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Radiohead Changes Tack, Joins iTunes

Posted by timothy on from the meeting-people-is-easy dept.

Joe Jay Bee writes "The British rock band Radiohead, who previously stated that they wouldn't want to have their music on Apple's iTunes Music Store (and, indeed, were unhappy when their Kid A album was released via the store) have performed something of an about-face; virtually their entire catalog, including singles and their B-Sides, has appeared on the store. The band previously said they only wanted their work sold as complete albums, which Apple refused to go along with; however their tack has apparently changed, and all their songs are available to mix and match, including their most recent work, In Rainbows. The albums are all available in DRM-free AAC format."

32 of 176 comments (clear)

  1. DRM - Free by elguillelmo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Maybe the fact their songs are available DRM-free has something to do with their changing of mind...

    --
    Dawkins Revisited: A person is shit's way of making more shit -- Steve Barnett, anthropologist.
    1. Re:DRM - Free by spandex_panda · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Yeah, I guess its good, they don't have a record label now right? If I hadn't already bought all their cds I might give them some money, but not through itunes, I would get mp3 from tpb, and order some cds from their website. Its the future.

      --
      like phosphorescent desert buttons singing one familiar song
    2. Re:DRM - Free by 99BottlesOfBeerInMyF · · Score: 5, Informative

      Maybe the fact their songs are available DRM-free has something to do with their changing of mind...

      Nope. They made their statement about refusing to sell on Tunes 5 months after Apple had started offering DRM-free downloads for EMI, Radiohead's label. Their spokesman said they objected not to DRM, but to Apple refusing to require customers to buy the whole album at once, whereas Apple requires each song to be available for sale individually as well. The quote from their spokesman was:

      "iTunes insists that all its albums are sold unbundled, but 7 Digital doesn't. Radiohead prefer to have their albums sold complete. The artist has a choice, and if they feel strongly then we respect that."
    3. Re:DRM - Free by stewbacca · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Or maybe, as an artist, you want your work exposed to as many people as possible and iTunes is the #1 music distributor in the world.

    4. Re:DRM - Free by goonerw · · Score: 2, Informative

      whereas Apple requires each song to be available for sale individually as well.

      Bollocks. I've seen quite a few songs on iTMS that are only available as an album bundle. There's a couple on the U218 album, "The Saints Are Coming" is an example.

      --
      LOAD ".SIG"
      PRESS PLAY ON TAPE
    5. Re:DRM - Free by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Or maybe, they decided they like money more than integrity.

    6. Re:DRM - Free by CastrTroy · · Score: 3, Informative

      Yes, you are right. However most are just certain songs you can only get if you buy the whole album. Usuallly all but one of the songs is available as singles, with one or two requiring that you buy the album. What RadioHead wanted was for the whole album to only be available, and no singles at all. It's a different case. Although I would argue for RadioHead. If that's how they want to sell their music, iTunes should let them do it. Apple's head is getting way too big lately.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    7. Re:DRM - Free by Kibblet · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Yes, you are right. However most are just certain songs you can only get if you buy the whole album. Usuallly all but one of the songs is available as singles, with one or two requiring that you buy the album. What RadioHead wanted was for the whole album to only be available, and no singles at all. It's a different case. Although I would argue for RadioHead. If that's how they want to sell their music, iTunes should let them do it. Apple's head is getting way too big lately. Heaven forbid Apple do something for their customers! I prefer to buy what I want, not a whole album. And it has nothing to do with artistic integrity, but pure greed. Take the Napoleon Dynamite soundtrack. There is a song there only available if you get the whole album. It's not like it is the original artist saying "we want these works together as a whole", it must be that no one else wants the crap on that soundtrack and it is the only way to make any money. So kudos to Apple for standing up for their customers. I wish they would do it more often, and unbundle ANY song that requires you buying the whole album.
    8. Re:DRM - Free by aceofspades1217 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Or maybe, they decided they like money more than integrity.

      Um so your basically saying that simply by selling their albums on iTunes they have no integrity. After all they did release them in DRM Free format and have never gone after filesharing. Heck radiohead doesn't even have a Music Label and don't have to listen to the RIAA or anyone about P2P.

      If they want to give people th option to buy their music over iTunes...why not. It's not like they can put them on iTunes for free even if they wanted to....So what you want them to stop selling CDs also because you don't think they have integrity simply for selling something.

