While once they were innovators on merely a sonic level, it appears Radiohead has now drifted primaril into distribution trendsetting. On the recently released In Rainbows, for the first time in their highly esteemed career, the band isn't in the least bit surprising - damn good, yes, but that of course is the least surprising of all.
The album is basically a pleasant set of accessible songs that hold fast to how we already perceive the band. It was probably wise of them to release such an album, considering that all the media hubbub seemed more concerned with how the album was released than the actual content within, and anything more elaborate or musically experimental might have been overshadowed. In Rainbows will most likely be remembered above all as an album which threw the music climate a curveball and started a new trend.
By now most people are aware that it was released officially on the internet for however much the downloader wanted to pay, and while that seemed like a radical idea a month ago, it already doesn't seem so anymore. Spoken-word artist/rapper Saul Williams, with major backing from Trent Reznor, just released his new album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust solely on the internet in a similar fashion. Reznor has also implied in interviews that the next Nine Inch Nails album could likely be self-released in the same way.
Could the salvation of the industry that the RIAA and major labels are hoping for actually lie in them eventually being cut completely out of the picture? Indeed the internet is abuzz with such prophecies of the future. It does seem feasible on one level, considering that artists don't make the bulk of their money from selling CDs - they generally get about a dollar or two from each - but rather from live shows and tie-ins like t-shirts, ads and movie licensing. So why shouldn't they be able to make it on their own? If anything, self-selling an album is going to make them more per record, even if they don't sell nearly as many.
Of course that's where reality comes in, because record companies provide an invaluable resource for promotion and distribution. Unless you're a big-name act like Radiohead or Trent Reznor, there doesn't seem to be much of a chance to go it alone and succeed. Those guys can capitalize on the fact that they are free from a record contract for the first time in years, one that's netted them plenty of money, and can use their leverage to do just about anything they'd like. But that's hardly the case for everyone. Even Radiohead, who managed to sell 1.2 million downloads of In Rainbows off their website on the first day, are still planning an actual release of the music on ATO Records, which is a testament to the vital role a record label will still play for their music.
Paste magazine has also taken a cue from Radiohead by temporarily offering a year's subscription for however much you want to pay. Much like musicians, magazines don't make the bulk of their cash from the obvious price tag, but what the material can lead an audience to do - look at ads and buy products, or listen to music and want to see a live show.
It's hard to say what the outcome of the In Rainbows trend will ultimately be, but one thing seems certain: Artists are waking up and following Radiohead's lead in becoming more autonomous and self-reliant, and that can't help but be a great thing.
How much did you pay to download the newest Radiohead album? Tell Ben at bpeterson1@wisc.edu.
