The Loop : Radiohead - In Rainbows

Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007)

[Below is a paper I wrote for my Media and Pop Culture class shortly after the album was released digitally. Obviously, this is an incredible album musically (15 step is the jaaaam) but obviously, it's conception and distribution is what makes it infamous. I was lucky enough to work on the physical release of this record on New Years Day. I mean really, does it get any cooler than Radiohead?! I decided to throw in this essay because a defining characteristic of this era for me is that I started to look at music much differently because I was into the "business" of it at this point. I'm not going to say that I had all of it right and in re-reading this, the things I know now certainly come into perspective. However, no story was more fascinating to me as a music business geek than this one.]


Somewhere, Over "In Rainbows". . .
Will Radiohead Change the Way We Buy Music?
by Ashley Harris

“Hello everyone. Well, the new album is finished, and it's coming out in 10 days. We've called it ‘In Rainbows’. Love from us all.”

In the early morning of October 1, 2007, that message appeared on the Radiohead.com website, one that had been watched religiously by fans of the band who had been waiting to hear when, the follow up to 2003’s Hail to the Thief, would finally be released. The band had toured in the summer of 2006 throughout the UK and United States, and seemed primed to release the record following the buzz that was created after the tour stint. It was widely known that Radiohead’s contract with EMI/Capitol Records had expired in 2004 after 13 years and six albums, so it was unclear who would be releasing the album and when. However, all speculation was answered when Radiohead took a step that has fans, artists and the music industry taking a moment to assess how much music is really worth, and how much a record label is necessary to sell it.

Ten days later, visitors to the band’s official website were directed to register to buy the In Rainbows album. They were then prompted to choose between the digital download or the “discbox”, which included special features as well as a digital download, the physical product being sent out in late 2007. Those who chose only the digital download were sent to the merchandise store check out, where an empty form asked users to enter their own price for the CD. No price was wrong, even if you entered zero. If fans had any doubts on if this was “too good to be true”, clicking the question mark next to the form shows a message that simply says “It’s Up to You”. From there they received a simple .zip file of MP3 tracks, a technology organized by the band themselves in order to make the process as efficient as possible. With traffic reaching millions within the first two days alone, it became clear that this was not a method that would happen quietly.

Immediately, the music industry was buzzing about what this might mean for the conventional wisdom that had run the major record labels for years. The move posed two major questions: not only how much they should be asking people to pay for an album, but also how long is necessary for a band to release it? Typically after an album wraps, it takes months of brainstorming and executing marketing plans, formulating marketing materials and coordinating press, distribution details and follow up efforts such as a subsequent tour in order to encompass everything needed to support the record. All Radiohead had to do was post one news bulletin (and, to be fair, a few press releases) about the album and despite the previous years the fans were waiting for the record, the release was only a short time after the album wrapped. Because it was self distributed, this saved what would have been hundreds of thousands of dollars for Capitol Records in previous years and yet still generated more buzz and press than ever before. While official numbers have been and probably will never be released, it’s been said that the traffic has been consistently in the millions. This prompted other artists such as Oasis and Jamiroquai to speak out on considering a similar approach to releasing their records. This is due largely in part by the seemingly quick tailspin of the record industry as physical product succumbs to digital abundance.

“By identifying that many people are stealing music and downloading leaked albums anyway, it's refreshing to see a band sort of "own" that concept, instead of trying to run from it,” said Albert Ching, multimedia editor for the East Valley Tribune in Phoenix, “many bands are already streaming their whole albums online - this is just the next, logical step. With the CD quickly dying out, people realize that ownership isn't as important as getting to hear the music.” While more people are listening to music than ever before, the music industry has seen a steady decline in physical sales of product, such as compact discs and vinyl records. This has sent the staff at the major and indie labels scrambling to stay one step ahead of everything happening. Efforts such as the “Ringle”, a physical single that includes a free ringtone and other digital features such as desktop wallpaper, have been enacted by Sony BMG. Digital download cards are used for singles and partnerships with subscription websites such as Rhapsody and digital marketplaces like iTunes have been forged and carefully monitored. Is the record industry really to blame for what has happened to the compact disc in the last decade? While the argument of the RIAA’s actions against illegal downloaders is another issue in and of itself, where has this disconnect happened between the audience and the artists? However, there must be consideration of the fact that despite trying to stay ahead, this industry has changed dramatically over the past few decades and wouldn’t the same kind of confusion happen with any industry forced to adapt so often in such a short amount of time? Imagine being in the vinyl distribution department of a record label when someone first brought in CDs. When new technologies and millions of dollars spent on previous schools of thought, its no wonder things fall through the cracks as the foundation is shifting.