      Obviously they give people the option of getting it for free on P2P or buying it. If you want to support them buy it if not don't. They aren't saying don't download our music TPB they just turn a blind eye to it. So cmon why must selling something be considered a lack of integrity?

    9. Re:DRM - Free by samkass · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yes, Apple is really getting evil. First they keep prices at $0.99 per track when the music industry wanted to charge 2x to 3x (or more) that much for popular tracks... and now they're allowing customers to buy whatever they want. Without DRM. The horror!

      Remember, Apple's clout is the only thing standing between you and the record labels at this point. Even if you do nothing but buy from Amazon's MP3 store, you're benefiting from Apple iTunes, since the labels would never have given Amazon such a sweet deal if they weren't trying to break Apple's position in the market.

      --
      E pluribus unum
    10. Re:DRM - Free by Altus · · Score: 3, Interesting



      I get both sides in this. On the one hand you are right that many people would just like to buy a few songs that are on the radio and leave it at that.

      On the artist side though, its like selling the bottom right corner of a painting. Admitedly the Album is a dying artform these days (mostly due to MP3 players and shuffle) but there are still some artists who develop entire albums rather than just a few songs and some filler. These are the sort of thing thats meant to be listened to from start to finish. I can understand not wanting your album chopped up and sold piece by piece if you put that kind of effort into a whole album.

      Still, I see this transition as fairly inevitable. The album has been dying for quite some time and the rise of the MP3 player is going to pretty much end it.

      --

      "In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women..." -H. Simpson

    11. Re:DRM - Free by leamanc · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yeah, I guess its good, they don't have a record label now right? No, that's not right. While they self-released In Rainbows before putting out a physical release, they are signed to (and the album was physically released on) ATO in the USA, and XL Recordings in the UK/Europe.
      --
      :q!
    12. Re:DRM - Free by CastrTroy · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The 99 cent thing works both ways. There's probably a lot of artists who would be willing to sell their music for less, if only Apple would allow them.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
  2. reason why they only want to sell albums by muftak · · Score: 4, Funny

    Probably due to the fact most radiohead albums only have 1 good song on.

    1. Re:reason why they only want to sell albums by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      You're not being fair. Only a couple of their albums have a good song.

    2. Re:reason why they only want to sell albums by dprovine · · Score: 2, Interesting

      What I don't understand is this: there are already things on iTunes which are listed as "Album Only", so you can't buy just one song but have to get the whole set.

      It seems strange that Apple has that in place and then refuses to let somebody like Radiohead use it. How do they decide?

  3. Re:I say... I have my principles! by El_Muerte_TDS · · Score: 4, Funny

    What!? Outrageous!
    I will never buy a single Apple product in my life. Ever. Just out of principle.

    ps, Apple, please contact me via email.

  4. Break From EMI by Catchyusername · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I think this has more to do with the break from EMI than them warming up to iTunes or the DRM issues.

  5. Pick and choose by Dan+East · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I guess they finally realized that consumers can and will "pick and choose" regardless, so they might as make some money in the process. It doesn't exactly take a genius to figure that one out.

    --
    Better known as 318230.
  6. The reason why by EEDAm · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Radiohead finished their term with EMI Parlophone who originally signed them. In the usual way, their ex-record label are now pushing out as much as they can to cash in - 'Best of Radiohead' just having been released for instance. I suspect this is the cause. Mind you after the crap rip-quality of the In Rainbows interweb release and the volte face of the cd release following, I have less sympathy than I once would have done despite the quality of the work.

  7. Radiohead is customer-savvy by freedom_india · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Instead of sticking its head in sand like Metallica did, Radiohead is showing surprising maturity and acute understanding of what a customer wants: Go to the Customer, instead of sitting on your arse and expecting them to come to you.
    Perception is all-important in Marketing and Radiohead is taking Apple lessons.
    By direct-download of their albums (free and paid) they proved DownloadMusic!=crime.
    Second once they realized people mix and match their music (just like i mod my computer table and computer), they allowed it instead of sending RIAA goons after them. After all, Alienware does not raid my home, if i chose to decorate my PC with Yuletide spirit. Apple does not care if i laser-engrave my iPod. So should music be: If i mix-and-match their tunes with mine, i should be free.
    RIAA believes otherwise. Paying customers think otherwise.
    Who pays for Radiohead's food? Customers and not RIAA. So Radiohead did the sensible thing and listened to customers.
    By releasing their tunes DRM-Free in iTunes they hit the likeness factor a lot: iPod users now have direct-download to iPod; which is 90% market share of MP3 players (Zune; you Turd, you really have no chance). The DRM-free enables users to mix and match.

