a review slightly after release? Unlikely. Plus, think of the budget positives that not having to make press promo versions up & send out afford?
I'm just impressed by how smart this move is.
DwD
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From the looks of the poll in the sidebar, a good deal of us are getting the disc set anyhow. Maybe I am ignorant, but the conversion rate of 40 Euros to normal money is pretty scary. I am glad I bought it, but damn was it pricey. I was charged like 80-some bucks.
I agree that this won't do much to change the music industry. This concept will work for Radiohead, but it would suffer on the Long Tail of musicians and bands.
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nme.com is streaming live performances of most of the new stuff.
http://www.nme.com/news/radiohead/31468
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Hello
Has anyone tried to order the 'doscobx' and had trouble? I'm good until entering the secure pass code, it then goes all bad on me.
Is it just me?
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'doscobx'?
I meant 'discbox'
Need to not play Wii and type in the future...
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in rainbows...as in the pot at the end of the rainbow? how come no one is talking about this very non-radiohead lp title? well, maybe it's because the boys have dumbfounded us yet again by stirring things up and ensuring that things in radiohead camp are being done their way (the way it's supposed to be). and...yes...i'm shelling out the $80+
the tenth can't come soon enough.
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in rainbows...as in the pot at the end of the rainbow? how come no one is talking about this very non-radiohead lp title? well, maybe it's because the boys have dumbfounded us yet again by stirring things up and ensuring that things in radiohead camp are being done their way (the way it's supposed to be). and...yes...i'm shelling out the $80+
the tenth can't come soon enough.
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I have to disagree with DwD. It's been years since DYI/indie was a stamp of amateur/has-been status. I mean, isn't that what this blog is all about? DYI is not an amateur stamp, it's a boutique stamp. In one way, it's no different than a clothing store that sells high fashion on Melrose Ave. It doesn't feel very "fuck the system". In fact, I doubt that Radiohead has much serious interest fucking shit up. It's like if Levi's chose to sell any newly designed pair of jeans only through Levi's Stores for 6 months before distributing it to Macy's, Target, wherever. Radiohead knows they have the product and knows they have the customers who have the money (as evidenced by all of us who shelled out 80-plus for a product... pretty much sight unseen).
Yeah, this is yet another terrifying precedent for the record industry, but it's hard to believe it means much to any smaller independent band still trying to find its audience. The fact is that only a band on Radiohead's level can afford to do this successfully. U2 is perhaps one of the few other bands I can think of that could pull this off. But I wouldn't recommend that Zach Condon try it on the next Beirut album if he still wanted to feed his family.
Nathan
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I think that it is an awesome way for the band to simply bring fans together. I can't remember an album I have bought in the past year with no singles to hear before I bought it. I am so excited.
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Not to sound like a total fossil (which I am) but this is what it used to be like before the "culture of pre-release" evolved to what it is now. Maybe a few writers and music magazines would have early copies of records, but that was a pretty insular community, so a record release day really meant something to the rest of us. Even radio didn't play anything early.
This sense of excitement has been lost over the years and I am GLAD Radiohead stuck a fork in it. Not to sound too corny, but a sense of anticipation and everyone being able to listen to a record for the first time at the same time was one of the best things about music geek culture.
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Actually, Nathan did call me out right on the term "amateur". Bad choice of words. But as beautiful as Gulag Orkestar was, I'm confident no major label was gonna put that out. Too different.
By the same token, most of those grungers from the 90s that are still making music have to do it on their own because, I mean really... Is anyone really starving for Sponge 2007?
That Radiohead, considering their status, chose this direction is the real revolutionary idea - that artists with a little clout and a lot of fans can just walk out and do it on their own.
Again, sorry about hasty terminology.
DwD
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A lot of people who aren't necessarily huge Radiohead fans are going to download/buy this album, just because of the distribution method. People want this way of selling music to be successful, and if they support this release, more will likely follow, from other major acts at first, and then, who knows? Could be that paradigm shift that we've all been waiting for.
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I think it's great. But changing the business model???? I mean it will ONLY work if your one of the Biggest bands in the world ie RADIOHEAD. How is this going to work for little indie bands and upcoming artists with no money and little to no hype. I mean Radiohead have the HUGE advantage of the whole word hanging on every move they make. The only thing it might change is that more HUGE artists will consider going this route
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i am really, REALLY diggin the packaging on this one.
gonna be huge.
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The real question that no one is asking is "how much are you paying for just the download" ... the answer from most of my non-blog reading, -radiohead worshiping fans is "not much" ($5 or less) ... part of me thinks that when rick rubinites find out people aren't willing to pony up money to download even really good music they'll respond with even more DRM and aggressive pricing schemes
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I'm not a 'Radiohead worshipping fan', but I still paid $8 for the download.
