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.
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.
Sales are doing well everywhere else. Cinema is doing well, video games are doing well but music isn’t. The free download phenomenon is ruining the industry.
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?
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?
Radiohead Shocks Record Industry With Free Download of New Album
Radiohead’s ‘In Rainbows’ Paid for by 38% of Site Downloaders
Radiohead Rides Again, or A Treatise on the New Media Movement
Gene Simmons: ‘Radiohead’s on Crack for Letting Fans Pay What They Want
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Tips on how to not get busted for file-sharing
3 Quick Ways to Watch Movies for FREE!
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uTorrent – A Beginner’s guide to BitTorrent downloading
News Tip? Comment? Suggestion? jared@zeropaid.com
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Its pretty sad I thought untalented cry babies were limited to American Idol for their 15 minutes of fame. If your good you can still make a killing in the music industry. Now however the fans can decide if your good not some corporate big wigs.
The Manics would have to pay me before I’d take possession of any of their Eurotrash poptastic shit.
Well good for you radiohead! It only takes 2-3 to start a revolution. You and 50cent may be the first stones in this rock slide!
Who the fakk are these guys? Never even bloody heard of them now I don’t aspire to know the music industry but I’ve heard of Radiohead and Kiss but these no-namers I’ve never had affront my ears and that says allot considering I’m a metal fan 
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!
They’re just pissed that they’ve locked themsevles into a contract with the recording industry and can’t do something like what Radiohead did.
10 mil for radiohead? thats the first i heard that. thats fucking sweet for them.
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.
Theyre a Welsh band that was mildly popular 10 years ago (in the UK).
Great first metallica then Gene Simmons and now these clowns……who next?
Meyou in the ridiculousness of it all I’m expecting it to be Celine Dion next. Why? Because how rediculous it would be considering she may 300 million from her Las Vegas show.
Great….can’t wait to hear her pearls of wisdom.
This line probably bothers me the most about these hacks though:
“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.
I blame The Police (who was one of the first bands to put their music out on CD) for the demise of the audio cassette. Imagine all those people in the plastic industry that they put out of business! How dare they!
And then there’s that guy who invented the electric light bulb. The cad! Those poor candle makers!
Ditch the Eye Shodow Nerd and maybe someone would listen to your Music or Download it !
“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.”
Yeah because after all something is definately not worth anything if it isn’t being eaten by the market.
“Sales are doing well everywhere else. Cinema is doing well video games are doing well but music isn’t.”
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
The chick at the back looks like a bitch.
The chick at the back looks like a bitch.
Wire putting his mouth in it again. Don't agree with him, but the lot of you are hopelessly ignorant to call the Manic's "hacks", "grasping 15 minutes of fame" or "mildly popular 10 years ago." The Manics were, and continue to be massively popular all over the world. They never took off in America, but alas, America is not the world folks. They've been millionaires for over a decade – Wire has nothing to profit by alienating himself and touring the States (as they did recently) knowing full well he'd lose money doing it.
Their albums 'The Holy Bible', 'Everything Must Go' and 'Journal for Plague Lovers' received widespread critical acclaim, with 'The Holy Bible' frequently ranked in polls as one of the greatest ever made. Rolling Stone and Spin Magazine are far too lazy and corporate to look at anything outside the US until it's on the shelves of Best Buy. Given their diverse history, chances are there's something in their canon that you'd respect.
The music is heavily informed by literature, history, political theory (particularly socialist) and art movements. While I disagree with Wire's comments, it's patently obvious that he's aware of the difference between art and commerce, and (shock) understands that these aren't always incongruous. Beethhoven wrote very good music for money.
Wire has a history of making inflammatory statements, sometimes as a joke, sometimes for publicity and sometimes because he's not afraid to express his (often unpopular) opinions. As the author of the article says, it's clear he's doing so with civility in this case. If you're going to attack the Manic Street Preachers for their comments, fine. But do a little research before you label them as 'mildly popular' or 'hacks'.