Artists like Radiohead have taken into consideration this approach and possibly acting similarly. However, if this truly does change how records are distributed, what does that mean for the developing artist? What needs to be noted is just how long Radiohead had been on Capitol Records, under the old school thoughts of mass and grassroots marketing that made them who they are. While they had a good five years of do-it-yourself music making and touring, the majority of what made Radiohead successful was while they were under the major label umbrella. Giant sold out tours, while a testament to their success, were orchestrated by those in the offices at Capitol. Their biggest single, “Creep”, released in the early 90’s, had huge MTV and radio play, two other massive entities. Does this mean that any band coming out of their garage can distribute to the same kind of numbers as Radiohead without the same kind of solid base to jump off? Some bands are willing to consider it as an option. “People, especially artists, need to be apt and open minded to being progressive, and part of that is discovering and utilizing new business concepts and models to garner success,” says Stefan Pruett, lead singer of Side-Cho Records artist Peachcake, “This is coupled with having something genuine, real, true, earnest, and full of substance to offer.” Other artists who have equal amounts of fame as Radiohead, such as Arizona’s Jimmy Eat World, question otherwise. “Here you have these rock and roll dudes and I’ve met a lot of people in bands and they’re not always all there,” said Jim Adkins, lead singer, “A lot of times they’re probably not the best people to be creating some sort of business model.”

The answer to the question of no record label vs. major record label support may lie in companies like Netwerrk Records. The Canadian based record label and music management company hosts one of the most progressive models in the industry. While many artists opt for just the management side of the company, several who decide to operate on the label side do so by creating their own imprint label. This means that while they are officially distributed through Nettwerk (under the parent distribution of Sony BMG), they have control over many aspects of their own label, including marketing, packaging and touring. This is all under the supervision of Nettwerk through small “committees” dedicated to each artist. There will be one person in charge of one aspect of the artist career such as publicity, online marketing, etc. alongside their management (which may or may not be under Nettwerk.) This allows the artist to gain more revenue for their music and merchandise while still having the guidance of industry professionals. This model encouraged Nettwerk artists such as The Format to release their 2006 album, “Dog Problems” digitally without retribution nearly a month before street date, after the album had been leaked online. Artists like Josh Rouse have been able to bring in other artists to the label more easily than in the major label setting, and even host them under their own labels while still having Nettwerk support. This is a “meeting in the middle” approach to how to distribute both physically and digitally, while still letting the artist have control of their careers. It creates a sense of still relying on the industry but by working in a partnership rather than a dictatorship.

All in all, it is too early to see the lasting consequences of what Radiohead did with In Rainbows. No more than a few weeks out of the release were their management in the offices of “the big four” labels, eventually signing with ATO Records, under Sony BMG distribution. They’ve claimed that it was their intention all along as far as the discbox, but this also opens them up to the opportunities of major label marketing and promotion. Throughout music’s history, major labels have been attributed to creating some of the biggest acts of their time, and sometimes squandering the careers of other artists through poor representation. Indie labels have flourished or failed, with some like Fueled by Ramen selling parallel to that of any major label artist, and some longstanding institutions like Lookout! Records (original home of Green Day) folding under new technologies. Radiohead’s legacy of pioneering will now be not only musically, but in business as well. Unfortunately it seems like the music has been lost a little in all the shuffle of the way it was distributed, but in the end it’s the music that has made the listeners fanatical about what Radiohead is doing in every aspect of their careers. If anything, when you go to the Radiohead website and stare at the empty pricing box, it forces you to think how much an album is worth to you, how much the music means to you and what you’re willing to pay to support it.

This video has a staggering 8 million views. It says everything.