In essence, the web takes away the middleman (pardon my sexist language). You can purchase many products and services directly from the manufacturer as opposed to going through a distributor. In many cases you can read news and commentary from the source and from sources that don't go through mainstream media channels. In my mind, that's all good.
So, it's welcomed news that Radiohead is selling their new music online for a price that YOU name. It's sorta like the Priceline of music. I'm not a big Radiohead fan, but I am intrigued by the business model. Most bands start off working for tips, so they are just taking that one step further. Granted, it took many years of hard work (and payola from their former record label at the beginning) for them to get to a point where they could take this risk. But, imagine a music marketplace where unsigned bands could build a following (and maybe make a leeeetle money) selling their songs. Most wouldn't make a dime, but that's no different than the record biz right now. And you gotta believe that at least some would go viral.
Sure, the middleman (in this case, radio and record labels) provides a convenience. Imagine trying to sift through a gagillion bands to find one that you like. But, radio is SO homogenized (ah, another liberation via the web...internet radio of all stripes) that you hardly have a chance in hell in hearing a unique, new band anywhere right of the college stations.
So, here's to Radiohead. I hope that this experiment works and they make tons of money and get new fans. Perhaps this will be another way to get stuff from the source without having to pay an extra person for it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment