Worried that music has "all gone digital," but also plans to leave its record label after next album release.A few months back Radiohead shocked music fans, artists, and the industry alike by releasing it's latest album "In Rainbows" online and for whatever price consumers decided to pay. Well now, in a recent interview, the Manic Street Preachers blame Radiohead for the current state of the music industry and are worried about how music has "all gone digital." Guitarist Nicky Wire Comments: Fair play to Radiohead for doing something different. It’s certainly great for publicity but I think it kind of demeans music.
Record labels are MUSIC DISTRIBUTORS, no more less, and with the internet putting this power back into the hands of music artists and allowing them to create fans in virtually any corner of the world, is the push towards digital music really a bad thing? Plus, the world will never go entirely digital. There will always be a market for LPs among hardcore music fans. In a recent story on Wired titled "Vinyl May be the Final Nail in CD's Coffin," the point couldn't be stressed enough. "I'm hearing from labels and distributors that vinyl is way up," said Ian Connelly, client relations manager of independent distributor alliance IODA, in an e-mail interview. "And not just the boutique, limited-edition colored vinyl that Jesu/Isis-style fans are hot for right now." "For many of us, and certainly for many of our artists, the vinyl is the true version of the release," said Matador's Patrick Amory. "The size and presence of the artwork, the division into sides, the better sound quality, above all the involvement and work the listener has to put in, all make it the format of choice for people who really care about music." The Manic Street Preacher's drummer, Sean Moore, does seem to show that the band has at least realized the growing irrelevance of record labels. “We have one more album with Sony, and are coming to the end of our publishing and merchandising deals," he says. "We want to do records ourselves. Labels are scared to move forward, we’re not.” Well, if the Manic Street Preachers are truly not "scared to move forward" then it needs to start experimenting with different methods of music distribution like Radiohead did with "In Rainbows" - especially if it plans to drop its record label in the near future. Radiohead made an estimated $10 million USD with the plan, which certainly isn't very "demeaning" by any means. I guess it's nice they were at least more civil than the aging "rocker" Gene Simmons who said that Radiohead must've been on crack for letting fans pay what they want. Wouldn't it be far more likely for a guy who's literally wagged his tongue at the audience for 30+ years to be on crack? Anyways, here's a clip of Manic Street Preachers single "If You Tolerate This" to listen to.
Looking for more stuff to watch or download?
|
 
|
|
Nicky says that Radiohead "demeaned music," but is that really a fair assessment? With record labels charging consumers $20 bucks for a CD and giving artists a measly $1-$2 who's really demeaning who here? 
Either you know what you're doing or you don't but don't blame Radiohead's ingenious delivery of music for your own failures, take it on the chin and build from it, it builds character and you don't look like a presumptuous git!
oh and i second the "who the fuck are these douchebags" comment. my store is the best place to buy CDs for about 10 miles. when we dont have something, no one wants to go elsewhere because its too far for them. so when *I* dont know about them, they arent popular enough to give a rats ass about.
"Music used to be a market, now it’s all gone digital. It’s worrying and it seems to be the way of the world at the moment."
Music is an art, not a market, not a widget to put beside other widgets in a supermarket display, and to hear artists talking like this, even 3rd string hacks like these guys, makes me fear for the music of the world far more than any action Radiohead did.
I guess they subscribe to the Eminem style of music making, you don't have to be talented to be rich in yesterday's music market and today's market scares them.
And then there's that guy who invented the electric light bulb. The cad! Those poor candle makers!
Yeah because after all, something is definately not worth anything if it isn't being eaten by the market.
Last time I checked, the movie industry was going through the exact same problems that the music industry was. Isn't that why the RIAA and MPAA have been holding hands through all of this? Furthermore, of course games are doing well. Game developers are smart nerds who find niches and loopholes to get people to buy their stuff. Those same nerds are the people who are finding niches and loopholes to pirate movies and music. It makes a lot of sense when you think about it.
-SZ