Comments on: David Byrne & Thom Yorke on the Real Value of Music http://www.kitschbitch.com/2008/01/02/david-byrne-thom-yorke-on-the-real-value-of-music/ planningmediamusicgeekerylondonlifeandstuff Thu, 28 Aug 2008 23:17:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: katy lindemann | kitschbitch.com » Blog Archive » RIP Muxtape (and what’s next?) http://www.kitschbitch.com/2008/01/02/david-byrne-thom-yorke-on-the-real-value-of-music/#comment-9287 katy lindemann | kitschbitch.com » Blog Archive » RIP Muxtape (and what’s next?) Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:04:42 +0000 http://www.kitschbitch.com/2008/01/02/david-byrne-thom-yorke-on-the-real-value-of-music/#comment-9287 [...] it’s giving your music for free to encourage paid sales (like Radiohead), giving it away to make money from touring and merchandist (likeNiN), selling it outright to a [...] […] it’s giving your music for free to encourage paid sales (like Radiohead), giving it away to make money from touring and merchandist (likeNiN), selling it outright to a […]

]]> By: katy lindemann | kitschbitch.com » Blog Archive » Radiohead innovate with camera-free open source video http://www.kitschbitch.com/2008/01/02/david-byrne-thom-yorke-on-the-real-value-of-music/#comment-4937 katy lindemann | kitschbitch.com » Blog Archive » Radiohead innovate with camera-free open source video Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:02:36 +0000 http://www.kitschbitch.com/2008/01/02/david-byrne-thom-yorke-on-the-real-value-of-music/#comment-4937 [...] Radiohead release an album available for free online. Now, they record a music video without cameras. They’ve totally eschewed cameras in the [...] […] Radiohead release an album available for free online. Now, they record a music video without cameras. They’ve totally eschewed cameras in the […]

]]> By: katy lindemann | kitschbitch.com » Blog Archive » Album artwork for the digital age http://www.kitschbitch.com/2008/01/02/david-byrne-thom-yorke-on-the-real-value-of-music/#comment-1020 katy lindemann | kitschbitch.com » Blog Archive » Album artwork for the digital age Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:33:31 +0000 http://www.kitschbitch.com/2008/01/02/david-byrne-thom-yorke-on-the-real-value-of-music/#comment-1020 [...] Radiohead, once again, have really attempted to embrace the digital medium, with the widget which accompanied the [...] […] Radiohead, once again, have really attempted to embrace the digital medium, with the widget which accompanied the […]

]]> By: Biff http://www.kitschbitch.com/2008/01/02/david-byrne-thom-yorke-on-the-real-value-of-music/#comment-16 Biff Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:35:32 +0000 http://www.kitschbitch.com/2008/01/02/david-byrne-thom-yorke-on-the-real-value-of-music/#comment-16 First off, thanks to Katy for putting me on to this interview. I love both bands and it's great to hear two legends of my life chatting over a coffee table in Oxford! I'm with Alex on the Radiohead model - there's a lot about it that could work to their benefit. Letting their fans choose how much they should pay for In Rainbows is just the icing on their brilliant grasp of the power of social media. They've been developing this since Pablo Honey. In a shoebox somewhere I still have the newletters with personal notes from members of the band about what was going on. That's evolved to a great You Tube channel and a series of very engaging websites and enigmatic marketing techniques. Still, at the end of the day, all this would be pointless if the music wasn't breathtakingly brilliant would it? Oh, and another thing about the vinyl pressing of In Rainbows that other bands could learn from - only press up as many as you need. I don't think Radiohead would have lost any money on the discbox...ok they might not have made a great deal as it is very lavish, but they won't have lost anything. The boxes were made to order (another layer on the THIS ALBUM IS FOR YOU LOVE FROM US approach that makes Radiohead different from a lot of other bands). ~biff~ First off, thanks to Katy for putting me on to this interview. I love both bands and it’s great to hear two legends of my life chatting over a coffee table in Oxford!

I’m with Alex on the Radiohead model - there’s a lot about it that could work to their benefit. Letting their fans choose how much they should pay for In Rainbows is just the icing on their brilliant grasp of the power of social media. They’ve been developing this since Pablo Honey. In a shoebox somewhere I still have the newletters with personal notes from members of the band about what was going on. That’s evolved to a great You Tube channel and a series of very engaging websites and enigmatic marketing techniques.

Still, at the end of the day, all this would be pointless if the music wasn’t breathtakingly brilliant would it?

Oh, and another thing about the vinyl pressing of In Rainbows that other bands could learn from - only press up as many as you need. I don’t think Radiohead would have lost any money on the discbox…ok they might not have made a great deal as it is very lavish, but they won’t have lost anything. The boxes were made to order (another layer on the THIS ALBUM IS FOR YOU LOVE FROM US approach that makes Radiohead different from a lot of other bands).

