Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret - Idolator Comments

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

CharlesRockyPamplin — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:35:14 EDT

@Halfwit: we'll just have to agree to disagree. i buy records on the merit of the music, rather than it being some sort of second best to a badly mixed, out of tune bludgenoning of the songs in some cavernous arena where i can't see a fucking thing anyway.

call me old fashioned, i guess, i'm just not that 'into' gigs...

CharlesRockyPamplin

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

Halfwit — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 13:30:54 EDT

@CharlesRockyPamplin: I can agree that Joanna Newsome has greater production costs on the road than Black Lips, but even so, I greatly doubt that she is funding her tours based on her current CD sales or the generosity of concert promoters. I support the Deftones approach (which may, in fact, just be a variation on the Metallica approach that you're afraid of), whereby the CD is really just an advertisement for the show. I mean, they (Deftones) had... MAYBE on platinum album in the states, and I doubt they were selling dramatically larger figures elsewhere, yet they manage to sell out massive shows -- with I might add, the elabroate stagecraft that metal demands.

Halfwit

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

Andy Beta — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 13:19:20 EDT

While the main response from Pfork and the like is about how "the recording industry is fucked," this also takes the press/ PR/ critics right out of the equation. Rather than being comfortable in our peculiar heirarchy or promotional consideration, to where we know well in advance what's coming down the tubes, we now have to queue up just like anybody else.

Andy Beta

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

janine — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 11:40:56 EDT

...actually, just ignore Grandma Nee-Nee. I'll be over here winding up my Victrola!

janine

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

janine — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 11:38:23 EDT

Look, I'm not trying to be argumentative or anything, but I feel somewhat passed over. I missed the meeting. Why is is okay to not pay for music? Is it because the technology allows? Is there an ethical argument or is it a case of the horse simply being out of the barn? I feel so out of it...

janine

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

CharlesRockyPamplin — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 11:13:26 EDT

@Halfwit: it's a case of markets; In the US, absolutely, a band of reasonable stature can make money touring. but elsewhere, it's not so; in the UK & many parts of Europe, for example, it's pretty much a given that you'll make a loss.

the idea that everyone has to compete on the road for dollars, and their music is just an analogue to that is kind of reductivist, and makes me uncomfortable. everyone becomes Metallica (who do exactly that).

plus, when you reduce it to pure economics (which a lot of promoters do), there's a huge difference between say, The Black Lips, who could pretty much put on a show anywhere, versus Joanna Newsom, who needed a big production to tour her last record. who would be cheaper to book? it kills the idea of interesting, adventurous music being able to exist and/or compete...

CharlesRockyPamplin

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

Ned Raggett — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 08:41:48 EDT

It's interesting that there were still all the rumors going around before this blindsided everyone -- coincedence or carefully placed chatter? The leak of the future might be for announcements like these.

Ned Raggett

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

Halfwit — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 08:22:02 EDT

... heck, in 2007, you don't even need the guitar. You can probably create your first album just using the computer in your cubicle.

Halfwit

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

Halfwit — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 08:19:43 EDT

@CharlesRockyPamplin: I think your basic concerns are misplaced here, CRP. I mean, look at the artists that idolator talks about/champions (aside from Kanye and Weezy). We're talking bands that spent, maybe, $100,000 on the recording of their albums... who, maybe, go silver in terms of sales -- yet they're able to make enough through touring (even club touring) to quit their day jobs and pay for rent, if not a mortgage.

I mean, honestly... over the course of their entire career, Sonic Youth has sold -- what, 2 million CDs worldwide? The recorded music is valueless (aside from the costs of production); "paying to be in the presence of the artist: has been the main source of personal revenue for musicians forever. This shouldn't have an impact on that.

Alt music will never go the way of classical music, simply because the cost of entry will never get that high. A $200 electric guitar from a pawn shop and enough patience to learn to play along with your CDs (or mp3s) are all you need to at least get started.

Halfwit

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

CharlesRockyPamplin — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 07:16:05 EDT

@Matos: Both a completely brilliant move and a scary one.

Radiohead know, as do most of the forward thinking industry people, that the big money is no longer in records but in touring. Radiohead can essentially give a record away, take the hit, then make more money onstage.

on the other hand, this makes me worried for for the 'worth' of music in general. I grew up in the Home Taping era. i taped off the radio, from Library records, got comps from friends, etc etc. if there was something i liked, i went out and bought it. i can pretty much (and do) d'l anything i want for free. I still buy records, but more through the implied contract i have with an artist than anything.

Behemoths like Radiohead can stick out a record that you pay nothing for, then make their money in the arenas- fine. But it's worrying that actual recorded music is becoming worthless; the mechanical reproduction of it in the live arena has arguably little to do with hearing the music itself, but more that, (as Billy Graham sorta said) ' you're paying to be in the prescence of the artist'.

I'd hate to see rock/alt/whatever music go the way of Jazz, or Classical; the audience for the new stuff shrinks, and and the only people who can make money are the ones who can belt out "Paranoid android' in a convincing Pop Idol style...

CharlesRockyPamplin

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

maths — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 06:41:02 EDT

I have listed out all the ordering details here in an easy to refer article at [www.music2dot0.com]

Significantly, this is not an option for every band, but if all the superstar-bands that actually benefited from the old system to get to where they are, are now subsequently deciding to go totally "indie" where are the major labels going to find the mega-revenues that used to subsidize the rest of the money-losing acts in their stable?

maths

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

nimno — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 06:32:49 EDT

I think Radiohead are doing some monumental here, but some people say if they had Radiohead's money, they wouldn't care about sales either. There's a poll on pollsb.com about this new Radiohead move, check it out.
[www.pollsb.com]

nimno

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

Michaelangelo Matos — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 04:06:54 EDT

I should also note that when I wrote "er, report" all that Pfork had up was a bunch of "aaaahhhh"s. That's changed and the implied cocked eyebrow no longer applies. Sorry, Amy.

