The former Talking Heads’ front man talks to Radiohead’s Thom Yorke about the thinking behind the release of In Rainbows. It’s a shame that this is not an in-depth interview as the pickings are very slim. A synopsis – Radiohead’s managers came up with the idea. The band embraced it based on the perceived value of music as music, not the ‘value’ of a container, i.e. the CD jewel case. They also figured that they did not like the tyranny of the ‘record review’ what Thom calls leaking. The record is ‘leaked’ by the record label to the press as part of a game of ‘who gets it first.’ It’s a game that they don’t like playing. He also says that “whoever writes the first few things (reviews) gets cut and pasted. Whoever gets their opinion in first has all that power. It just seems wildly unfair I think.” Basically Radiohead wanted to stop music companies valuing the delivery system as opposed to the relationship that we as humans have to the music. Here’s the interview.
This is a good thing but as Radiohead have now decided to release the album on CD, the way they are pushing it here in the USA reminds me of the old promotions/delivery system with a shiny new paint job. The Daily Swarm reports that ATO the label has released a widget which we are all invited to install in our web pages or blogs. The Daily Swarm even goes one step further and says “who needs Pitchfork?” which is an odd and unnecessary dig on that site. I decided not to include that widget on the Moose as it felt out of line with the bands’ machinations to date. And including it on heavily trafficked blogs is basically getting free advertising. And so the wheel turns…..
Radiohead – Down Is The New Up
Related Posts: In Rainbows, a review of sorts, Gang of Four, a new album
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i read that at the airport the other day. I like Thom’s reference to “Snobbery”. And their look at the impact that their shows are having on the environment…one of the biggest being the travel aspect of not only them but the fans…does that mean that the Gorge is no longer a desto? Anybody want to start a green bus line to the gorge from all the metro areas? :)
December 27th, 2007 at 11:40 am[...] Source [...]
December 27th, 2007 at 1:18 pmWeird how releasing the record on CD after-the-fact seems contradictory, huh?
Also weird how Radiohead are in a position to critique the people (the press) who had/have a lot to do with creating the very machine that they helm. Sure, things are changing (e.g., blogs vs magazines), and sure, I’m more of a fan than a critic (as I imagine most music journalists are), but where’s the gratitude? Talk about snobbery! The fact that Wired (or David Byrne) even gives a fuck what those guys are doing has to be worth something to them.
I still think Radiohead is probably the band making music these days, but c’mon. Didn’t Ian MacKaye figure out a way to eschew the labels and serve the fans more subtly and completely over twenty years ago?
December 27th, 2007 at 3:17 pm@Roy,
I think it’s noteworthy that it was Radiohead’s management that came up with the ‘give it away’ idea in the first place. That fact gnaws away at my instinctual mistrust of music managers – they rarely do anything that doesn’t benefit themselves. Otherwise Radiohead could have just started their own label, put out a CD, a download and a vinyl album but where’s the story in that? These days it’s all about the story….! Things move too quickly so attention grabbing means more desperate moves.
December 27th, 2007 at 6:34 pmI think when Yorke refers to ‘leaking’ in the article, he is actually speaking about the fact that the last few Radiohead albums found their way online on file trading sites months before their release dates. Part of the reason for these leaks are advance copies sent out to the press, etc. (though the leak of Hail To The Thief was an early mix of the album rather than the final version which points to some sort of an inside job*). I took his comments in the interview not entirely as a jab at journalists but rather to say there would be no leaks via advance copies since such a thing won’t exist.
* I’ve theorized that the band/management themselves leaked this. Brilliant if so: “Someone leaked an early mix of our album … that makes us angry as they aren’t hearing the far superior finished version which, by the way, will be released on this date … ” and so on. I’d be disappointed if this wasn’t their plot.
Oh, and – hey there, Dave! … been a while, eh?
December 27th, 2007 at 7:49 pm@Michael,
Yes agree, of course as soon as an album makes it way into the hands of a ‘press’ person two things happen – it ends up online and then it ends up in a record store’s used bins….anyway…. good to see you pile in here and sorry I’ve been awol – much story there. How’s Q-Burns Abstract Message?
December 27th, 2007 at 11:17 pmAgreed again, Dave. What will Trent Reznor do to make a splash with his independence? What about Noah and Liam? The Ocho (2008) should bring many much fun!
…And a shout to Michael.
December 28th, 2007 at 10:38 amTrent will have to figure it out just like Gang of 4 has to!!
December 29th, 2007 at 9:45 amDave — Q-BAM is going great, lots of new things in the works … Eighth Dimension is still running along, too, though it’s more of a publishing company these days. Ran across yr blog and got it in my feed-reader so I’ll be sure to pop in now and then. Drop a line when you have a chance so we can catch up a little …
January 2nd, 2008 at 8:15 am[...] When they mention “devaluing music” it’s apparent that the music executives obviously didn’t read the interview that David Byrne conducted with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke where Thom explained the emotional connection of music and that record companies sell CDs, as in the package, not the music, as in the emotion – Byrne: You’re valuing the delivery system as opposed to the relationship and the emotional thing… Yorke: You’re valuing the company or the interest of the artists rather than the music itself. I don’t know. We’ve always been quite naive. We don’t have any alternative to doing this. It’s the only obvious thing to do. [...]
January 8th, 2008 at 10:25 am[...] So we have Van Morrison and REM complaining about new technology and now here’s the one person who I would have thought knows better using his keynote speech at SXSW to point out that he’s obviously forgotten that when he was growing up he listened to music in mono. Here’s what the one-time member of The Velvet Underground, one of the most influential bands in music history, has to say about MP3s…”It’s like the technology is taking us backwards. It’s making it easier to make things worse. Here’s our song reduced to a pin drop — what, what, what?! It’s like if no one knows any better or doesn’t care, it’s gonna stay on a really, really low level and people who like good sound are gonna be thought of as some kind of strange zoo animal.” It’s rather sad and ironic that when I was in high school I thought that the members of Velvet Underground were each “some kind of strange zoo animal.” As Thom Yorke said, record companies market and sell plastic cases with CDs inside, bands sell emotion. So Lou, it’s not the delivery system, it’s the end result…. Share this Post: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
March 15th, 2008 at 10:37 pm