Which I think is eminently fair for all concerned.
Honestly, even $5 sounds fine to me, for 10 songs.
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As someone who isn't a Radiohead fan (not that I dislike them, I just mean that I'm not an enthusiast, if you will) I have no qualms about offering nothing for the download. After all, what if I don't like the album? If I do like the album, then maybe I'll buy it on CD when the non-discbox release comes out.
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for those of you wondering whats going on with the site;
"Nightclub
Just to let you know - mel called to say that w.a.s.t.e are working on the current gear-grinding at inrainbows.com....it's getting busy in there - busier than they expected.
So if you please bear with us, it should get cleared out soon. I sound like a bouncer. Get behind the rope. No denim. Thanks for your patience with the site & interest in the record.
Jonny"
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there's nothing new about it
a bunch of bands are doing this already
check marco mahler
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Ariel - I was thinking about the title and images this morning; it is an odd title and I keep coming back to the pretty sheen that forms on pools of oil...
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kelly, as the day passes it is definitely growing on me...especially after continually staring at the artwork. nice analogy with the oil sheen. thanks for making it even nicer for me.
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My only question is that, given the wonkiness of the ordering process (it took me bout 5 attempts to order the discbox), isn't the whole download system going to completely crash when everyone rushes to get their copy on the 10th?
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For those of you who think this isn't groundbreaking, I disagree. Sure, other bands have done this kind of thing...but this isn't some unknown indie band give away their album or Smashing Pumpkins leaking some b-sides. Radiohead just happens to be sitting on one of the most anticipated records of the last several years. It's unheard of for a band this huge to do something like this.....I can't believe they kept it a secret - I'm the type that consistently gets albums several months before they're due out...and I was shocked when I heard about this 2 days ago.
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RE: Dan
'... part of me thinks that when rick rubinites find out people aren't willing to pony up money to download even really good music...'
Even if most people pay $.50 for the download, it's essentially a leaked album that would normally be downloaded for free all over the place. With a real CD coming out in a couple of months, they're just heading off the inevitable leak and making a little (or I think a lot!) of money from something that would have made them none.
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Nathan is completely on point in his analysis. A hugely successful band with millions of fans decides to forgo traditional distribution routes and release their highly anticipated album via their own website. Cool. But, where's the risk in that? It may be a novel concept but not very much in the way of being groundbreaking, since the latter requires at least some form of peril. And if you're Radiohead there's very little threat of that.
This is the thing that I don't understand: people harping about how the digital domain will make record companies as we know them obsolete. And how the internet is the great equalizer. If the former is in regard to labels disappearing because people would rather download for free than pay for music then, sure, they'll disappear. As for the latter, what many don't understand is that, being an unknown artist and having your music online without any promotional push is like back in the day having your CD in every single Tower Records, but no one knew it was there. Will well-intentioned blogs pick up the PR slack? And what if these gatekeepers don't like your music for whatever reason?
As for those grunge artists that DwD mentions, they are proof of my above point: established labels may not want them, but if a small fraction of the millions or hundreds of thousands that bought their records are still interested in what they have to offer, they can DIY and make the kind of money they probably never saw with Sony, etc.
I applaud Radiohead on this way of doing business and surely many will be paying close attention to it. Most especially the labels who want to eventually circumvent the likes of iTunes and have, for instance, the Universal website as the exclusive source for all Motown. (Warner Bros is already doing it with their out of print music.) Brave new world, indeed.
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did anyone get email confirmation yet of their discbox order?
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The download version will serve as a promo for the regular CD to come in the new year (so they have a label lined up then?).
When the dust settles, I think it will be a very small (hardcore) portion of their fans that shell out the 80+ dollars for the deluxe box - the average music fan will buy the basic CD after enjoying the free mp3's for a few months.
It's a clever marketing plan - but not much more.
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Radiohead doesn't seem to me to be trying to stick it to the music industry. They just want to leak the album on their own terms.
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A few servers & some good bandwidth ought to handle the demand. I trust that they've got it under control.
I got confirmation for the Discbox. I really dig their artwork. Just like the Amnesiac library book.
Seriously can't wait to hear what they've produced from the studio! Not to mention ANOTHER TOUR.
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The coolest thing about this is Radiohead will probably make more money this way, then through traditional channels. An artist makes a $.10 per song mechanical (roughly) for each song - that's $1 per record. RHead probably worked out a better deal but if people pay more than $1 for each download, they will make more money.
And that makes me very happy for them.
