Before I begin with this week's topic, I got my hands on an advance copy of Britney Spears' new album, "Blackout," and after listening to it, I've come to the decision that I don't think I've ever heard a bigger mess than this. Expect a full review next week.
Radiohead, a band oft known for their obscurities and mysterious ways, have just released their seventh album to date, "In Rainbows." Although they aren't given much attention in the mainstream music world, they are always received well by critics - "Rainbows" received near-perfect accolades from many publications, including Rolling Stone - but that's not what got Radiohead in the headlines these past few weeks. It was that Radiohead just released their seventh album to date, independent of a record label for "free" online.
The reason why the word free is in quotations above is because the consumer has the option to pay, and they can pay as much as they want. I would assume most will take this opportunity at the wonderful price of free, and this has the music industry in some sort of an uproar.
Album sales have been declining in recent years at a rapid pace - the CD is practically obsolete. Not only can consumers purchase just select tracks digitally through providers like iTunes, eliminating full album sales, but also piracy has crippled the industry from where it once stood.
In 2006, year-end album sales figures were down 4.9 percent from the 2005 numbers, dropping from 598.9 to 588.2 million albums, according to the Nielsen Soundscan. The 2005 figure was down from 7.2 percent from 2004.
Now combine the elements of Radiohead standing independently, declining album sales and the controlling nature of record labels and what does that do to the music industry? What repercussions does Radiohead's lone wolf move have on the music world?
Well for starters, it gave Trent Reznor, the one-man band that is Nine Inch Nails, the motivation to do something he's wanted to do for years: give Universal Music Group the finger and leave. For years, Reznor has been at odds with his label to the point of badmouthing them openly, and even attacked how they boosted the price on "Year Zero," his latest album, in foreign markets, telling fans during a concert to just download his music illegally.
Reznor posted on the official Nine Inch Nails blog that "after 18 years of being signed to a label, it gives him great pleasure to be able to finally have a direct relationship with the audience as I see fit."
Now who's to say that more artists won't drop their labels and join Thom Yorke and Reznor's cause - nay, revolution - choosing to release their music on their own independently through digital services. I understand artists have been doing this for years, but when the artists are bigger names like these, then it's a real eye-opener. I also understand, for the artist, this is a serious way of losing the multi-million dollar deals and profits through album sales, but I feel like Radiohead, and Reznor even more, realized that the music is for the fans, and it's not always about the money.
Many will probably think I am wrong, but the industry seems to be at a point where there are those who only do it for revenue, but there are also those who do it for the music. If what I think is true, then the future looks bleak for major record labels and the compact disc. Digital download sales have skyrocketed, store-bought albums are at an all time low and I couldn't be happier. Record labels and entertainment chains such as Circuit City and F.Y.E. overcharge the consumer to the point that a nine-track LP can run you $18.
Radiohead did a great thing. The sound of $5 feels a lot better.
Contact Stephen Ortiz at
Stephen.Ortiz@UConn.edu.
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