    Its a pity that Radiohead's music is not country/hip-hop

    --
    "Doing what i can, with what i have." ~ Burt Gummer
    1. Re:Radiohead is customer-savvy by c · · Score: 2, Funny

      > [a whole pile of stuff which makes perfect sense] ... then ...
      > Its a pity that Radiohead's music is not country/hip-hop

      At this point, the reader builds a mental image of Radiohead performing a country/hip-hop fusion. The Elder Gods claim another victim.

      c.

      --
      Log in or piss off.
  8. This is EMI's decision, not Radiohead by Travis+Mansbridge · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This was a decision made by EMI, as they still own the rights to the Radiohead Catalogue. In the same vein, they're attempting to make even more money off of the success of Radiohead by selling "The Best of Radiohead," which, as far as I know, is not approved by the band themselves.

    Please do not take this as Radiohead's decision, when it's clearly that of their (former) label.

  9. Nude Garageband stem sales by theurge14 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm curious as to how much money they generated from the sales they made of the Nude Remix contest via iTunes and Garageband. This may have been the band and/or the label testing the waters.

    1. Re:Nude Garageband stem sales by Alioth · · Score: 4, Interesting

      It's a pity that this missed the deadline for the remix contest:

      http://www.vimeo.com/1109226?pg=embed&sec=1109226

      It's possibly one of the most awesome covers I've ever seen.

      --
      Oolite: Elite-like game. For Mac, Linux and Windows
  10. Have some sympathy. by Jacques+Chester · · Score: 3, Funny

    Well, what with the price of oil these days, even rockstars are feeling the pinch.

    Do you have any idea how much it costs to fill up the tank on a Ferrari?

    --

    Classical Liberalism: All your base are belong to you.

  11. Not everyone is a completist.... by argent · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Itunes is only worth it when there are extras, like bonus songs or interviews. Or at least a discount!

    Not everyone is a completist. If I find a song I like, I'll buy it on iTunes. If I like an artist enough after a while to go ahead and buy an album, I'll buy it on CD. Sometimes I'll buy an album on iTunes if there's enough tracks that the $10 album price makes sense, but usually I just buy a couple of songs.

  12. How to split music by manwal · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Providing individual tracks from a CD is just one way to present a musical work. Music in itself is sound, not tracks. There is music recorded today that doesn't conform to the idea that each song is a single musical entity, and splitting these works does more good than bad from an artistical point of view, or at least some artists'.

    Anyhow, for the same reasons that providing music in these smaller parts is a good thing (which I believe it is), one could easily argue that even smaller parts of the music should be available for buying. What if I'm only interested in measures two to four of the second bridge? It might sound crazy, but as a musician I sometimes meet this exact problem when transcribing songs from memory. Why should I have to buy the whole song when I just want four seconds of it?

  13. Nothing to do with EMI by mrsmiggs · · Score: 2, Informative

    (apart from they'll make money on some of songs) It includes their latest album In Rainbows which was physically distributed on XL Recordings. Perhaps EMI have maintained the digital distribution rights to the latest album, since Radiohead are freelance and all but it's clearly the decision of the artist not the label.

  14. Album Artwork by chriscrowley · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Since I already own all of Radiohead's CDs (I'm a huge fan) and have them ripped to iTunes, I'm happy that iTunes should now retrieve all their album artwork. I never even knew that Radiohead wasn't available in the iTunes store until recently when I noticed all of their songs on my iPod were missing the album artwork.

  15. Porn is not lame by Drive42 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Um. Set your preferences to hide anything with a score of -1 and you're all set. It's like MAGIC!

    Unless, you know, you like to read about well-lubed ass sex. Then, by all means, go for it.

  16. We have a winner! by dreddnott · · Score: 3, Interesting

    http://music.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2210259,00.html

    Read about the ongoing feud between Radiohead and their former big label here.

    I'd bet that the summary article is incorrect and the band itself did not directly approve of the iTunes move.

    --
    I may make you feel, but I can't make you think.