Wednesday, August 26, 2009
National Skyline Hail to the Brief: Radiohead to Possibly Release Only Singles. Others to Follow Suit?
Posted by D. Patrick Rodgers on Wed, Aug 26, 2009 at 11:42 AM
From The New York Times comes the announcement that fearless pioneers of future music Radiohead are rocking the boat once more. According to the Times, Thom Yorke's interview with The Believer (full interview only available through purchase) indicates that they'll no longer be recording LPs, instead focusing on the Modern Internet User's favorite bite-sized consumable: the single.
So, when Mr. Yorke announced a change of course for the band, saying it planned to stop making full-length records and turn its attention to singles, it sounded like an epitaph for the album, the broken backbone of the record industry's longtime business model."None of us wants to go into that creative hoo-ha of a long-play record again," Mr. Yorke told the Believer, a literary magazine based in San Francisco. "Not straight off. I mean, it's just become a real drag. It worked with 'In Rainbows' because we had a real fixed idea about where we were going. But we've all said that we can't possibly dive into that again. It'll kill us."
And no one wants a dead Radiohead on their hands. So now, not only do we have record labels offering glorified, intangible versions of enhanced CDs, we also have the biggest band in the world (debatably) swiftly abandoning the pay-what-you-feel In Rainbows model--a model that went over like gangbusters--for something even more risky but digitally promising.
We've seen locals try novel approaches to their digital/physical releases in recent months. How I Became the Bomb had their four-part series of digital EPs followed by a physical release. The Nobility's digital-only single was available in a slew of formats. Codaphonic's latest was released both physically (for a price) and digitally (for free) by YK Records. We know the modern consumer is getting lazier, cheaper, more willing to function in the moral gray area and more full of Cheetos. But can any of these approaches do the trick? Is this the death knell of the conventional album? Can bands (or listeners, for that matter) get by on just a steady stream of singles? Will your band sell any of said singles if you're not as in-demand as, you know, the biggest band in the world (debatably)?
Comments (15)
Showing 1-15 of 15
it's working just fine for the biggest band in nashville (debatably)...the armed forces.
we're two singles deep into our digital only single-a-month campaign, and sales are solid. and they're only for sale at our website (thepeopleschurchofthearmedforces.com) and at shows, so it's a good sign people are ready for the return of the singles format.
besides, people's attention spans are, like, 3 minutes anyway...why waste another eleven songs on somebody's ADD?
also, if you really read this article you'll notice that radiohead's decision to abandon the LP is entirely creative and has nothing to do with any particular "business model".
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also, if you really read this article you'll notice that radiohead's decision to abandon the LP is entirely creative and has nothing to do with any particular "business model".
Yeah, no shit. It says that in the quote. But when you're a band that enormous and that critically acclaimed (and for my money, that badass), it's impossible to divorce the creative aspects of music from the business-model aspects. Radiohead's fans are going to obtain and/or pay for their material no matter how they release it. But they have set a clear precedent as being on the forefront of new media. They know the way they release their songs will influence the way others release theirs.
whoa whoa...easy tiger, wasn't questioning your journalist cred, bro. just pointing out that singles are way more fun that lp's. and if mr. thom yorke says it, it's gotta be true.
let's give credit where due, though...radiohead is totally biting armed forces here and we all know it. i mean, we invented the single in 2009.
booyakasha!
Because other bands ARE likely to play along, I'd say this is a positive thing in the long run. Most bands and musicians just aren't capable of creating a whole album's worth of good songs. Those who can and want to, will. This isn't going to be the law, it's just an idea, and a good one.
Cheap seats opinion: Rock music is like the only pop genre that doesn't already take advantage of this. Pop, dance, hip-hop and R&B exploit the format on the reg, and have gotten pretty good at it.
(Worst single I ever owned, "Are You Jimmy Ray," 1997)
I still buy LP's but most of them are 'various artist' types. You often get a bulk discount, even in the digital world for such purchases. I am dismayed because radiohead are one of the few modern acts to have mastered the art of the album. KidA, In Rainbows- hell most of them- just flow so well and the sequences are so perfect. Sad to see someone who does it so well (potentially) hanging it up.
I could give 2 shits what the scensters of Nashville are doing release wise, but to see these trends at the global level- it's going to be interesting to watch at the very least.
