Thom Yorke recently warned newer talent to avoid the music industry establishment, a "sinking ship" primed to collapse in a matter of months. But is that statement passing the sniff test?
Not quite. Already, the Yorke arguments are springing a few leaks. Radiohead jumped ship on the troubled EMI, though one Digital Music News reader pointed to a subsequent distribution partnership with RED, owned by Sony Music Entertainment, for In Rainbows. That deal happened through ATO Records Group, part of a post name-your-price release strategy.
In fairness, this is hardly a conventional major label deal - far from it. "They don't have a traditional major label relationship at all, they are just renting a distribution network," one executive close to the relationship relayed, on condition of anonymity. "There's no risk capital on the label part whatsoever, and [Radiohead] could easily replace this disitributor with another."
Valid counterargument, but what about publishing? Here, Radiohead also has a partnership with Warner/Chappell Music, a unit of Warner Music Group. Perhaps missing from the torrent of In Rainbows coverage, Chappell was a heavily-involved partner in the project, helping to consolidate recording and publishing rights ahead of the name-your-price launch.
That was the focus of a presentation issued in late 2008 by Jane Dyball, Warner/Chappell Music senior vice president of International Legal Business Affairs, during the You Are In Control symposium in Reykjavik. The event was covered by Digital Music News, and also extensively by Music Ally. "We took the opportunity to ask the question, 'will people pay for something if they can get it for free?'," Dyball explained. "I found it incredibly reassuring, because I had doubts there was money to be made online."
Comments Closed
PartlyCloudy Friday, June 11, 2010
Well, to answer the question posed by the article, yes Thom is totally full of it. But I think the real question is, so what? Major labels are not consumer-facing brands, so why not let Yorke beat up on them.
trevor Friday, June 11, 2010
Artists need to be careful about comin' out like this. Because if they really don't have their facts straight, they'll get ripped apart. Same thing happened with Lily Allen.
alias2u2 Friday, June 11, 2010
The comment by Yorke was reported as "telling bands to skip the machine" when Radiohead being distributed by SONY/RED/ATO and Warner/Chappell Publishing is in a very successful corporate machine. The report stated that the singer urged bands to self-release, when Yorke himself usues some the best corporate music industry support available. I guarantee that this level of corporate distribution is not available to every band out there and Radiohead is still in the corporate system by using it. I agree that it is one of the better corporate systems and I'd recommend all bands to try and get there too! Yorke seems to be misleading unsigned bands by flatly telling them not to go there.
seattle_sommelier Friday, June 11, 2010
So ironic. Because, we wouldn't be hearing this ill-formed diatribe rant had it not been for the major label machine. No one would have heard of the guy! Radiohead didn't just appear, like poof!
monayork Friday, June 11, 2010
This isnt even really a story.. Thom can clearly see what currently lies in wait for any new band coming up and getting going, it is a total mess and he is in my opinion completely correct for suggesting to skip the machine as it is clearly not in a good place to be right now even if your an established artist.
As for saying hes 'full of it' by then releasing his own stuff through 'the machine' in the various ways explained, well that is completely non-sensical! Ummmm of course, he is already in the machine, he was lucky enough to be successful in the pre-myspace era, he's not going to shun that help, as he still wants to get his art out! ..but you will notice how it always seems to be on their terms now.. and thats the clever part right there, because how many artists can do things at that level predominantly on their terms?
But please, if he gets asked for advice or even gives it, he cant honestly suggest that a new artist/band follow what hes done.. he doesn't owe or need to give loyalty to any 'machine'. He's a f@#king rock star! also many if not all those paths/bridges across that they had to walk when they were coming up, all collapsed long long ago.. we live in a very different time!
Personally I would take advice from Thom Yorke or Trent Reznor far before i would bother listening to someone who is a suit or commentator in this current industry! Both those artists are constantly re-inventing not only their art, but the ways in which they get it out to people.. and i find that inspiring.
it really is a 'sinking ship' ..please just let it sink ..its time to build a new one.
~upcoming artist.
DontJump Friday, June 11, 2010
@monayork, well have fun on your fantastical DIY journey! I just hope you don't buy this hook, line, and sinker. If you diss the machine (whatever that blob is), you just might be dissing your own career. Because if you can score a distro deal with RED, take it! If an army of suits at Warner/Chappell wants to help you, take it! Because I'm sure your music is great, but trust me, you need resources to cut through the clutter! Warner was working overtime on this collapsed copyright, the call your price thing didn't just happen.
