Did The Radiohead Business Model Win?

New York, NY (November 6, 2007) – No one was sure what was going to happen when Radiohead announced that it would be selling it’s new album “In Rainbows” directly through their website as strictly a digital download. Some thought it’s October 10th release would be a financial windfall for the band, with a dedicated fanbase showing up in droves to support the new business model. Others were skeptical, though, placing little faith in people’s conscience to pay for music they knew they didn’t have to with the subsequent effect spelling death for the record industry.

…“While the band, its fans and artists alike are celebrating what looks like a success for Radiohead’s bold move in releasing their new album using the ‘pay what you’d like’ model, I think everybody has overlooked one very important aspect of this, and it doesn’t bode well for the future of the music industry,” says Michael Laskow, CEO of TAXI, the world’s leading independent A&R (Artist and Repertoire) company.

The most important point to concede, though, is that, in an age where the artist is winning in exposure but still struggling financially, there HAS to be a measure where the artist wins indefinitely, because without artists – there are no labels. The time of labels, “making” an artist, is slowly becoming nothing more than a green paper memory. The new business model MUST reflect that ideology, or you will continue to see piracy in a new, and evolved form. By Bryan Munson Link.

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