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Radiohead – Ahead of the Music Business?

22 Feb

The Beatles sent their fans into frenzied conspiracy when the propagation of the “Paul Is Dead” rumor began in 1966. Well, I presume I too am falling into the trap of theorizing because the Beatles never came out and said the entire thing was a hoax created by them. But, come on, we are not dumb. Fans destroyed Beatles’ records by playing songs backwards searching for clues. Nuggets were found at the end of “Strawberry Fields Forever” (I Buried Paul) and on the cover of Abbey Road (Paul is not wearing shoes or socks, barefoot, like a corpse). It took the Beatles’ fan populace by storm. But it was all a planned prank, executed as a clever marketing ploy. If you destroy a record searching for clues, you have to go out and buy another one. Plus, people would go out of their way to buy and listen to Beatles’ albums excessively. The Beatles knew how to make money and sell records. They were ahead of their time.

On the heels of Radiohead‘s new release King of Limbs, I am tempted to believe that they too are way ahead of the current musical climate. It is a simple truth that the music business has suffered mightily at the hands of free digital downloading and sharing, illegal but widespread. As I posted several days ago, charts are showing this economic slump. There are no signs that it will get better. Album sales are putting up a defeated fight. If you want to make money today as a non-mainstream musician, there seem to be two options. Either tour wildly or do what Radiohead is doing. But it seems that Radiohead’s pioneering strategy is going unheeded.

Radiohead is living in the future. Thom Yorke and company are intelligent marketers, well-versed in the convoluted wasteland of album sales. When Radiohead released In Rainbows in 2007 they decided to allow fans to purchase the album at whatever cost they saw fit. Radiohead, not being affiliated with a record label, saw most of the profits.

I know, most right now are probably saying, people paid close to nothing for the album. This is completely untrue. Most people paid around four euros for the album, according to a poll by Gigwise.com. That’s around $5.50. Yes, it is a couple of dollars less than what they would have received from an album sale at an online store…but, no, go through iTunes and Radiohead could have seen only around 25 percent of their profits. In Rainbows made nearly $10 million dollars in less than a week, according to an article on ultimate-guitar.com. People paid because they felt bad. Despite what you hear about downloading and sharing, most still believe that this is stealing. So, Radiohead’s “stupid” strategy made the band millions of dollars in a poor album climate. I’d say that is pretty solid.

For King of Limbs, Radiohead announced the album’s release on Feb. 14, 2011. They released the album on Feb. 18 through their website. It was like a shock to Radiohead fan’s systems. The band got everyone excited. People needed this album. So, King of Limbs, created a stir. This album has a set price, but fans can also receive a physical package including “two clear 10-inch vinyl records, a CD and an elaborate package including several large sheets of artwork, 625 small pieces of artwork and a plastic sleeve,” according to Rollingstone.com for $48. The digital album has already been released, but the physical CD will not be shipped until March 28 and the package, May 9. Why the delay?

Is there really any question of what Radiohead is doing? The last song on their new album is called “separator” and the last line of that song is “If you think this is over, you’re wrong,” as Okocim pointed out in his review of the album. I smell Beatles’ intelligence. Some fans have created a theory that the album has a part two version that will be released. The CD is not being shipped until March 28 and the huge package with TWO vinyl records is not being shipped until May 9. I’m not saying that part two does exist and will certainly be in these physical releases, but it is not hard to reach a conclusion that this may be the case. People love feeling like they are getting something that others are not. Watch the $48 package sales increase over the next few months, all awaiting the shipment in May, which will have two LPs, one that may hold a surprise to those who paid more money. Yeah, Radiohead knows what they are doing.

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Remembering John Lennon

8 Dec

Thirty years ago I was -9 years old. Yes, a non-existing age where conscious thought is, well, not at a premium. But, after I was born, I took the natural musical transition to the age of sing-a-longs to the 10-year-old euphoric, ‘Eminem is the best artist ever,” to the introduction to good music, to today. At 21 years old, this semi-adult audiophile has gathered a pretty decent opinion on music. And, there is no one better than John Lennon.

John Lennon. The name evokes such memory and emotion. He is like music’s version of Santa Clause. Everyone knows him. From those who express pure idolatry to those who may have only heard his name in passing, he is beyond a musical legend and icon. John Lennon is god-like, transcending “music” itself. His name expands into the realm of magic. An anagogic superstar?

His shocking murder 30 years ago still leaves an incorrigible scar on the face of all music. That is how superb Mr. Lennon was. When Mark David Chapman pulled the trigger and killed Lennon, he destroyed a fixture of music itself. Lennon is irreplaceable.

Imagine if all of a sudden dogs just disappeared. That’s right. No more Fido and Spot to walk and love. Would we live on as human beings? Yes. We would all adjust. But, there would be this grand lacuna in our lives. That is what happened when John Lennon was ripped away. That is what happened 30 years ago, tonight. The world shook. People like Lennon are not supposed to die at 40.

