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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."

14 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 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?

    4. 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
    5. 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.

  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. 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.
  5. 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.

  6. 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
  7. 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.

  8. 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