Radiohead frontman: Music industry on verge of collapse

[Sporkman]

...Yorke has now issued a warning to upcoming artists, urging them not to sign traditional record deals because they would be tying themselves to "the sinking ship."

In an interview for a new high school textbook called The Rax Active Citizen Toolkit, which aims to inspire youngsters to become more politically literate, Yorke claims the music industry is on the verge of a major crisis and could collapse completely within "months".

He says, "It will be only a matter of time - months rather than years - before the music business establishment completely folds. (It will be) no great loss to the world."

http://blogs.chron.com/celebritybuzz/2010/06/radiohead_frontman_music_indus.html

[sydbat]

YAY Thom Yorke!!

[Phrea]

You gotta love Yorke !
Fight on, my man !!

[wewantutopia]

Another "hell yeah" for Thom and Radiohead!! In Rainbows (awesome) for "you choose" price (awesomer). Revolutionaries (in multiple ways)!

[Dixon Bainbridge]

Another "hell yeah" for Thom and Radiohead!! In Rainbows (awesome) for "you choose" price (awesomer). Revolutionaries (in multiple ways)!

Radiohead were late to the party on that one. Marillion pioneered the whole idea of fans sponsoring and setting their own prices for albums and releases. Also, Peter Gabriel and David Sylvian adopted similiar models years ago.

With the advent of the internet, digital home studios, more live venues, its far easier for bands to record, produce and promote their own material without recourse to record companies. As a freelance artist myself with strong links into the music industry in my home town, I know lots of bands that have become very succesful with no record deals.

And a good thing too, record companies are amongst the biggest crooks on the planet.

[Groucho Marxist]

http://blogs.chron.com/celebritybuzz/2010/06/radiohead_frontman_music_indus.html

A couple of questions;

1.) Cui bono? (To whose benefit?/Who profits?) Why would Thom Yorke state this unless he had something to gain?

2.) Where is Mr. Yorke getting his hard data regarding the collapse of the music industry?

[sydbat]

A couple of questions;

1.) Cui bono? (To whose benefit?/Who profits?) Why would Thom Yorke state this unless he had something to gain?

2.) Where is Mr. Yorke getting his hard data regarding the collapse of the music industry?1) You answered your own question.

2) Haven't you noticed all the "laws" that are being proposed/passed around the world that basically guarantee the music industry (read: corporations) an income? That, and he has actually dealt with those corporations and know how poorly they are run.

[Dixon Bainbridge]

A couple of questions;

1.) Cui bono? (To whose benefit?/Who profits?) Why would Thom Yorke state this unless he had something to gain?

2.) Where is Mr. Yorke getting his hard data regarding the collapse of the music industry?

In answer to 1)

I saw an interview the Steve Hogarth of Marillion, talking about the fact the Radiohead had released an album on a pay what you like basis, and the journalist said that the whole thing wasnt a success because the average price paid was something like £1.20 per sale, whereas CDs would sell for £10 or so. Hogarth pointed out that the artist wouldn see 20p of a CD sale at the most and that the £1.20 per sale that in rainbows generated was considerably more per sale than the band would recieve from a record company cd sale.

So, the artists benefits.

[McRat]

I think Music Producers will be around a long time still because they can fabricate their own product.

They find some attractive untalented people, dress them up in the Soup Du Jour fashion, contract some real talented artists to provide music, then package it up on Disney Channel. Or MTV, BET, etc.

It's packaging. Get a free CD in every Happy Meal kind of stuff. Is it music? If internet prOn is sex, I suppose so.

[Roasted]

fk yeah.

[sydbat]

I think Music Producers will be around a long time still because they can fabricate their own product.

They find some attractive untalented people, dress them up in the Soup Du Jour fashion, contract some real talented artists to provide music, then package it up on Disney Channel. Or MTV, BET, etc.

It's packaging. Get a free CD in every Happy Meal kind of stuff. Is it music? If internet prOn is sex, I suppose so.I thought you and I had this discussion before - please clearly state what you mean. All this obfuscation is getting us nowhere...

[McRat]

I thought you and I had this discussion before - please clearly state what you mean. All this obfuscation is getting us nowhere...

And while a very unpopular opinion,

Even though the Music Producers have been acting more like the Gestapo than music lovers as of late, they are a necessary evil. Their model will change in the digital age, but they will always be around.

No matter how good your band is, if nobody hears you sing, you'll never make a living from it. Even with the internet making advertising a bunch cheaper, there are literally thousands of excellent musicians out there that are unheard of outside their community.

Sidebar - Motorcross racing never really caught on in the US until a Producer/Promoter steps in and packaged it better. SuperCross. Ditto for the NBA. Packaging skills allow a wider audience for a product or service.

[Xianath]

I think Music Producers will be around a long time still because they can fabricate their own product.

They find some attractive untalented people, dress them up in the Soup Du Jour fashion, contract some real talented artists to provide music, then package it up on Disney Channel.

You have MTV, we have Chalga (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalga#Chalga_in_the_new_century). Bland faces, breast implants, playback, haze filters and tasteless lyrics. In other words, Brittney. Heck, the cable providers even put the chalga channels right next to the adult ones. I don't get adult channels, but the "music" ones come so close I had to mute them, hide them, then child-lock them just in case my nephew (age 5 1/2) comes visiting.

Back on topic. Some friends of mine have this band (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkandji) and record their own music. They also promote it themselves, arrange gigs, etc. Their albums are released under the Creative Commons License and can be downloaded for free completely legally, but they also sell CDs for those who want to have the real thing. It's a way for us fans to show appreciation and support while at the same time feeling special. The fact is, they run out of CDs and other merchandise on every gig.

On a significantly larger scale, metal legends Manowar are well known for controlling every single aspect of their music making -- from recording to producing to promoting to the darn sound levels on stage (where they hold a Guinness record). So it works for the big guys and the little guys alike.

I *hope* the music industry dies, then we'd get more of the likes of Andy McKee and less Britney Spears clones.

[tgalati4]

+1 for Andy McKee.

[coolbrook]

As long as the heartthrobs autotune and sub-karaoke talent level, pretty white girls jiggle in music videos then the industry will be just fine.

[thx11381974]

Information is an ethereal force of nature it can not be owned, bought, or sold only shared or not shared.
Any industry that seeks to sell something that dose not physically exist can only secede through deception or tyranny. In the end lairs and tyrants always fail.
I don't know about Thom Yorke's time scale but that it will happen is certain.

[Breambutt]

Music and industry - two things that have absolutely nothing in common and live on opposite principles.

But can someone please explain to me how can Radiohead possibly be as popular as they are?

[Dixon Bainbridge]

But can someone please explain to me how can Radiohead possibly be as popular as they are?

There are alot of self obssessed, self indulgent teenagers in the world.