Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke is warning the music industry is on the brink of collapse, insisting young musicians should resist signing record deals because the major labels will "completely fold" within months.
The British rockers broke away from their longtime label, EMI, in 2007 and went on to embrace the new digital era with the release their seventh album, In Rainbows, which they offered up over the internet and allowed fans to choose the price.
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."
source: [url]http://blogs.chron.com/celebritybuzz/2010/06/radiohead_frontman_music_indus.html[/url]
He's right
Oh my god, save da tunes! :downs:
Did he come out of a swirling vortex transcending time or something?
Record companies seriously do need to fuck off
No one needs record companies anymore, they're obsolete, they just don't want to accept it.
[QUOTE=Perfumly;22514508]Record companies seriously do need to fuck off[/QUOTE]
They need to realise that times are changing and change their buisssness models, that or everyone should go indie.
I think he's being a bit overly optimistic.
[quote]The British rockers broke away from their longtime label, EMI, in 2007 and went on to embrace the new digital era with the release their seventh album, In Rainbows, which they offered up over the internet and allowed fans to choose the price.[/quote]
I didn't know that. It sounds like a very good way to sell your music
I like the way that man thinks
[editline]04:51PM[/editline]
BTW, Nine Inch Nails is also following suit, sort of... you can download any of their albums, in any format you want
That's what I like about the internet. You cut out a huge part of distribution, making for smaller and more effective groups.
So now if you want to release your music you can just upload it, rather than sign your soul to satan himself.
[editline]07:53PM[/editline]
[QUOTE=Pretiacruento;22514666]I didn't know that. It sounds like a very good way to sell your music
I like the way that man thinks
[editline]04:51PM[/editline]
BTW, Nine Inch Nails is also following suit, sort of... you can download any of their albums, in any format you want[/QUOTE]
It's almost like running off of donations, except with more incentive. A good idea.
[QUOTE=Pretiacruento;22514666]I didn't know that. It sounds like a very good way to sell your music
I like the way that man thinks
[editline]04:51PM[/editline]
BTW, Nine Inch Nails is also following suit, sort of... you can download any of their albums, in any format you want[/QUOTE]
They've just gone indie, a lot of bands nowadays are doing it because the labels they sign with are forcing them to create music that makes money, not music the band enjoys playing. It appears Thom Yorke has seen the light.
[QUOTE=Mr. Yorke;22514688]"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."[/QUOTE]
:')
Can you imagine what music would be without record labels? It'd be a new era, thanks to the internet.
Hope they do collapse to be honest.
The humble indie bundle got a lot of money and even though it's games I think a similar aproach would work for music too (sorry it HAS worked I believe). And the bands get all the money too (which they deserve)! If the music is good enough (like the games were) then people WILL pay for it (even if it's just 5 pence). If one person downloads your album for just £2 that's more than the record companies would split between the band for an album sale (correct me if I am wrong).
oh, the concept's extended to tours as well
[url]http://www.billboard.com/news/k-os-embraces-name-your-price-strategy-for-1003963588.story#/news/k-os-embraces-name-your-price-strategy-for-1003963588.story[/url]
I still like buying CDs tho.
No need for big record companies I think, if a band is good enough, they will be known. For example. Enter Shikari had played like 200 live shows or something before they released their first album, and they didn't sign with a big company, they created their own company to release it.
The only reason I think this is even the slightest bit bad is because people will loose there jobs when the companies collapse.
i can't wait.
He's wrong. :colbert:
Well I would say it's the end for EMI, they will go bankrupt within the next year I would have thought. I think the other big labels are still making a profit though?
Fuck major record labels, fuck the music industry. They've been screwing over musicians for years.
Good, maybe the MUSICIANS can make the money instead.
This man is a genius.
[QUOTE=demisemiquaver;22515282]If one person downloads your album for just £2 that's more than the record companies would split between the band for an album sale (correct me if I am wrong).[/QUOTE]
Obviously it varies from label to label, but that's about right.
The only label I like and respect is Nuclear Blast.
If this means the collapse of WMG and UMG who have been fucking up youtube for the last few years, then I seriously hope this guy is right.
"It will be only a matter of time - months rather than years - before the music business establishment completely folds. no great loss to the world."
What a brilliant quote.
The average musician on a label contract makes about 5 cents per record sale. There is a reason why the music industry is about to collapse, and this is it. Musicians make money from shows and touring, but rarely do they make money from sales unless they go platinum or gold or what have you.
Good.
Whoever this dude is, I like him already
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.