@jazz: No offense taken. And indeed, it looks as though Yorke & Co. are all up on Armed Forces' nuts.
@burrito: I too am a bit dismayed over the possibility that Radiohead will step away from creating entire records. As far as I'm concerned, albums like OK Computer and Kid A are proof that a record can be a concise, cohesive work of art in the same way a film or a book can be.
But also, you know, I do care about local releases. These are people working on a shoestring with no clear guide as far as how to do it, and a lot more rides on it for them. They don't have the benefit of knowing they'll sell out virtually every venue they play, so they're trying to disseminate their material in a way that garners them a fan base AND somehow makes them money. That matters to me.
Absolutely! But regarding format, we've seen folks emailing tracks & asking for donations as long as there's been email. There have been some pretty creative release schemes in the DIY universe for a long time: that's one of the things that make it such a dynamic force, and possibly why now bands with enormous market clout are following suit. Remember when Prince said he was gonna stop making records? Local releases are swell, it's just that maybe no one expected the biggest acts in the world to do the same things. It's nice that Bomb & others are digital, but I never expected RH to do it until they did.
Will your band sell any of said singles if you're not as in-demand as, you know, the biggest band in the world (debatably)?
No. This only works because it is Radiohead and there's no way they will abandon the album format for long. Having put out seven critically acclaimed albums probably means that they're tired of the constant grueling nature of being in the studio and creating a big cohesive unit. That being said, there's something a lot less creatively satisfying about a single than an album. They'll be back to the album; they just need a rest.
Can bands (or listeners, for that matter) get by on just a steady stream of singles? Is this the death knell of conventional album?
No to both. The conventional album is a tried and true format. The album is more satisfying for both the artist and the listener. Granted, there are highlights to records and certain songs almost always stand out but that's subjectivity at work. Maybe this means the death of the shitty album is on the way out.
This is a topic that requires a lot more discussion than a comment box can provide so I'll stop myself here.
I want to see painters do this too. Or software developers.
Ive always started to like bands after finding snippets of records on friend's mixtapes or online, but if the full record wasn't at the end of the chase, I would forget about them before they got around to putting out the next song. Nowadays it seems like people just need that one jam on their iPod and that fills the void.
This is just more press for Radiohead being "innovative" when actually it seems like they're really lazy or just tired. I'd rather they take a long break than keep putting out songs like These Are My Twisted Words every 3 or 4 months.
i'll pretend to understand where yorke is coming from. where that band is, and where the members are in their lives, recording a full-length record is a taxing and laborious effort. while recording a single in say, 2 days, is much more fun and satisfying. don't blame them one bit.
HOWEVER I believe in the LP. Its not all that difficult to make a one-hit-wonder 3 minute pop song single, but it IS difficult to make a groundbreaking full-length record that speaks to listeners and effects them in a similar way to watching a great film for 90 minutes, or reading a great book for an hour.
folks want to release only singles, thats their prerogative. just know that if you happen to be an unknown band, and not radiohead, its gonna be tough to get any major press from npr/pitchfork/rollingstone/mojo/newyorktimes/guardian/villagevoice/nashvillescene about your 'single release'. you might get some blog hype for a single, which means you're famous for 5 minutes. but when you go out and tour, what are you going to do? play the four singles you put out this year and call it a set?
of course if you're just recording music as a hobby, and putting it online for your pals and family to enjoy, then obviously releasing singles is what its all about. i just don't think its practical for an ambitious up-and-coming band thats looking for a career.
and i'm sure more and more bands will put out singles to make a quick and easy buck off downloads. but the cream will always rise to the top. the bigtime touring acts and the most influential cultural icons will always gain popularity by recording seminal RECORDS and backing them up with a great live show.
I think what's being overlooked here is that Radiohead haven't had a decent single in something like twelve years.
LPs didn't exist for the first half century of recorded music, and rock acts didn't start seriously putting out LPs until the late 60s.
I agree that a good, cohesive album is a wonderful thing, but in the internet age, it's no longer necessary to put out only LPs.
I think that an EP with a few good songs, put out every couple of months and distributed digitally (or via limited physical release) would work fine for some bands.
Then, once every 1-2 years, release a retail CD compilation, ala Stereolab.
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