Saturday, October 13, 2007

In Rainbows Remix - is this an official site?

While Radiohead have yet to reveal the copyright terms of their seventh and self-released "In Rainbows", and have not commented on fans remixing and sharing their music, this page could be an indication that something is about to happen:

My first thought when I saw the In Rainbows graphics was that they'd drawn inspiration from Eno and Byrne's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts project - an ambient classic re-released in a remastered edition and made available for remixing.

Now, I highly doubt that Radiohead's PR people would be so clumsy, but as soon as I came across this page, I checked the registration data of the two sites and there was no match. Maybe wishful thinking from my side. You decide.
It would be too cool if my my thoughts on the unreleased album about a year ago came true:

"For a while now I´ve been thinking: Why don't you take it further. Use your status, your faithful fanbase. Release it on your own label, XL Recordings, or some other progressive, indie label. As an album, or a series of singles. You get your 12", the works. But - simultaneously, release it online, under an open license that allows your fans to do with it what they normally do, without the bullshit. You can use the Creative Commons Non-commercial / Sharealike license, or something similar. Heck, while you´re at it, release the session files for the recordings. Go "open source". Or "free" as in "free speech", not "free beer" (see the Free Software Definition). This way new listeneres can fileshare, sample and remix non-commercially - what they´d normally do. Your "album" will become something else (what Eric Steuer calls The Infinite Album in Wired) and you'll have complete, creative freedom. Polar caps melting, anti-war, anti-corporatism - if you insist on feeding them [the big labels] your art for the sake of comfort, you´re part of it. Just a thought".

Also, check out this remix of "Videotape" (by Mojib) that surfaced *very* soon after the release. Great stuff.

UPDATE:
I just received this reply:

GO SLOWLY WIERD FISHES
VIDEOTAPE UP ON THE STAIRS
RECKON NEEDS BUTTER
CARDS STEP FRIENDLY

Hmmm. Fishy-fishy.

UPDATE 2:
This is turning into something that reminds me of insult swordfighting..

Henrik
"I AM ON TO YOU
WE THINK THE SAME THINGS
AT THE SAME TIME"

Hello:
"VAGUE IS GOOD"

Henrik:
"You are nothing but an auto-reply"

Hello:
"
YOU ARE NOTHING
BUT A NON-BELIEVER"

Henrik:
"Seeing is believing"

Hello:
"SEEING IS BELIEVING
HEARING?"

UPDATE 3:
This blog entry - written by a fan waiting for his activation code - describes someone receiving an email from W.A.S.T.E. (the Radiohead subsidiary handling the release) with the exact same wording: Vague is Good, when requesting further info about the time of release.

UPDATE 4:

So, maybe this was not official after all.. This just in:

THERE HAS BEEN AN ADDITION TO:

INRAINBOWSREMIX.COM/DOWNLOAD.HTML

knife
Having listened to the remix once on my laptop, halfway into an airplane I am a bit disappointed - it is very repetitive and anonymous, but it seems "knife" has more coming.

On the more positive side, here is an interesting "think piece" from The Nation in which the author tries to find out "What's Radiohead Worth?"

"Monica Hooks worked at Sony Music from 1994 to 2003 before judging the major label model "broken" and starting her own firm. She said fans should pay "whatever they have the ability to pay. If the music touches them, if it makes their lives better, then they'll contribute to Radiohead directly when they can. If it doesn't, they'll stop listening...it's almost irrelevant what they pay, since the songs are just a commercial for everything else the band does for money, like touring and licensing.""

"The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), led by Capitol, Radiohead's former label, recently won $220,000 in damages from a single mother caught sharing twenty-four songs by multi-platinum performers like Aerosmith, Linkin Park, and Green Day. I tried to talk with RIAA rep Liz Kennedy for this article, and about the ideas of fair pricing and payment in general. Once she heard my idea, she decided "to pass on this one."

I wrote back. "Just to clarify: the RIAA has no position regarding what constitutes a fair, responsible and respectful price for a record?" That was six days ago, and I haven't heard back."


UPDATE 5:
Mojib (who did the first - and great - In Rainbows remix) - emailed me yesterday to tell me:

"my website was shut down yesterday with no reason. After a long discussion, and some arguing, I found out that "a certain MP3 was causin problems".

Hmmm.

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