Release Methods - Radiohead v. U2

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Salome said:
it's quite clever really
they're building up a bit of a hype now
will cash in on the holiday season when they release the album in stores
followed with a tour that will prolly end somewhere around next holiday season I reckon they might have given Paul McGuinness an idea

Paul McGuiness would probably be burned for something like this, though.
 
intedomine said:
Whether I'm using a computer or not to type my rant is beside the point. What concerns me is that I don't manage my finances in a way that allows me to place pre-orders over the internet or pay for this $1 transaction fee. If I want to download the album next week or place an order for the "diskboxx", I'll have to reconfigure my whole way of using the internet, which to me seems like a bit of a hassle, and much more of a hassle than going to a record store.

Dude, you have to reconfigure your finances for a $1 transaction fee???

That's way more lame a statement than the pathetic jerkoff one, honestly.

My point is this: if you don't have a computer or an internet connection, of what import on your personal existence will it be if it comes out a week or two before the store, online? YOU WONT KNOW, CAUSE YOURE NOT ONLINE!!!

Analogy: we have um...coughfreecough satellite (oh the joy of living in canada). The movies come on satellite about 7-10 days after they appear on the shelves of Blockbuster and Rogers Video, sometimes only a day or two after. The kids gripe about it. My point to them is pretty much the same: stop going to Blockbuster, and pretty soon, "New" on the satellite will indeed be "new" to you, because YOU WONT KNOW WHATS ON THE SHELVES OF BLOCKBUSTER!!!
 
Salome said:
it's quite clever really
they're building up a bit of a hype now
will cash in on the holiday season when they release the album in stores
followed with a tour that will prolly end somewhere around next holiday season I reckon they might have given Paul McGuinness an idea

They're just controlling the leak that would be inevitable around this time. New album due in stores over the next couple of months - so it's recorded and 'left' the studio and off into the world of marketing/promotion/manufacturing etc, which is when it starts to leak, no matter how hard you try. It's going to happen anyway, so they control it and maybe get a few bucks off it along the way - and their album is the biggest music news story of the past fortnight while doing so. It's not some revolutionary new way of doing business, and it's certainly not a middle finger to the music industry. They're just taking back a bit of control in the one area where artists seem to have absolutely none.

You're right, this is just as savvy, or more so, a business decision as anything Paul McG has done and I think it is certainly something that may catch on - although for U2 the timeline would have to be significantly shorter, eg Single Download 1 November/Album Download 15 November/CD Album Release 30 November.
 
gabrielvox said:


Dude, you have to reconfigure your finances for a $1 transaction fee???

That's way more lame a statement than the pathetic jerkoff one, honestly.

My point is this: if you don't have a computer or an internet connection, of what import on your personal existence will it be if it comes out a week or two before the store, online? YOU WONT KNOW, CAUSE YOURE NOT ONLINE!!!

Analogy: we have um...coughfreecough satellite (oh the joy of living in canada). The movies come on satellite about 7-10 days after they appear on the shelves of Blockbuster and Rogers Video, sometimes only a day or two after. The kids gripe about it. My point to them is pretty much the same: stop going to Blockbuster, and pretty soon, "New" on the satellite will indeed be "new" to you, because YOU WONT KNOW WHATS ON THE SHELVES OF BLOCKBUSTER!!!

What the fuck you on about?

I don't buy shit over the internet, I don't know how. Don't use ebay or amazon or itunes or whatever.

How would I pay for the album? I'm downloading it for free, cause I don't have a credit card. I'm not buying a credit card just so I can pay a 1 dollar transaction fee. Signing up for a credit card is more hassle than going to the store to buy a CD.
 
gareth brown said:


can't you burn it to a CD? :huh:

Well is it going to be MP3 or WMA or will it be something obscure so the cheeky pricks make it difficult to burn and unplayable on most audio systems?

Wasn't the complete U2 like m4a or something bizarre like that. I disn't think CD's can store that file?
 
