Category: Jam Session
So instead of finding a record label to release their next album, Radiohead have decided to go it alone and sell it/give it away as a download on their website. When filling out the order form, fans are asked to pay whatever they deem necessary. This means paying $0 if you want. They're also selling a $80 boxed set containing the album on cd and 2 12-inch vinyl+a bonus cd/vinyl for hardcore collectors. I think this is a brilliant business move; hopefully other bands will start doing the same once their contracts with record companies run out. Radiohead are arguably the most influencial band around musically right now; I'd love to see this influence carried over to the business side of things. It'd be nice to see the RIAA brought to its knees.
For anyone interested, the album order link is here:
http://www.inrainbows.com/Store/index3.html
It's not the most accessible ordering process but I was eventually able to figure it out with a tiny bit of help.
It is a brilliant move for a brilliant band. Also the news they are releasing the album in 10 days is the most exciting I've had in months.
Sadly though "4 Minute Warning" which is one of the best songs I've ever heard from them (judging by the live versions) is only on the bonus cd which is expensive and not due out until December 3rd, but it's all right. Typically a band only gets around a dollar to dollar fifty per released album, the record industry machine takes the rest. Out of that money (the dollar or so) the band has to repay studio and video costs of sometimes 200 to 300000 so a band really has to sell more than 300000 copies of an album to see a cent for their efforts (of course that does not include live gigs etc). So even with a lower price tag delivering the album electronically and directly to fans Radiohead will probably make more on this than if they used the traditional means.
I certainly intend to pay $10 for the album, trusting it will be of the consistent super quality song writing they have upheld for 6 albums and 15 years.
Hail to Radiohead, not to the Thief.
cheers
-B
I was so excited when I read about this yesterday. Brilliant move, and let's hope this album's better than Hail to the Thief and Thom's solo efforts.
Hail to the Thief wasn't that bad, ok, it was their worst I think, still "Sail to the Moon" "Sit Down, Stand Up", "Scatterbrain", "the Gloaming" and a few others were good songs, didn't care too much for "We Suck Young Blood" and "Myxomotosis". I've heard some of the demoes of the songs on this album and they are good sounding, one can listen to a stream of the album at www.nme.com, can't do it from work obviously, but will definitely do it tonight.
Yeah, it wasn't too bad, but comparatively speaking... just, no.;)
I liked most of HTTT. It was definitely better than Pablo Honey. And maybe Amnesiac.
Anyone get it yet?
I'll probably be refreshing my email repeatedly for a while. :)
Has anyone else heard the 2nd part of the album yet? Bangers n Mash and Four Minute Warning are amazing. The first disc has really grown on me since I've first heard it, too.
It looks like the whole Europe tour has been announced; gonna try to hit one of the london shows as well as Amsterdam. :-)
Second disk is definitely more "interesting" i.e. takes a while for me to decide whether I like it or not, 4 minute warning is great, B&M is good too and Go Slowly is petty nice, have to make up m mind about the rest of them. From the first I'd say tracks 8 and 10 are the best, "House of Cards" and "Videotape". It would be fun to see a little bit of return of the chorus though, some songs sort of have a typical structure but not really. It's both innovative but also makes listening demanding because it's not the format one is used to. It's definitely interesting and when I get the chance, I want to give it a good listen from fist track to last with a good pair of head phones. ;)
cheers
-B
I don't know if you noticed this but Video Tape flows very nicely into MK1 which means (to me at least) that the 2nd disc is more a part of the album than a disc of b-sides.
I gave the whole thing a listen on good headphones and it's definitely very rewarding. Like you said, it all hasn't sunk in yet but that always tends to be the case with radiohead.
BTW, in case anyone didn't already know, the $ is a piece of shit.
The W.A.S.T.E. pre-sale is going on now and 1 London ticket cost me upwards of $100 including service fees (53.70 pounds). So much for doing both London and Amsterdam. :(
I was hoping to sandwich 2 My Bloody Valentine shows with 2 radiohead ones. Guess 3/4 shows isn't bad.
Well, better than someone living in Iceland, although we had Skid Ro play a surprise show last weekend and we get our more than fair share of artists.
I'd love to see Interpol play and hopefully will get a chance when I'm back in the U.S. next year, also Shed Seven's reunion tour is going on now in the UK which would be fun. I really don't know why I like them this much, but they're just one of the best indie British bands of the 90s, hugely under rated, well, so I think. Of course I'd love to catch RH again, saw them in Seattle in 01 (the only concert until the new ones they played Reckoner and it was a loud, messy song, think it's better than the new version), LA same year and in Ohio in 05. Always absolutely astaundingly good.
cheers
-B
Do Sigur Ros or Bjork play in Iceland often?
Seeing either one of those acts there would be surreal.
Bjork at coachella was one of my favorite shows this year.
Hey.
Oddly enough, not really. Last time I saw Bjork play in Iceland was in 1993, it was a bloody great concert then mind you. Sigur Ros toured Iceland last year, playing in all those middle of nowhere towns of 1 to 3000 people, apparently it was awesome, their dvd was shot during those concerts. But mostly they play abroad, bigger markets and such.
Last time I saw them was in 1995 or 96 right after they changed their name from Korn, they were just a garage band then, my band even shared a room with them for a while but I never heard them play until this battleof the bands type show, then I realized this band would be famous, at least in Iceland, they sounded so different and way better than the other 25 or so bands we saw there.
Good times.
cheers
-B