I mean, I'm not trying to get all worked up about this. But those guys were made by the machine! I myself can't see Trent Reznor or Radiohead really applying to obscure artists. I'm not saying sign up with EMI tomorrow. But I am saying pick it apart, be smart, choose your partners wisely, use that machine girl!
monayork Friday, June 11, 2010
..exactly they were made by the machine, so if they have advice to give on what new bands should do, would that then make it invalid? I mean can we really discount their opinions because of their position or history? what if their advice comes from a genuine personal concern, and what if they actually are really smart..
i really honestly dont want to get worked up on this either, i just spent four years on Capitol Records, and EMI publishing, done the whole mtv thing, touring etc, totally hit the ground, and now im coming up again, i have been through the system, i know what it was and has become well.. i dont think i am being fantastical, but i do refuse to get jaded, i need to keep fresh perspective and stay positive while looking for new ways to go forward,
i personally just dont actually see any machine in action right now that can really stand up and take offence at his statement... and im honestly not trying to wind any body up cause i know we all need jobs, but theres not really anything goin on.. we live in a weird time where a 15 year old kid or someone like Jimmy Iovine both have about the same amount of idea as to where everything is headed..
..also resources while they are good, dont always cut through the clutter, and trust me i know.. our labels burned through the best part of 4 million dollars on our project.
..ironically after all the advances in technology, and clever marketing distractions invented, i believe when talking about cutting through, its completely and utterly come back to 'the song' and 'word of mouth'
The thing is nobody i've seen or heard talk about this subject yet has any answers.. and Thom and Trent even though from the machine, are at least inspiring ingenuity! thats gotta count for somthing i guess.
If Thom can encourage people to think outside the machine.. i think its kinda cool! the machine will always come back, and build it self around whatever it needs to later..
DontJump Friday, June 11, 2010
whoa! didn't realize you had so much experience! better be careful on my assumptions (ass out of u and me right?). Well, I guess in my defense, I'd say that it's not Trent or Radiohead that are instructing developing artists, it's really everyone else for the most part. So, after the frenzy on In Rainbows (so glad that's over), I think the natural thing for any band to say was, I gotta try this! Same thing with Trent, though the attention wasn't as big. But, Trent is just trying new things, he's not doling out free advise to every band coming around. He's making three-quarters of a million on a box set, not saying 'hey kid, you want to make it?' It's just naturally coming out that way.
And don't get me wrong, new bands should try lots of things, experiment with commerce and art alike! But, I think that the fallacy and fantastical thinking is to then say, this is the way the business is going to be! Let the fans decide what they will pay! Let's create some superfan box sets that's the way! See what I'm saying?
On the other part, I'd say that one major mistake I think we make is to think this "machine" was actually good at making hits and success stories in the past. But this is not a dismissal of your experience in any way, but even in the 90s, 80s, etc., the percentage of acts that made it was so slim. I think the artists that sold past a few hundred thousand albums (watermark for a label back then) was really small. It's like VCs... they relied on the hits. So in the current landscape, that's very easy to forget.
But I still think you suffer when you generalize! That's one of the major errors I think Thom Yorke made on this. Because there are still great labels out there, great managers with ties to major distribution channels that you need, heck even Randy Jackson is trying something! Meaning, I'm not jumping into bed with some tired old label heads (don't go there okay girl), but I am saying that there's lots of talent and great options if you pick apart the machine - so to speak - wisely.
Maybe that's what Radiohead did so smartly!!
monayork Friday, June 11, 2010
yes... all good points, and sorry, i wasnt really looking for a defense... this is so far from personal btw..
also i agree and dont think the pay what you want model is the future either.. i think bandcamp.com is the probably the coolest tool i have seen for a new band in a long time, but yeah you still need people to believe in your art to go and buy it.. or even know about it in the first place. It even feels like music seems to be a brochure for our culture these days.. and i dont know many people who shell out for brochures.. :)
im pretty lost with it all really and am constantly processing or thinking of how we can reach out to new people again.. people who are fatigued by so many new artists that it perhaps overwhelms them?
..the one comforting thing that remains certain is that we will always love music, always get inspired by new songs, and always will subliminally attach them to moments in our life..
..and your right generalizations can make things cloudy.. but i just want people to keep speaking out without getting shot down, even if they may be not 100% on with their statement, maybe it will be a catalyst to spark somebody else.. in a really cool way
maybe im a dreamer :)
DontJump Friday, June 11, 2010
I just think that if you throw something out there, you've got to take the good with the bad, because in the end we all learn more from the process. Because lots of people shot this down, but I think with good reason ya know? I just think that we hurt our careers and thinking to say to ourselves, oh! there's a ship over there that's sinking! tally ho! Then, there's the new ship! let's jump on it!
Never that simple really! I want to get out there now, and deal with stuff now, not wait for 2015 or whatever when it might be even more undetermined know what I mean?! Because strategies have to happen in reality, not some coming messiah of the new ship.
Also, I love all of the providers out there, including Bandcamp! But will they be there tomorrow? It just seems like the ethos is to launch without a model, then just allow it to crash and burn if it's not acquired. Is that ultimately good for my band?
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iDream Studios Sunday, June 13, 2010
New Article: The Happy State of the Music Industry: http://bit.ly/a7HmRT
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