Earnie Shavers said:


They're just controlling the leak that would be inevitable around this time. New album due in stores over the next couple of months - so it's recorded and 'left' the studio and off into the world of marketing/promotion/manufacturing etc, which is when it starts to leak, no matter how hard you try. It's going to happen anyway, so they control it and maybe get a few bucks off it along the way - and their album is the biggest music news story of the past fortnight while doing so. It's not some revolutionary new way of doing business, and it's certainly not a middle finger to the music industry. They're just taking back a bit of control in the one area where artists seem to have absolutely none.

I never thought of it this way, but I think you've hit it.
 
intedomine said:


Well is it going to be MP3 or WMA or will it be something obscure so the cheeky pricks make it difficult to burn and unplayable on most audio systems?

Wasn't the complete U2 like m4a or something bizarre like that. I disn't think CD's can store that file?

m4a's are only playable on iTunes and iPods, converting them to mp3 isn't allowed as they're 'protected' but burning it to CD from iTunes isn't a problem if you want to have any of the rarer stuff on a physical disc!

Radiohead don't sell their stuff on iTunes as they don't want their albums being broken up and like them to be heard as a whole so that's the only link to m4a i can think of off the top of my head out the window!

But we'll just have to wait til next Wednesday, i'm actually quite curious so I might just email the website and ask. [unless someone here's already done so, in which case what did they say?] Who knows whether there'll be a choice of format or not? :huh:

I'd love to be able to download the album in something like 320kbps MP3 or anything higher than 128. I'd assume anything like 192-320 would be the best we could hope for unless the website offered some sort of lossless versions of the tracks which I very much doubt given the amount of traffic they're going to be getting Wednesday morning!
 
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haha sorry, forgive me! :wink: paranoia reading it and thinking 'that's a bit blunt' :lol:
 
intedomine said:


What the fuck you on about?

I don't buy shit over the internet, I don't know how. Don't use ebay or amazon or itunes or whatever.

How would I pay for the album? I'm downloading it for free, cause I don't have a credit card. I'm not buying a credit card just so I can pay a 1 dollar transaction fee. Signing up for a credit card is more hassle than going to the store to buy a CD.

you can get the album for free no credit card required..



and buying something over the internet isn't rocket science :|
 
Just remembered something funny:

When OK Computer (or maybe Kid A) came out, Radiohead sent out promos on a cassette tape - glued inside a special Radiohead cheap-o tape player. The only way you could listen to it was through this dinky player; if you tried to get it out, you destroyed the tape; and you couldn't line-out to record it with any kind of quality. Back then it was to avoid boots being pressed onto blackmarket CD's, but the point is similar. I still remember some record store jackass trying to sell the whole thing. I guess it would be worth a bunch now in terms of promotional collector's items.

At least they are taking control of their release. Some albums are leaked so early that the public is "done" with them before they are even officially released. Right now there is that sense of exclusivity - "Hey, I had that record months ago." People boast about how early they can get leaks as some sort of insider position and then share them with friends as sort of bragging rights.

That's human nature, but the industry - or better yet, the artists - should figure out a way to harness that early-exclusive impulse and at least get paid.
 
ahittle said:
Just remembered something funny:

When OK Computer (or maybe Kid A) came out, Radiohead sent out promos on a cassette tape - glued inside a special Radiohead cheap-o tape player. The only way you could listen to it was through this dinky player; if you tried to get it out, you destroyed the tape; and you couldn't line-out to record it with any kind of quality.

Mission Impossible :shifty:
 
Re: Re: Interesting

ahittle said:
More and more, bands are finding their prime source of income in touring and merch at concerts. It seems like now the CD is now just a vehicle to get out there and play shows. Used to be, you'd play a show to promote CD sales, and now it seems to be switching.

I don't know how many records Wilco is selling, but those guys tour like mad and are doing quite well. U2 makes most of their money through touring.

