When Radiohead released In Rainbows in October, they started a trend artists everywhere will some day have to follow. By asking consumers what they were willing to pay (or not pay) for their album, they were sending their message that music is for the fans and not the record companies to control. The artists that felt the pinch when trying to get their music out are finding free music is a solid form of publicity; and any publicity is good publicity. With the ways and means of exposure expanding at a break-neck speed, this should give you an idea of where artists are heading with their newest music.
Not only have record companies sued internet companies that distribute “free music” but they also discouraged many online users everywhere from feeling new artists out. With Radiohead’s decision, those record companies now are feeling the pain due to a long overdue revolution. Artists are selling/giving away their music quicker than ever before- on their own and in their own way. Free exposure is the way of the future.
Why do you think Google bought YouTube for $1.65 billion? Undeniably exposure is a reason. Free videos are an outlet to lure consumers into a comfortable place. From there advertising silently creeps back to the scene of the crime with money for Google. The same is the thinking behind free music. If an artist give an album away for free, the word will spread and the merchandise will increase in a way that it didn’t before.
Record companies still garner exposure but the artists own the upper hand if they have powerful artists as their friends. Record companies don’t necessarily fill concert halls, popular names filled with merchandise do.
So where does Radiohead fall in this circle? Radiohead has their DVDs. Radiohead has their venues and eager fans awaiting them. They own a part of the market and an influence only a seasoned successful group could control. Radiohead owns the full circle. When they released a full album for free, they were sending a message to other artists- don’t be controlled by the record companies and their hold they have on not only the group they have under contract, but to the fans who want to hear the music.
The change is happening. Music for the people.
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