So, let us remember him. The loquacious, sardonic and arrogant Beatle. The loving, and obsessed husband to Yoko and his Sean. The pioneer for peace marches and an anti-war sentiment, even after the hippie generation had deteriorated. He was a man with a giant heart and an indelible, extraordinary musical skill that surpassed his work with the greatest band to ever play, The Beatles.

Was he a complete angel? Of course not. His distant relationship with his first son, Julian and volatile relationship with his first wife Cynthia was a certain black mark on his existence. But, as humans, we are marked with numerous foibles (some being worse than others) and it is how we work through them that demonstrate our personality. He was young. He became kinder, less cocky, and more focused on propagating a message of peace to the world.

It happened at around 10:50 p.m. The Lennon’s arrived home at the Dakota after spending several hours at the Record Plant. Lennon wanted to go home so he could say goodnight to his son, Sean, before he was put to bed. He also liked to oblige fans who generally waited for a long time to get a picture with John or an autograph. Chapman was there. He had come to New York with the intention of killing Lennon. Earlier in the day he backed away from his plan at another autograph signing. This time he did not. He shot Lennon numerous times in the back. Two of the shots inflicted fatal wounds. Lennon was pronounced dead at 11:15 p.m.

The story broke in a very interesting manner. Being a journalist, this particularly interested me. Alan Weiss, ABC’s New York affiliate, was in the hospital following a motorcycle accident. He reported the story first. Remember this was way before Twitter, Facebook and cell phones! He contacted ABC news, who relayed it to Roone Arledge, the executive producer of Monday Night Football (which was going on at the time). The Dolphins were facing the Patriots. The report was read by Cosell:

Yes, we have to say it. Remember this is just a football game, no matter who wins or loses. An unspeakable tragedy confirmed to us by ABC News in New York City: John Lennon, outside of his apartment building on the West Side of New York City, the most famous, perhaps, of all of The Beatles, shot twice in the back, rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, dead on arrival. Hard to go back to the game after that news flash, which in duty bound, we have to take.

And that was that. John Lennon was murdered. A world mourned his loss.

There are some great links that any fan of Lennon should visit today after viewing this post. Rolling Stone has put together an excellent segment of Lennon’s last days. It includes audio clips of interviews, photos and videos.

Link: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/68404/239168

The New York Times has released two good opinion articles on the subject, one written by Yoko Ono. Take a look:

Link (Yoko): http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/opinion/08ono.html?_r=1&src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/opinion/08wed4.html?ref=opinion

An excellent piece by Tom Rinaldi of ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” on the reporting of the story:

Remember, all we are saying is give peace a chance. Rest in peace, John.

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The Grammy Bastardization – The Modern Music Conundrum

3 Dec

More Like the Overly Conventional Yawn Awards

Excuse my horrendous photo editing, but, I believe it gets the point across quite nicely. The 53rd Grammy Awards will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 13, 2011, and I could not be less excited. Seriously, over the last few years we have seen the Grammys honor bad musicians with awards they did not deserve. And, there has been no other category that has been more debased, defiled and debilitated, than the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. The scariest part is this bastardization has just been over the last couple of years.

Last year, this once prestigious award was given to Taylor Swift for her album “Fearless,” which is washed down, mainstream garbage. To take a page out of Kanye West’s “get drunk and make a fool out of yourself” playbook, Swift’s album was child-like and not as good as several other options. I don’t beat around the bush Kanye. I just say it. The album sucked.

I'm sorry for interrupting you, but, you and Taylor Swift both play to the same manipulated audience of young kids who do not know good music from bad. And, sorry, but you are both bad

So, with a chance to redeem themselves, the Grammy Nomination Committee, which I presume looks something like this:

The Grammy Committee put together a nominations list that includes albums by Eminem, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga and Kady Perry. So, we all cross our fingers and hold out hope for the last choice The Suburbs by Arcade Fire to pull off a win. It’s always terrible when you have to hold out hope for the talent to win. That’s when you know there is an issue. So, why, Grammy Committee, why? There was so much more talent out there. This morning, I delved into the depths of my mind to think of what has happened here. Before I get into my correct nominations for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, I want to talk a little about a burgeoning issue that is sprouting in our ever-changing music world. How about a little side-by-side comparison

In 1968, this is who won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year:

In 2010, this is an artist who is nominated for the same award:

It is almost nonsensical. The reason it is so funny is because any comparison made would be so out of place and utterly wrong. The fact that I am even including both of these songs in the same post upsets me terribly. So, what the heck has happened? Is it that the Grammy Awards are simply screwing up, or is the music just that bad. I think it is both.

I have noticed a rising trend, especially in the award nominations this year.

Here is some official nominations from the Albums of the Year award.

