Will Radiohead and NIN cause a ripple effect in the music business by releasing their own albums?

Question

Spooky's question got me thinking about this...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ApNA0f1ufn5wAMOvamQL_z2v.Bd.;_ylv=3?qid=20071010012810AAZcZGx

They certainly aren't the first two bands in the history of music to release albums without the support of a label, but they are very well-established and respected by fans, insiders and their fellow musicians.

Do you think this will start a trend in the industry, or will it be just a fluke? And if this is the start of something permanent, what does this mean for the labels and for the business itself?

lovnrckets - agreed. At the very least this should be a wake-up call for the labels. They have been bleeding both the fan and the musician dry for too long now, and hopefully this will show them that they are not as necessary as they think they are.

jmike - yeah, there's a lot that goes into the successful release of an album. Quite a bit, in fact.

GK Dub - good point about albums that have an internet-release only. Some people will always want a tangible copy, with the artwork and all the bells and whistles (me included).

Prof - agreed, agreed, agreed. I'm running around the same full circle.

Answer 1

I'm not sure if it will start a full out trend, but it might be something that many bands with a well established fan base will adopt. I hope it does shake up the industry, they need to do something before everything becomes iTunes and Limewire. I don't think it will replace the need for a label, especially when it comes to radio play and promotion. I guess we will find out in the coming years though.

Answer 2

I'm not sure. I've been waiting for something like this to happen though. I mean, why not in the digital era. The problem is, like lovenrckts said, very few bands have the cache to pull it off, and people are all too willing to take advantage of them. There is a lot more opportunity to go DIY now though and I actually think that if there is a degree of success it is good for the industry and the potential for new quality products. We talk a lot in here about how uninventive the mainstream has become and a lot of that has to do with a corporate stranglehold and their desire to put out cheap records that are based on a proven formula. The more relationships that develop between smaller operations and the major distribution veins the more open the market the better it is for the consumer. The only trouble is that there is so much music out there that people (most people) still need someone to tell them what to like. That is the big service that the major recording companies provide. They give you MTV and major marketing campaigns. For instance, I'm a casual (I don't check their website or anything like that), but pretty big Radiohead fan, and I wouldn't even know that the new record was being released if it wasn't for this site, just a rumor that they had been working on one. This is a hurdle that I can't figure out how to jump for the little guys. I'm not suprised that pioneer bands like Radiohead and NIN would do this, but I'm not sure that most bands would sacrifice the comforts that their labels provide.

I kind of went full circle over the course of that. I think I want to be idealistic about it because all the tools are there to really open the market, but the heavy hitters are incredibly powerful.

Answer 3

I gotta go with the fluke. The real hardcore fans and the total completionists will make sure they get the album, but the average music listener isn't going to seek out any album for download. If we end up with actual pressed CDs, distribuion will be extremely limited, because that's where the labels really come in. Even if they do a horrible job of marketing or promoting an artist, they do at least get that album into the FYEs and Wal-Marts across the country at a fraction of the cost that an individual artist would be able to. If it was that easy, then nobody would be under a label.






NP: "If You Need Me" - Wilson Pickett

Answer 4

Fluke all the way. Only a few group out there could possibly stand a chance doing this. I'm all but certain that even the die-hard Radiohead fans aren't paying a ton to download their new album, no matter what they might claim. So just imagine the ordinary band trying to pull this off. Labels deserve a lot of the blame for things moving in this direction. Perhaps this will help motivate a change in the way business is done but for the better for all parties.

Answer 5

It's possible, and I'm not sure whether I'm excited or nervous about it. If more bands take a cue from these artists and start releasing their albums independently, then there's a good chance that the band and their fans will be much happier. If you cut out the middle-man (the record industry) then the band will be making ALL the money from the albums they sell, and in turn could charge much lower prices for them, which makes the fans happy. However, without an industry to front money to these bands for recording costs, equipment costs, producer costs, touring costs, and album packaging cost, then we might see a decline in the quality of albums. Like Radiohead, I've heard that The Offspring and Powerman 5000 are strongly considering making their next albums available via internet only. I'm not into this idea, I like having an actual album in my hands with artwork, liner notes, ect.

Answer 6

Reznor and Radiohead are about art before money, but they still want to be paid for their efforts. CD sales are pocket change. The cost of making a CD and studio time...they have their own recording studio, they can record anywhere.

They make money with touring and merchandising. Reznor in particular had a history of bad dealings with record companies from the beginning, which is why he hasn't put "Closure" on DVD.

They can create when they want, how they want, and don't need to be told how to do it at this point.

I think for a band starting out, they need the publicity that a record company has the means to give them. Even if they have to give a lot up to do it, it's worth the sacrifice in the beginning. I don't think anyone starting out should do what NIN or Radiohead are doing until they've established a fanbase.

Answer 7

God, you amaze me! this is incredibly previous words. i think of i visit in uncomplicated terms take a seat and watch the ripples for awhile, by your photograph, this is. you write eye-catching words with your digital camera!

Answer 8

I don't know if it will create a ripple effect or not but bravo to them for standing up for their fans...$40 for a CD....that is ridiculous!