This is the way it has always been. Recorded music has always been a way of promoting a band so that people would see them live. Live performances and tours are what make bands the real money. Other bands have sold more records than U2 and the Stones. But those bands are known primarily for their live performances, and that's why they're so stupefyingly rich compared to many other bands that are primarily studio bands.
 
xaviMF22 said:


you can get the album for free no credit card required..



and buying something over the internet isn't rocket science :|

You can even order Pizza online. I love technology.
 
xaviMF22 said:


welcome to Lance's digital revolution

beaches :rockon:

Buying anything online makes everything so much easier, especially with buying DVDs.

I got 6 movies for 45 bucks, over the standard "try and go to FYE or Walmart" and spend maybe the same amount on 3 movies... and the others they wouldn't even have.

It's understandable if you're worried about your credit card numbers, but Amazon and eBay are pretty legit, maybe more reliable than physical retail chains anyway.
 
What are RH? Some college band playing on the "quad"? Giving away CD's for free?

"Come see us Thursday at the "Earth Day" festival!, we rock!"

Their music has become so poor they have to give it away.

It's called a fire sale.

Tragic really. Nothing worse than wasted talent.
 
MrBrau1 said:
What are RH? Some college band playing on the "quad"? Giving away CD's for free?

"Come see us Thursday at the "Earth Day" festival!, we rock!"

Their music has become so poor they have to give it away.

It's called a fire sale.

Tragic really. Nothing worse than wasted talent.

:lol:

I thought you got banned? :(
 
xaviMF22 said:


:lol:

I thought you got banned? :(

I believe i was suspended.

How is giving away music innovative? Or progressive?

I do find it funny a millionaire band has decided to give away their music. Wonder if they'd have done the same thing in 1991.
 
MrBrau1 said:


I believe i was suspended.


How is giving away music innovative? Or progressive?

I do find it funny a millionaire band has decided to give away their music. Wonder if they'd have done the same thing in 1991.

me = pwned :(
 
So, Brau, you're still just as cynical as before?

It really is like somebody runs over your beloved childhood pet every day. Repeatedly. While laughing with maniacal glee. And playing Kid A.
 
Axver said:
So, Brau, you're still just as cynical as before?

It really is like somebody runs over your beloved childhood pet every day. Repeatedly. While laughing with maniacal glee. And playing Kid A.

Cynical? It doesn't make sense.

You think giving away music is the cure for the industry's problems?

Good luck baby bands.

Those CD's you sell for $10 at your shows, well, according to Radiohead, you should be giving them away for free. Or accept a "donation" (bands are charity now)

Ignore the fact you spent $15,000 recording it. Give it away and work a day job.

Radiohead could attack the real problem, radio and all methods of promotion. But they're far to clever for that.

It must be nice to be a cool (rich), hip (rich), cutting edge (rich) rock band. $$$.
 
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MrBrau1 said:
Cynical? It doesn't make sense.

You think giving away music is the cure for the industry's problems?

Good luck baby bands.

Those CD's you sell for $10 at your shows, well, according to Radiohead, you should be giving them away for free. Sorry, a "donation" (bands are charity now)

Ignore the fact you spent $15,000 recording it. Give it away and work a day job.

Radiohead could attack the real problem, radio and all methods of promotion. But they're far to clever for that.

It must be nice to be a cool (rich), hip (rich), cutting edge (rich) rock band. $$$.

Cynical? Of course. You just have to find some sinister motive - all while shitting on everything that doesn't meet your often convoluted standards.

Don't act like Radiohead are doing something original. Sure, they're the most high profile example of a band giving away their album or allowing people to choose their own price, but plenty of bands do it - many of them obscure. Many of them are the very "baby bands" you just claimed would cease to exist due to this strategy! Ha. Sitting right in front of me is an album I got for free - not simply online, but posted all the way from the US to me in Australia with very nice packaging. And they've done this with two albums, so it's clearly working better for them than traditional methods.

How does this not attack the real problem? It bypasses the entire flawed system! The fans buy directly from the band. No middlemen, no profit-driven label, no cut-throat chain store jacking up the price, etc. I'm glad to see a band of Radiohead's popular standing hop on board. It won't solve all of music's problems, and it may just create some of its own, but I think it's still a damn good idea.
 
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