Katy Perry
Snoop Dogg, featured artist; Ammo, Benny Blanco, Dr. Luke, Kuk Harrell, Max Martin, Stargate, C. “Tricky” Stewart, Sandy Vee & Greg Wells, producers; Steve Churchyard, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Serban Ghenea, John Hanes, Sam Holland, Jaycen-Joshua, Damien Lewis, Chris O’Ryan, Carlos Oyanedel, Paris, Phil Tan, Brain Thomas, Lewis Tozour, Miles Walker, Emily Wright & Andrew Wuepper
And, from Lady Gaga’s “The Fame Monster:”
Lady Gaga
Beyoncé, featured artist; Ron Fair, Fernando Garibay, Tal Herzberg, Rodney Jerkins, Lady Gaga, RedOne, Teddy Riley & Space Cowboy, producers; Eelco Bakker, Christian Delano, Mike Donaldson, Paul Foley, Tal Herzberg, Rodney Jenkins, Hisashi Mizoguchi, Robert Orton, Dan Parry, Jack Joseph Puig, RedOne, Teddy Riley, Dave Russel, Johnny Severin, Space Cowboy, Mark Stent, Jonas Wetling & Frank Wolff
Trust me, it is the same with Eminem.

This is how Lady Gaga or Kady Perry's album should look...All of the supporting musicians should get a spot

And, while it may look like the Beatles have a lot of people on their famous album cover, it is just other famous people. Their nomination went like this:
The Beatles (Producer George Martin). And, that’s it.

And this is why they sold 2 million songs in one week on iTunes

The rising trend of hundreds of featured musicians has completely destroyed the concept of bands. The term itself has been played with. Simon and Garfunkel won a Grammy for Album of the Year in 1971 with “Bridge of Troubled Water.” It was just them. They were the band. No featured musicians. No supporting cast. What has happened to bands. Well, they still do exist, but just not in the spotlight of most media attention. The majority of today’s music is solo artists with a marketable name who barely even create their music at all. The supporting cast of around 100 musicians act almost as those people you read in movie credits. You will never know their name but they are behind the scenes making it all go. So, next time you listen to Kady Perry, just keep in mind that there are a lot of people creating that music…not just her. So, shouldn’t the Album of the Year go to bands or musicians that put in work and actually deserve the title? I would think so. But, why does the Grammy selection committee refuse to give credit to these exceptional bands that release very good albums? Well, it is a product of mainstream musics takeover of the industry. Now, I understand. Music is struggling. Live acts like Lady Gaga produce so much revenue that you must immerse the populace with their name so you can produce cash. But, at what cost. Are you not jeopardizing those who make good music? The question is purely rhetorical. I don’t know the answer. Any which way, he would be my list of Albums of the Year. I do not include Arcade Fire because they were nominated by the Grammy committee. Bolded is my choice for album of the year.
 

    – Josh Ritter: So Runs the World Away
     

    – Blitzen Trapper: Destroyer of the Void

     

    The Tallest Man on Earth: The Wild Hunt

     

    Band of Horses: Infinite Arms


    Mumford & Sons: Sigh No More

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What to Expect During Macy’ Thanksgiving Day Parade (in 9 hours)

25 Nov

There is nothing quite like kicking off a day of joyous gluttony by watching oversized balloons and elaborate floats carefully navigate their way through the streets of New York City. Yes, you clumsily fall out of bed at around 10 a.m. and turn on the television to see that the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, practically unchanged since when you were younger, is well into its broadcast. It is still basically the same concept. That is some of the joy of Thanksgiving. While family does change, every year you get together with them to share…well…food. But, we are a culture of eating. It’s natural. The meaning of Thanksgiving is far simpler than the deep message of unity. It is a good excuse to eat a lot of food with people you love and celebrate eating a lot of food with the people you love. Ah, what a great holiday.

Oh, yeah. There is also the pilgrims and natives. But, there is no need to delve into puritanism. Let’s just eat.

Before the feast, families often eat some breakfast while the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade provides a proper background of performances and musical acts. So, what music can you expect tomorrow while you watch the parade (9 a.m.-12 p.m.).

There will be performances by Kanye West, Jessica Simpson. You know what? Forget about the long list of names. Here are some musicians that you will see that are worth turning up the volume to listen to.

Gladys Knight should be fun. Arlo Guthrie will be performing and Thanksgiving would really be empty without 17 minutes of the broadcast devoted to him singing about Alice’s Restaurant. Okay, while that is not going to happen, Alice’s Restaurant is Thanksgiving. Eric Hutchinson will play. His “Rock n’ Roll” and “Okay, It’s Alright With Me” are great. Yeah, that’s about it. There are a lot of other performers, but, out of the stock of musicians these three are my highlights.

Since I am sure you will be bored tomorrow waiting for the feast to commence, here is Arlo Guthrie. Enjoy this masterpiece of story telling and humor. It all started on Thanksgiving.

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Guster Tomorrow

24 Oct

Guess who is going to see Guster tomorrow. Yeah, this guy! My girlfriend and I will be making the hour trip to Ithaca where we will be meeting my brother (who goes to Cornell), eating some dinner and then going to see the show.

Guster’s tour is in celebration of their new album Easy Wonderful which stays true to the melodic, indie sound that made them famous all those years ago. Yes, the perennial college band that is Guster has aged, but, like fine wine, has just become better, and presumably more expensive. I don’t even know what I mean by that.

Anyway, this is going to be good. And, in my anticipation, here is Guster performing an acoustic version of “Demons” in Providence.

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