~biff~

]]> By: Katy http://www.kitschbitch.com/2008/01/02/david-byrne-thom-yorke-on-the-real-value-of-music/#comment-13 Katy Fri, 04 Jan 2008 20:48:53 +0000 http://www.kitschbitch.com/2008/01/02/david-byrne-thom-yorke-on-the-real-value-of-music/#comment-13 Graybo - absolutely, and as I think Simon and Alex have said far more eloquently than I would, it's not that this exact model is therefore the one that should be replicated by all bands/artists, because this clearly wouldn't work for artists who didn't already have such great 'brand' awareness as Radiohead. But its value exists insofar as it's a different model to the status quo - it's shaken things up, given the industry a badly-needed wakeup call that the model that's lined the pockets of the senior execs for years isn't the only way. Certainly whilst the Radiohead model wouldn't work for unknowns, bands like <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6260995.stm" rel="nofollow">Koopa</a> have already shown that other models can work for new artists without any label backing whatsoever - but whereas execs brushed that challenge to the status quo away as a minor blip, the Radiohead model is harder to ignore. Graybo - absolutely, and as I think Simon and Alex have said far more eloquently than I would, it’s not that this exact model is therefore the one that should be replicated by all bands/artists, because this clearly wouldn’t work for artists who didn’t already have such great ‘brand’ awareness as Radiohead. But its value exists insofar as it’s a different model to the status quo - it’s shaken things up, given the industry a badly-needed wakeup call that the model that’s lined the pockets of the senior execs for years isn’t the only way. Certainly whilst the Radiohead model wouldn’t work for unknowns, bands like Koopa have already shown that other models can work for new artists without any label backing whatsoever - but whereas execs brushed that challenge to the status quo away as a minor blip, the Radiohead model is harder to ignore.

]]> By: Alex http://www.kitschbitch.com/2008/01/02/david-byrne-thom-yorke-on-the-real-value-of-music/#comment-12 Alex Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:28:56 +0000 http://www.kitschbitch.com/2008/01/02/david-byrne-thom-yorke-on-the-real-value-of-music/#comment-12 Copying the Radiohead model wholesale isn't going to work for The Unkmowns, but there's a lot about the model that could; as Simon mentions, it gets people thinking differently and specifically thinking about the level of investment in the band as something that it's possible to measure financially. Whilst this is important for people inside the music industry, I think it's also important for people outside it - especially in (collaboratively) managing the signal-to-noise ratio. Models like <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/sep2007/sb20070910_540342.htm" rel="nofollow">this one</a> are interesting for that reason. Copying the Radiohead model wholesale isn’t going to work for The Unkmowns, but there’s a lot about the model that could; as Simon mentions, it gets people thinking differently and specifically thinking about the level of investment in the band as something that it’s possible to measure financially. Whilst this is important for people inside the music industry, I think it’s also important for people outside it - especially in (collaboratively) managing the signal-to-noise ratio. Models like this one are interesting for that reason.

]]> By: Simon Thornton http://www.kitschbitch.com/2008/01/02/david-byrne-thom-yorke-on-the-real-value-of-music/#comment-11 Simon Thornton Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:53:09 +0000 http://www.kitschbitch.com/2008/01/02/david-byrne-thom-yorke-on-the-real-value-of-music/#comment-11 I would totally agree with that comment, however from my view inside the industry it seemed to get some people thinking differently - people that I would not of expected to give any support to this sort of scheme actually went "oh, interesting...." rather than "ok, this is the future" or "that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, let's all put poo through their letter boxes". It clearly isn't any sort of short term solution to the record industries seemingly self-destructive tendencies, but in the longer term I think it might well end up helping the Unknowns of Maidenhead in a small way.... I would totally agree with that comment, however from my view inside the industry it seemed to get some people thinking differently - people that I would not of expected to give any support to this sort of scheme actually went “oh, interesting….” rather than “ok, this is the future” or “that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard, let’s all put poo through their letter boxes”.

It clearly isn’t any sort of short term solution to the record industries seemingly self-destructive tendencies, but in the longer term I think it might well end up helping the Unknowns of Maidenhead in a small way….

]]> By: graybo http://www.kitschbitch.com/2008/01/02/david-byrne-thom-yorke-on-the-real-value-of-music/#comment-10 graybo Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:45:48 +0000 http://www.kitschbitch.com/2008/01/02/david-byrne-thom-yorke-on-the-real-value-of-music/#comment-10 Surely this model only worked for Radiohead (and one could argue how well it worked) because they have such a well developed brand already. If The Unknowns of Maidenhead released their new album in the same way, I suspect a few mates might buy it and that would be all. If every band followed this model, signal-noise ratios would be swamp out most artists (much as is already the case with physical releases). Communication (call it brand awareness if you like) is still the key here, not the method of distribution. IMHO. Surely this model only worked for Radiohead (and one could argue how well it worked) because they have such a well developed brand already. If The Unknowns of Maidenhead released their new album in the same way, I suspect a few mates might buy it and that would be all. If every band followed this model, signal-noise ratios would be swamp out most artists (much as is already the case with physical releases).

Communication (call it brand awareness if you like) is still the key here, not the method of distribution. IMHO.

]]> By: Simon Thornton http://www.kitschbitch.com/2008/01/02/david-byrne-thom-yorke-on-the-real-value-of-music/#comment-9 Simon Thornton Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:47:49 +0000 http://www.kitschbitch.com/2008/01/02/david-byrne-thom-yorke-on-the-real-value-of-music/#comment-9 And Radiohead, bless 'em, still bother to do 12" LP releases - not just CD. I would imagine, even with the size of <i>their</i> fanbase they'll still be losing money on vinyl albums - they cost so much to make, and so few people buy them... And Radiohead, bless ‘em, still bother to do 12″ LP releases - not just CD. I would imagine, even with the size of their fanbase they’ll still be losing money on vinyl albums - they cost so much to make, and so few people buy them…

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