steppingintorivers.com

So In Rainbows has dropped. Gord is clamouring for a response. I’ve had a chance to listen a couple of times, and here are some thoughts.

Wednesday morning’s are typically awful. I work a 12 hour Tuesday, and then Wednesday starts an hour earlier at the office (8am instead of 9.) So I usually have little cause to celebrate as I hastily fill my ipod and fly out the door.
Data’s gotta be entered.
Data’s gotta be entered.
People’s gotta get paid.
Joel’s gotta get paid.

But to awake to an email, that “my new Radiohead album is ready for me to download.” That was a pleasant surprise. And the download was smooth and flawless. Another brilliant surprise. This kind of fanboy-must have at launch - experience is rarely so rewarding. Nintendo could take notes.

I’ve changed my mind about the statement Radiohead’s business model makes. While this is potentially a wake-up call for the Fat Cats in the record industry. Or the foreshadowing of its death chortle. Then followed by the squawk and howl of a new born music industry. This is a call to aspiring DIY artists.

Digital distribution changes the game. Sign yourself to your own label. Make content. Get it out. What are you waiting for? A loan-shark to dupe you. Sell you star-shaped glasses. Sign off your soul here. No really. Leave her alone.

I would admit that this venture will probably be more successful for Radiohead than Joe Nobody, (not only for Mr. Nobody’s questionable talent), but because of the large fanbase and exposure Radiohead enjoys. Joe Nobody has to build momentum. But anything is possible in a hurry. Flowers bloom and die in no time.

Radiohead is not the first to do this kind of thing. But they are big and influential. This will open a door for more people to follow suit.

I believe in the Long Tail. There is a market for everything. My thoughts on 2nd listen-through were: “Sheesh! Joel! You can envision how to set all this up. Why aren’t you? Why are you standing at this bus stop?” (The answer arrived in the post later that afternoon in the form of a letter from the National Student Loan Service Centre.)

But that’s not what you were asking about, was it Gord? What do I think of the music? Well… I’d like a higher encryption rate. 160k might be grand-dandy for the average clown with an ipod. But I don’t want to have to buy the $80 box set just to dodge mp3 compression.

Content wise? I like it. There’s no accounting for taste. I won’t shill on the qualities of Radioheadness in the album. I’d rather keep listening.

I’ll wear these mp3’s into the ground. Then I’ll unzip that file again and start all over.