RSSRadiohead to bypass record labels, letting its publisher handle rights
By Tim Conneally | Published December 12, 2007, 12:42 PM
Radiohead's album in Rainbows was revolutionary for its "pay what you like" availability. Now the band's plan for licensing that album continues the trend, further eroding the bond between bands and the record industry.
The band Radiohead baffled many with the choice to release their in Rainbows album as a DRM-free download with no fixed price, but rather with a non-compulsory fee similar to purchasing admission to a museum.
When the album ceased to be available in this fashion on December 10, it was not due to any sales trends, but simply because it was planned that way. The next phase of the digital availability of in Rainbows has been launched, with the band themselves and publishers Warner/Chappell Music at the helm.
Since the band has retained ownership of the recordings and compositions, and have no major label behind them, Warner/Chappell has devised a scheme for licensing the band's music that streamlines the otherwise historically complicated process. The publisher will now administer all digital rights, as well as mechanical (the right to make hard copies), performing (broadcast rights), synchronization (movie, television and soundtrack rights), lyrics, master recordings, and image and likeness licensing.
By managing all of these rights without having to answer to a label, Radiohead's music will either prove more profitable to the artists directly, or be a cheaper license for all who want to use it. And the traditional recording labels are left out of the picture. Although Warner/Chappell is technically a division of Warner Music Group -- one of the big four -- it is an independent arm of the company, and is not bound to licensing performance rights to Warner's labels.
In addition to the forthcoming traditional release of in Rainbows on December 31 internationally, and on January 1 in the US, a remix album put together by Amplive, an Oakland DJ and Producer, will be posted on January 10 free to anyone who purchased the original album online. Called Raindayz Remixes, the new album will be available as a free ZIP file of containing high-fidelity 320 Kbps MP3s.
Radiohead is one of a number of groups establishing its position in the music business without major label support.
"Radiohead's music will either prove more profitable to the artists directly, or be a cheaper license for all who want to use it. And the traditional recording labels are left out of the picture"
OUCH!! recording labels!!...HEHEHE, who did not believe in my oracles? TAKE THAT!!
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Good, the RIAA makes people hate them more every day. A recent statement for example:
"When asked by the RIAA's lead counsel whether it was wrong for consumers to make copies of CDs they have purchased, Jennifer Pariser replied in the negative. "When an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song," said Pariser. Making "a copy" of a song you own is just "a nice way of saying 'steals just one copy'," according to Pariser."
Copying your own CD is stealing now? What a ******* idiot.
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The beginning of the end, this will go down as the start of the exodus for the labels, expect mergers and really long contracts from now on.
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I hope this really does signal the beginning of the end for all major record lables. They are nothing but evil, greedy, self-serving vultures that seek to exploit and take advantage of EVERY artist they work with at every level. They are a cancer on this planet that needs to but cut out as soon as possible.
With the success of the new albums like the one the Eagles just self produced and sold directly though Wal-Mart (without a record company involved at all), I really do hope that things like this and what Radiohead has done mark the start of a new day where the exploitation of artits by big, greedy, corrupt record companies and their teams of vulture lawyers no longer is a plague on this earth.
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And with that main stream music becomes something worth listening to again..
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I had regretted waiting until 'In Rainbows' was out on generic CD before buying a copy.
I didn't want to pay £40 for it [a hard copy], that was far too much. But I didn't want to buy something that'd be supporting a middle man, either.
My concience will be a lot clearer when I buy it now.
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+1000000000000000000000 bonus points for Radiohead. Why pay the middle man when he is not needed anymore?
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