READER COMMENT
Cameron Gray

Thought i might throw a few additional names into the cc rectangle & see if i can't get some debate going regarding the in rainbows download

just read Reens in rainbows part one

contrary to yr preface Reens - i was only interested in part one.

am trying to extricate mahself from reviews - in general

am suffering a 'creative block' that i think has developed - strangely - from too much thinking!

anyway

further to yr "consumer drives value thesis";

I think yr main point, that Raaaidyo'ed (thanks Liam Gallagher) could "afford to do it" is the most pertinent

would they have done it otherwise?

would we even be discussing this if it was Toto who released their new album in a similar fashion?

maybe

me finks it was all in the timing

aside from the reality that they really don't need any more money - a nice place to be one wld imagine

their contract was up

this afforded them a tremendous amount of freedom to pretty much do as they pleased

or, further - create a point of difference as a way to freshen up the act

back when i WAS thinking, it occurred to me that the whole release as a download thing was really just a concession from the musicians that the war has already been won by the consumer.

it's no secret that it's the reason we've seen such an upturn in retro touring  

everyone from John fucking Fogerty to ELO sans Jeff Lynn etc

over & above the baby boomer market - we've had a deluge of 80s/90s acts  

the Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins & a whole cluster of novelty 80s acts reforming and hitting the raod

take a look at the festival line-ups this year

starting with the Rage Against the Machine BDO headline

the V Festival had a reformed Pumpkins - the J&MC, & Duran Fucking Duran

quite aside from the fact that the market allows this because there AREN'T any decent new bands

the simple fact is - these guys are broke

I was watching Loud Quiet Loud the other week - the doco about the Pixies reunion (a great film if you come across it)

I think it was Joey who was saying that since the initial split he'd relied upon a steady stream of royalties but about 3-4 years ago the cheques just stopped coming

P2P software & dodgy russian sites facilitated the downloading of theirs & everyone else's back catalogue for next to nothing

no more royalties

no more free cable

sure it was nice to have them back

& they were wonderful when I saw them last year

but the truth is - Fat Frank was only ever going to get back together with Kim if he was on the bones of his ass

if you watch the doco you can feel the resentment in every glance

he just can't come to terms with the fact that Kim's post Pixies output has outstripped his own - in every department

poor chap

back on point, touring is now the only way an artist is guaranteed an income

hence Madge's decision to reject her Warners contract renewal in favour of a deal with a company that specialises in concert promotion

so, the free download is now a reality

why not just embrace it?

or take it one step further -  

use it to yr advantage

i saw it as the final hoisting of the big, fat white flag of corporate surrender

the game was up way back when Metallica were suing napster  

it's taken this long for a major act to surrender to the concept that the days of actually making (serious) money from music in a recorded format are up

the labels have not figured out how to counter this

most likely, it's because they can't (insert horse & bolted here)

Sure, it was a nice piece of marketing - but I think, ultimately, Radiohead have accepted that the vast majority are going to be downloading their music for free. -  including the back catalogue (and this be the biggest issue facing us lads - look forward to more geriatric reunions in the years to come)

so, in a way, it was forced upon them

Radiohead's great achievement is not only the way they have embraced it but their subsequent inverting of the "problem".

turning it back on itself & using it as a marketing tool - a means to re-generate the act.

in rainbows was a pretty significant album in the context of their recording career - as a group

if you've read any of the interviews, it's pretty clear that they were at something of an end point

they needed to re-generate the brand above & beyond what was going on musically

& yes Adam, I did actually say "brand" not band ;) - so ply forgive me xx

U2 usually hire a trendy DJ to produce or re-hire Brian Eno & suspend oversized lemons above their heads  

Radiohead were coming off the back of a series of great yet relatively luke-warm follow-ups to, arguably, the biggest musical statement since the release of Pepper, ok computer (relative to the impact of ok that is)  

each subsequent record came with fancy packaging & was distinctive in the market place both musically & commercially

but none quite had the impact of ok

each one less than the previous

the music was still a notch above anything else being released commercially  

but it seemed that their 'significance' had stagnated

the in rainbows download was two-pronged; (apologies in advance for covering the points numerically)

1. it resolved the issue of the free download by - surprise, surprise - releasing it as a free download  

sanitising the process with a chic little stand-alone website & some wonderful "pay what you feel it's worth" marketing spin in an attempt to appeal to the loyal fan - such as Reens - or mahself who forked out for the whole fucking caravan - download + double vinyl + cd + bonus cd of 8 tracks that they couldn't find a spot for + fancy book & nice box etc YES FOLKS i spent 35 quid on MY free download!

the point was - ok the kids will download it for nought regardless - so let's put it out there for free but let's do it in a way that appeals to the fans conscience - as you say Reens - most will take the freeway BUT if 1 in 10 take the scenic tour - it's a win.

2. Radiohead day. they generated righteous press hoo-haa that spilled out from the confines of the music press & onto the newsfeeds of the major agencies - consequently finding it's way into Andy Capp's weekday tabloid.

how well would In Rainbows have been received had it been released through standard channels?

It probably would have been yet another follow-up to OK Computer - the fans would have embraced it regardless - Fuck, it's a great record - 15 step & nude are still generating the kinda goose bumps that only come with musical greatness - so pls don't misinterpret these wanderings as just a cynical analysis of their release strategy - exactly how pre-determined this whole exercise was is open for debate - but there is no disputing the result - in the wider scheme of things - radiohead are back on the 'cutting-edge' radar - quite aside from the music - they have made a statement - people are chatting about them around the office water cooler - they have RELEVANCE again - SIGNIFICANCE baby - above & beyond the anoraks who were going to embrace the record regardless of the packaging

but this aint really new - the 'newness' is in the delivery & therein lies it's impact

Prince has been doing this for some years now - along with other 'acts' (use term advisedly) such as NIN etc - but these have always been viewed as curios by the record industry - and more importantly - the consumer -  this is the first time a band has actually utilised the process to make a major statement of intent - perhaps it's because Prince has always been packaged as a Jackson-esque weird boy, an eccentric - door knocking for the mormans one week & releasing his new album as a sunday paper supplement the next - Radiohead are a cerebral, "thinking persons" entertainment - perhaps that's why it's a major statement - they may have been - on the odd occasion - a tad   experimental - but they were always viewed as reasonably sensible chaps - not ones for placing their hands down the pyjamas of young boys or keeping giraffes in their back garden

anyway - the result is that we're all talking about Radiohead again

they can now hit the stadiums & make some serious cash

as a post script; none of this should detract from the fact that In Rainbows is a wonderful piece of work

how underrated is thom yorke as a vocalist!

the vocals on in rainbows are as good as anything my little ears have sucked in

& they continue to be the only musicians i can have a genuine conversation with

mogwai have come close on occasion & exile on main street will always get me hard when i'm in the mood for fucking

but only one band have summed up exactly what it feels like to stagger through the wretched, horrid & beautiful here & now.