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I had issues ordering the Discbox as well. I use Mozilla, and I tried about 5 times, and my basket was continually emptied. As soon as I switched to Internet Explorer, it went through on the first try. Save yourself the hassle and start with IE.
Super excited though!!!
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Damn them, though. Took months of listening before p4k was willing to declare YHF a 10. If it's a grower, which I think we can bet, they don't have hope for one unless p4k decides to put off reviewing it, which we can bet not.
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i'll just say the obvious here; fuck what pitchfork thinks. i mean, they're gonna slap it with a 'best new music', but whether its an 8.3 or a 9.9 it doesn't really matter
i'll admit its interesting to find out what score an album ends up with, but as long as you like the album - thats the important thing
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As much as I hate the record labels, and the RIAA, I do have a soft spot for good independently owned record stores, and this will not be good for them.
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It's DIY, not DYI. As in "DO IT YOURSELF".
While I admire Radiohead for taking a bold step toward leveling the playing field a bit, it's not completely going to redefine the music industry as we know it. It'll take a lot more bands taking the reigns of their own contracts and seeing that, especially after establishing themselves and a fan base, thanks to the internet they can be self-sufficient. All it takes is Itunes, a savvy mail-order dept, maybe a decent publicist, and some gigging.
Seriously, though...for those of you who think that this is going to totally take down the record industry...remember when Pearl Jam totally put Ticketmaster out of business?
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Sorry to burst your bubble here, but haven't They Might Be Giants been using this method of distribution for 6 or 7 YEARS?
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OMG Radiohead can't wait to hear/see them!
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Hopefully Radohead inspires other bands to do this
and the industry will crash and buuurn! :)
I love radiohead!!!
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If the Beatles, at their (arguable) apex, with the creation of their own label, had been able to leverage technology to fuck with traditional and outdated modes of the business of creating and distributing music...... they would have been all over this.
Broken Social Scene is showing what a self-directed enterprise can do (albeit with major label distribution).
The key for artists is to feel that reason for doing music in the first place remains the focus. Everything must serve the perpetuation of creative energy, challenging convention, moving forward.
The problem with most 'musicians' (even a lot of the alterna-cred ones) is that they crave fame, so they will feed that machine. Hawk the style that works, the latest vibe. It is vapid. Only artists crave to test the boundaries of how to explore musically.
That means being willing to throw what's safe away and try something completely new.
Radiohead are true artists.
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If the Beatles, at their (arguable) apex, with the creation of their own label, had been able to leverage technology to fuck with traditional and outdated modes of the business of creating and distributing music...... they would have been all over this.
Broken Social Scene is showing what a self-directed enterprise can do (albeit with major label distribution).
The key for artists is to feel that reason for doing music in the first place remains the focus. Everything must serve the perpetuation of creative energy, challenging convention, moving forward.
The problem with most 'musicians' (even a lot of the alterna-cred ones) is that they crave fame, so they will feed that machine. Hawk the style that works, the latest vibe. It is vapid. Only artists crave to test the boundaries of how to explore musically.
That means being willing to throw what's safe away and try something completely new.
Radiohead are true artists.
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Scott posted:
"Radiohead are true artists."
That is as may be. However, I maintain that they could not afford to be Artists and do this release model and continue to be the Artists they are without the support of the traditional industry model which helped to create them in the last decade. Lest anyone forget, they could not be doing what they are doing without their continued collection of residuals, artist royalties and subsidies from fans willing to shell out $80 for a box set and continue to write and record as they do. Music is not free for artists to record and distribute, nor should Radiohead have a hand in devaluing the very thing that has allowed them to enjoy this lifestyle to which they have become accustomed. The record industry is bloated and run by idiots but I hate it when Artists reinforce the idea that music is free and can cost nothing to the end user. Musicians study - we buy gear, we record, we pay people who support us, we have to live on something, too. Fuck them for reinforcing the idea that we should give everything away just because someone wants it ... for free.
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Scott, you are a true idiot. The reason for this isn't to say, "Hey, music should be free!" It's to say, "Hey, what's the point of a record label for us?" Of course only bands like Radiohead could do this, in fact, maybe only Radiohead. But they don't need a record label and never will again. The music industry will continue to have the role of getting no-names out to the public. But, when a band can put it out on their own...why not?
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solo kiero tener el disco, nada mas!! soi demasiada fanatica de ellos y me muero por escuxar su ultimo material byeee
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thank you to Radiohead for injecting some excitement back into the business of music. i haven't been this thrilled about an album in ages... Oh, and I paid $10.
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No promotion? As a story this was all over the media, digital and otherwise. Even my dear mum heard about this album coming out and she doesn't know a Hilton from a Lohan.
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