Who needs a record label?

If you haven’t heard of the Radiohead phenomenon yet, you have been living under a rock. After being fed up with the music industry, Radiohead released their album, In Rainbows, online. Listeners could download the album at their website for an optional fee. The band was interested to see how much people thought music was worth. Although the quality is much less than that of a CD, it was still a slap in the face for the industry. Radiohead still plans on releasing their album in stores in the form of a “discbox.” This discbox will contain a hardcover book, bonus CD of outtakes, and vinyl In Rainbows.

I think the initiative on Radiohead’s part has made a statement that will forever impact the music industry. This is one of those incidences that will be on a countdown on VH1 in ten years. Radiohead will probably have made as much money, if not more, from the optional-pay release online than if they had released it through a record label because of all the money the label takes from the profits. Most bands make their money from touring now. Unfortunately, only a band with such a large stature and following as Radiohead could successfully pull this gimmick off.

Nine Inch Nails commend Radiohead on their innovative plan and say that they would be willing to follow the trend. They have already left the Interscope label.

Madonna has decided to leave Warner Music. She has now signed with Live Nation, which is actually a concert promoter. I think it is great that large names like these are able to take a stand and go against the music industry.

Who buys CDs anymore?

Wal-Mart and Best Buy have decided to reduce the amount of floor space in their stores that is used for music. Wal-Mart is quoted to have said they may cut the floor space back even more in 2008, as much as 20 percent.

This cut back is a direct sign it is possible, like the record and the 8 track, the CD format of music is on the way out. Have you looked around the music aisles of stores lately? I can’t remember the last time a friend told me the latest CD they had bought. Wal-Mart, who Rolling Stones has reported to be the country’s largest music retailer, receives less than two percent of its total profits from the sale of music. Downloading music has become the new, preferred format of music. What does this new trend mean for the music industry?

Personally, I feel there is nothing like buying a CD of your favorite band or artists and looking at the artwork and lyrics the band has put so much time into selecting. When you download songs, you lose a little of the experience. But, being a poor college student, downloading songs is what I rely on the most now. If the music industry is going to survive at all, they are going to have to adapt their way of signing artists and distributing their music. Bands are also going to have to change the way they are distributing their music. There has not been a better, more opportune time for small bands to be able to spread their music without the recognition of huge corporations. While it is great the internet has provided these opportunities, it has also forced music stores to only stock the top, well known artists. How will small bands ever break into the market of chain retail stores?

“[Most of] the regional chains are gone. A lot of indie retailers are gone. The music industry put all their eggs in one basket, and that basket is walking away and abandoning the industry,” Rolling Stone quotes Don Van Cleave, the president of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores.

So, the CD is out. I am very interested to see how the music industry will try to control and still make money off of downloading songs.

YouTube is everywhere

A few years ago YouTube was hardly known among the general public. Now, even my mother knows how to find videos on it. R. Kelly recently released a music video to his song, "Real Talk" on YouTube. In the video he talks to the camera and even gets his hair braided. I think it seems appropriate for him to do a video to his song on YouTube. The video came off very authentic and real, just as the song is about a very real fight between a boyfriend and a girlfriend.

An even more important use for YouTube as emerged, thanks to CNN. Tomorrow, on November 28th, CNN is hosting a Republican debate. The debate is for the American public to see the difference between all the Republican Presidential Candidates. People were told to film themselves asking questions about topics that are important to them. CNN will select the best questions and air them during the debate. The candidates will then have to answer the questions on live television. I think this is a great use of YouTube, which is usually used to share funny jokes, skits, or parts of movies. This also lets the public feel like they have more of an influence on the debates and election process.

YouTube is a great source that is not hard to use. As the music industry moves away from material purchases, I think YouTube will also start to play a factor. R. Kelly's video, although not as well filmed and produced, is a not expensive, real way of portraying himself and his song. Hopefully more industries and companies will move towards utilizing all the functions YouTube offers.

Blast From The Past

The current political status of the country has inspired some artists to release new albums in reflection to the happenings. Bruce Springsteen has released three albums in the past year and a half. His latest, Magic, has strong political undertones, although all the songs can be interpreted from a relationship perspective also. Springsteen says he has fallen back into the feeling of being completely free, like he had in his earlier days when he wrote Born To Run. Springsteen reports that his new album, “is about living in a time when anything that is true can be made to seem like a lie, and anything that is a lie can be made to seem true.” Like the days when Springsteen wrote his earlier works, these times are unstable change. Some of his earlier works were from the post-Vietnam war era. Similar feelings expressed in those works are reappearing in his new songs. Although he claims he does not mean for the album to be a “Bush-bashing record,” many themes are about the tension and uncertainty from the war.


The Eagles, another well-known band, are releasing a new album in response to the current events also. They have not released an album since 1979, also post-Vietnam war. Their songs touch on topics about the oil, propaganda, and lonely soldiers overseas. They have been working on this album for six years now, ever since 2001.

I’ve also enjoyed the Eagles’ and Bruce Springsteen’s earlier works, but I am looking forward to hearing their new albums. I could appreciate their artistic talents from long ago, but I have a feeling that hearing their new works which are written about current events happening in my lifetime will make their music even more enjoyable. It is great that well-respected bands are making music again so there is an option other than 50 Cent and Britney Spears. I definitely know what will be on my Christmas list!

Amy Winehouse's downward spiral

While flying from London to Glasgow Amy Winehouse supposedly locked herself in the bathroom for over 30 minutes. A flight attendant also caught Winehouse smoking on the plane. Charges have not been filed yet.

As if smoking on airplanes isn't enough substance abuse in inappropriate places, videos of Winehouse pulling cocaine out of her hair and doing a bump on stage during her show have been posted everywhere. Who does this and thinks it is alright? Someone in her life, most likely her agent who should be concerned with her image in the public eye, needs to cancel the rest of her tour and get her into rehab before she hurts herself.

Growing up, I do not remember young people in Hollywood that I had looked up to being so out of control. What morals are we teaching the younger generation by allowing young people (Amy Winehouse, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Richie) to act the way that they are and get away with it? Maybe young Hollywood was as crazy as it is now when I was younger, but now the increased media availability allows the public to know more about these people and their habits. Ten years ago you could not log onto numerous blog webpages and see videos posted about these stars.

Although the flight to Glasgow may not have been as smoothly orchestrated as planned, her two performances surprisingly got good reviews. Her performances in Birmingham, Munich, and Zurich were all terrible. Footage from each concert is available at www.mrpaparazzi.com. Why does the public continue to support Amy Winehouse if her shows are almost all terrible and she is visibly destroying her body with drugs and alcohol. If people would stop attending her concerts, she wouldn't be booked anywhere and would actually have time to go to rehab! I know boycotting seems extreme, but obviously she doesn't think she has a problem.