Michaelangelo Matos

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

Michaelangelo Matos — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 03:51:02 EDT

It's definitely the smartest way a major band has come up with to deal with leak culture. The more I think about it the more brilliant it seems to me.

Michaelangelo Matos

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

CloudCarrier — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 01:38:59 EDT

@sparkletone: After catching my breath, I realized that the space between hearing the new record and holding it in my hands won't be any different than the last animal collective record, i.e. downloaded three/four months before the physical street date, just like any other record currently released by a major or minor label with extended brick n' mortar distribution (and the appropriate means to be leaked). So, with the exclusion of the "pay what you want" scenario (your tanya donnellys of the world call it a "tip jar"), nothing, I guess, has changed. Thanks, Radiohead!

CloudCarrier

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

coreyander — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 00:18:45 EDT

I can't believe they hit us with the ethical quandary of having to decide how much to pay for their new album. At least I have ten days to think about it.

coreyander

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

sparkletone — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:37:04 EDT

(And if it's not clear, by "deal with XL or someone" I mean a one-album sort of thing like with The Eraser that just takes care of getting the album into regular old stores.)

sparkletone

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

sparkletone — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:35:59 EDT

@CloudCarrier:

The second intro page on the In Rainbows says, "So far, it is only available from this website." (emph. mine). My theory is that in the next week or two they'll announce a deal with XL or someone to get a one-disc version into stores.

When asked about going purely-digital in 2006, they said they were shying away from it because they were concerned about people in places with bad/no internet connectivity. The download is for the Internets in general, and the Discbox is clearly for the collectors/super fans. However, there's that gap in the middle that means they probably want to get the proper album in stores too.

sparkletone

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

The Van Buren Boys — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:29:08 EDT

This is crazy. Radiohead has gotten to the point where they are basically saying, "You know what? We're Radiohead. We can do whatever the fuck we want and people will love it." They realize that their hardcore fans will still pay for the whole "disc box" while their more casual fans will be able to download it for essentially any price. They realize that even if they don't make a whole lot on sales, they can tour and clean up. This way they don't have to deal with the bullshit from the record labels.

Also, that sound your hearing the sound of the major label executives' jaws dropping while they shit themselves.

The Van Buren Boys

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

CloudCarrier — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:27:04 EDT

What about the rest of us single-disc losers who'd like to not pay out the nose for a physical copy? I know they'll probably release a 1 or 2 disc after the calender page turns, probably to discourage people buying mass quantities and gouging in-store, but c'mon, three months? I guess I'll just pretend I didn't hear any of this until after thanksgiving...

CloudCarrier

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

Maura Johnston — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:21:22 EDT

@maura: Damn, I wish I'd used the phrase "wank mining" in that comment somehow. Oh well.

Maura Johnston

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

Maura Johnston — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:16:20 EDT

Wow. Wow! This is crazy, great news. (Thanks for catching it while I was drowning my Mets-related sorrows in tater tots, Matos.)

Maura Johnston

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

blobby — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:01:04 EDT

If this pay-whatever-you-want-for-the-download thing catches on, then I am going to have to agree with Pitchfork's typically levelheaded assessment: "The entire recording industry is so fucked!"

blobby

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

blobby — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:59:02 EDT

If this whole

blobby

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

sparkletone — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:41:18 EDT

@DW:

Radiohead appear to be selling this themselves using the framework they've got with W.A.S.T.E..

Presumably, the download will be DRM-free (I mean, what are they going to use DRM-wise if they're doing this themselves). The quality of the files remains to be seen, as does whether or not the download includes artwork or anything.

sparkletone

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

sparkletone — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:38:45 EDT

For the record:

The Download, the first CD and the first vinyl disc are all equivalent in terms of tracklisting. The download doesn't include the extra CD/LP which includes the following songs:

MK 1
DOWN IS THE NEW UP
GO SLOWLY
MK 2
LAST FLOWERS
UP ON THE LADDER
BANGERS AND MASH
4 MINUTE WARNING

The Discbox includes a download, if that wasn't clear, and they're not charging shipping on the Discbox, which makes it more palatable to those of us spending weak, weak dollars.

I'm excited. Assuming the download is in not-poopy quality, etc. ... This will be quite the coup for them. They've managed to turn release day into something special for once (since Oct. 10th pretty much has to be before CDs go out for duplication), solved the problem of what to do with all the extra songs without doing another Amnesiac style followup (which many people don't seem to like), and on and on.

Good on them, on any number of levels.

Now we just get to wait and see if the music was worth the wait?

sparkletone

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

DW — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:37:11 EDT

As a download in 10 days?

But Radiohead is only available as download on 7Digital and Amazon Mp3, right?

So, does this mean that I can get the R'Head album for $9/DRM-free?! Yes or No? I don't understand!

*Head Explodes/Vomits*

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

Zach Isso — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:30:13 EDT

Axl Rose should take this idea.

Zach Isso

Radiohead's "In Rainbows": The Newfound Art of Keeping a Secret

Chris Molanphy — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:12:52 EDT

How to Reappear Completely.

Chris Molanphy